Mandolin Central

1922 Gibson Tenor Banjo TB-1 # 11715-17.  A one hundred year-old lively short scale 4-string tenor banjo.  This banjo was originally designed for mandolin players who want to branch out into Dixieland Jazz.  Today, we find it perfect for Celtic music or for a multi instrumentalist who wants to add an additional fun sound to their repertoire.  This model represents Gibson’s earliest effort to enter the booming banjo market of the late teens and ‘20s. This design was based on patents by Victor Kraske, and with enthusiastic support from Lloyd Loar, specifications had become solidified by 1922.  Features of TB-1 # 11715-17 include 10 1/2 maple rim; 19 inch scale; 24 round head hooks and nuts (identical to those used on the later Mastertones); nickel plated hardware; 3-pc maple neck (with ebonized maple flitch); early version of the snakehead peghead; “The Gibson” in pearl inlaid in ebony-dyed pear-wood overlay; 2-on-a-plate geared tuners (similar to mandolin tuners of the era); dowel stick and coordinator rod combination; Mahogany “trap-door” resonator with oval sound hole, both with ivoroid binding (Gibson literature called this the “Tone-Projector”, a metal swivel latch allows 3 possible positions from closed to fully open); “trapdoor” connected with hook to coordinator rod (unlike later versions which the door was held in place with screws into the rim); ivoroid pickguard; ebony nut; no-knot tailpiece.  It arrived to us with a poorly repaired peg head separation and busted Joseph Rogers Union head.  The peghead has been restored seamlessly by Randy Wood; we have mounted a new high-quality calfskin head and installed a modern bridge, but original is with the banjo. Now in excellent playing condition with all original parts, ready for another century of goofy-jazzy fun.  Comes in original Geib and Schaefer hard shell green “Silk Plush” interior.  Price is only $850, and this includes free UPS shipping in USA east of Mississippi; and shared shipping cost to other destinations including many overseas.