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Tenor Banjo ID


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Can anyone out there give me any detailed info on this tenor banjo. When I bought it I was told it was made sometime during the late 20's or early 30's. I bought it to plunk around on after realizing my right hand was never going to play Scuggs-like on a 5-string a friend had given me. The tenor (versus plectrum) was recommended to me by the great jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, and who's gonna argue with a legend like Bucky. Having an affinity for Gibson instruments, I was able to pick this one at a fairly reasonable price, and have had a lot of fun learning to play it.

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Printed logo, not an inlay

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Grover "PAT" Tuning machines

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Single Coordinator rod and inside label

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Guts and serial number. Serial number appears in three places, die stamped on inside of tone ring, chalk written and hand painted on inside of resonator.

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Anybody got any info on this one?

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Kev,

Thanks for the info and the links, which would make it a '32 TB-1. It's in great condition for it's age and has a loud booming sound, and wonderful biting tone. For being a guitar player looking for a banjo to strum around on, I think I got pretty lucky to find this one.

 

Other than strumming around on it at home, I used this instrument on one recording session (and perform the same song on it in concert). It's a version of Loudon Wainwright III's "Dead Skunk".

 

Here's a link to a mp3 from a guitarist website I write for. Scroll down this page and you'll find the mp3 player, and click on "Dead Skunk". There's also a 5-string finger pickin' banjo track on this tune, but that's not me or the TB-1. The strummin' rhythm track is the '32 TB-1 in front of a Shure SM-81 condensor mic. In fact, all the tracks were mic'd acoustic instuments.

 

http://www.stringdancer.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=viewnews&id=156

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great playing and sounded fun, I really respect guitar players that play banjo also. I can hold my own with a mandolin but skill just isn't there for Banjo. when I need one for recording I cheated and picked up a six string guitar tuned banjo so I didn't need to learn any other chording or notes:-s

 

edit - great looking instrument which is what I meant to say first wish I could look that good at that age.

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