Vega Tubaphone #3 5 String Resonator Banjo (1928)
LOADING IMAGES
This item has been sold.
Item # 11546
Prices subject to change without notice.
Vega Tubaphone #3 Model 5 String Resonator Banjo (1928), made in Boston, Mass., serial # 94685, natural mahogany and shaded maple finish, laminated maple rim; laminated mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is a well-worn but very cool original (non-conversion) Tubaphone #3 5-string from the late 1920's. The great majority of banjos made at this time were tenor and plectrum; Vega was one of the few companies still offering 5-strings as standard catalog items but by 1928 they were not making very many of them! A full flange-and-resonator pre-war 5 string like this from any maker is relatively rare.
The Tubaphone #3 was the lower grade of two original Tu-Ba-Phone models launched in 1909, plainer than the fancy-as-all-get-out #9 but still a pretty deluxe instrument. By 1928 it was basically a 5-string version of the Vegaphone Professional tenor, with some minor differences. The neck is 3-piece mahogany with a carved heel, ebony heelcap and a bound ebony fingerboard with star-and-dot pearl inlay. The headplate is inlaid with a discreet floral pattern in pearl on the ebonized headpiece. It is fitted with original geared Grover tuners.
The 11" rim is the same as the later Vegaphone with standard Tu-Ba-Phone features including the bracket band around the outer edge and the elaborate tone ring built on a hollow brass tube. This 1928 version features the then-new the second-generation 4 piece flange. The pie-section resonator has beautifully shaded figured maple sections on the back and tortoise celluloid outer edge binding.
This is an original 5-string instrument with matching numbers on the dowel and rim, not a later conversions from 4-string. It is fairly rare to find one of these in original condition, and it remains as a fine if very late-in-the-day example of one of Vega's classic banjos, with the lovely Tu-Ba-Phone sound that is the world standard to many old-time players. The resonator gives that splendid sound an extra kick, but it would be possible to remove it and the flange for use as an openback instrument if desired. A true 5-stringer coming from what was primarily a 4-string banjo era, this Tubaphone is a very nice find in an authentic prewar 5-string and a great instrument for many styles.
Overall length is 37 1/4 in. (94.6 cm.), 11 in. (27.9 cm.) diameter head, and 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 27 in. (686 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/4 in. (32 mm.).
This banjo shows a lot of wear overall but remains substantially original and an excellent player. The all-original finish has dings, dents and scrapes overall with larger areas flaked away on the face of the headstock and lower edge of the resonator. The back of the neck has some heavier wear as well, worn to the wood in spots with some chipping all down the spine.
The plating on the rim and flange is fairly well preserved but most is gone from the hooks. Two of the hook/nut/shoe assemblies are missing around the rim, one by the neck and the other by the tailpiece; this does not cause any functional issues. The tailpiece is a repro of the exact correct style Presto; all the other hardware remains original.
The original small-wire frets and fingerboard show some wear but playability is not affected. This is a fine-playing, lovely sounding banjo, set up with a modern Fiberskyn head. The sound is especially suited to string-band use (and does a perfect Grandpa Jones) but really applicable to just about any style. It still resides in a VERY battered but serviceable original HSC. Overall Very Good + Condition.
This is a well-worn but very cool original (non-conversion) Tubaphone #3 5-string from the late 1920's. The great majority of banjos made at this time were tenor and plectrum; Vega was one of the few companies still offering 5-strings as standard catalog items but by 1928 they were not making very many of them! A full flange-and-resonator pre-war 5 string like this from any maker is relatively rare.
The Tubaphone #3 was the lower grade of two original Tu-Ba-Phone models launched in 1909, plainer than the fancy-as-all-get-out #9 but still a pretty deluxe instrument. By 1928 it was basically a 5-string version of the Vegaphone Professional tenor, with some minor differences. The neck is 3-piece mahogany with a carved heel, ebony heelcap and a bound ebony fingerboard with star-and-dot pearl inlay. The headplate is inlaid with a discreet floral pattern in pearl on the ebonized headpiece. It is fitted with original geared Grover tuners.
The 11" rim is the same as the later Vegaphone with standard Tu-Ba-Phone features including the bracket band around the outer edge and the elaborate tone ring built on a hollow brass tube. This 1928 version features the then-new the second-generation 4 piece flange. The pie-section resonator has beautifully shaded figured maple sections on the back and tortoise celluloid outer edge binding.
This is an original 5-string instrument with matching numbers on the dowel and rim, not a later conversions from 4-string. It is fairly rare to find one of these in original condition, and it remains as a fine if very late-in-the-day example of one of Vega's classic banjos, with the lovely Tu-Ba-Phone sound that is the world standard to many old-time players. The resonator gives that splendid sound an extra kick, but it would be possible to remove it and the flange for use as an openback instrument if desired. A true 5-stringer coming from what was primarily a 4-string banjo era, this Tubaphone is a very nice find in an authentic prewar 5-string and a great instrument for many styles.
Overall length is 37 1/4 in. (94.6 cm.), 11 in. (27.9 cm.) diameter head, and 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 27 in. (686 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/4 in. (32 mm.).
This banjo shows a lot of wear overall but remains substantially original and an excellent player. The all-original finish has dings, dents and scrapes overall with larger areas flaked away on the face of the headstock and lower edge of the resonator. The back of the neck has some heavier wear as well, worn to the wood in spots with some chipping all down the spine.
The plating on the rim and flange is fairly well preserved but most is gone from the hooks. Two of the hook/nut/shoe assemblies are missing around the rim, one by the neck and the other by the tailpiece; this does not cause any functional issues. The tailpiece is a repro of the exact correct style Presto; all the other hardware remains original.
The original small-wire frets and fingerboard show some wear but playability is not affected. This is a fine-playing, lovely sounding banjo, set up with a modern Fiberskyn head. The sound is especially suited to string-band use (and does a perfect Grandpa Jones) but really applicable to just about any style. It still resides in a VERY battered but serviceable original HSC. Overall Very Good + Condition.