TO SUPER HART'S GIBSON PAGE !
In November of 1997, I had the great fortune to come across a genuine prewar Gibson MB-3 mandolin-banjo with a true 1930s 3-series archtop one-piece flange Mastertone pot, Serial Number 195-2. I bought the MB-3 from Sam Ash Music in Cherry Hill, NJ for $399. I happened to take my son there to see a guitar that he was interested in. I began to chide the salesman that the store had only one 5-string banjo and that it was unplayable because the fifth string was missing. He replied that they didn't get much call for banjos but that he thought there was something in the store room that might interest me. Out came the MB-3, much to my delight. Fortunately for me, the people at Sam Ash had no idea of just what they had there. Mandolin Brothers in Staten Island then suggested that it was worth around $2000 if I was interested in selling it. Also, Gruhn Guitars in Nashville had a definite interest in the instrument. I am happy to say that as of December 23, 1997 it is now an RB-3 conversion. I installed a homemade RB-3 neck available from a previous project which I made myself with a blank purchased from Bill Sullivan. I use Gibson Earl Scruggs medium weight strings, and a mother-of-pearl nut for crisp clear sound. All parts and supplies came from First Quality Musical Supply to complete the conversion including a McPeake/Hopkins low profile conversion tone ring and a Snuffy Smith bridge. I must say that the tone of this banjo is unlike other Gibsons that I have owned. It has very good bass response, crisp tone, and seems a little brighter than my 1994 vintage RB-3 or my Scruggs model even though all three of these banjos are set up the same way and use the same head tension and bridge. In the near future I do plan to have Bill Sullivan at First Quality Musical Supply in Louisville, KY buff and replate the one-piece flange and tension hoop because of pitting. From the following pictures, you can see how my love of woodworking, music, and my banjo all came together:
This is a front view showing the ebony fingerboard and the elaborate Hearts & Flowers Pearl Inlay work on the fingerboard and headstock of my homemade neck. Even though I wanted to try my hand at Pearl Inlay I decided to purchase the Pearl Inlay Set precut to the Hearts and Flowers pattern ready for inlaying. I used thin plywood patterns as guides to locate the pattern layout and cut the reliefs using a Dremel MotoTool mounted on a router base and a carbide tipped inlay cutter bit.
This is a view of the back of the Banjo showing the mahogany resonator.
This view is a closeup of the headstock and its Hearts & Flowers Inlay pattern which is Earl Scruggs' trademark on his personal instruments. Even I didn't have the patience to tackle this part of the project. I purchased the headstock blank with the Pearl designs already inlaid. This blank was then glued to the neck and cut to shape on a bandsaw using a head shape pattern copied from an original headstock.
This view is a close up of the maple, walnut, and turquoise wood inlay of the back of the peghead. This pattern was originally used on the pre-war Gibson TB-5 Model. It's amazing what can be done with a Dremel, a router base, and an inlay cutting bit. Thin plywood patterns were made from copies of drawings of original inlay work and used to cut the individual pieces which make up the finished inlay.
This view shows the genuine mother-of-pearl headstock binding which was very difficult and time-consuming to do but well worth the effort in terms of beauty and durability. A Dremel MotoTool mounted on a router base and a binding cutter bit was used to cut the rabbitt for the pearl binding. The Pearl pieces were then cut from patterns and glued into place prior to the final scraping and sanding of the headstock profile.
Recently, I became the proud owner of a Gibson Earl Scruggs model Banjo, Serial Number #0037. This banjo was sold to the original owner by Earl Scruggs out of his music shop in Madison, TN. where he played and personally autographed it himself. The first photo is very important to me. This photo shows Earl playing my banjo in 1984, when it was new.
Here is my 1991 Granada, Serial number 9108-62, that I recently found. It was originally purchased from First Quality Musical Supplies on September 9, 1991. The original warranty certificate is still in the case. Of course, as with every banjo I purchase, it has been completely disassembled, cleaned, polished, and set up to my specifications. It now sports a new set of Gibson Earl Sruggs medium strings and a custom bridge made for me by Gary Sosebee Custom Bridges. The original owners name is Roger Plante who lives in Alabama. As one would expect, this is a typical Gibson Granada, loud and bright. The fretboard is a beautiful rosewood with the Flying Eagle inlay pattern. I won't divulge how much I paid for this banjo but let's just say that I have a grin from ear to ear. Now for the photos.
Lastly is my Gold Sparkle Style 6 5-string. This banjo can either be viewed as a true Gibson OR as a copy, whichever way you want to view it. There is no serial number stamped inside the rim and I have no idea whose tone ring resides on it. Legend has it that this instrument was being built by Greg Rich for a personal friend of his at the time he was preparing to leave Gibson. He took the uncompleted instrument with him and finished it in his new shops. In all respects, this instrument is a true Gibson except for the missing serial number. Having been made by Greg Rich, synonymous with the Gibson revival, qualifies it as the real thing in my mind.
I was able to pick up this fine banjo for a mere song because it had such bad fret buzz in the middle of the neck. The previous owner had actually taken a flat file to the tops of the frets and removed over half the fret crown on several frets from #5 through #12 in an attempt to remove the buzz (unsuccessfully, I might add). It took me less than 5 minutes of setup diagnosis to determine that the problem was a mild backward bow in the neck caused by an overtightened truss rod. I loosened the rod carefully and tuned the banjo to A to increase string tension. Within three days, the bow was corrected and I set the neck for a .016 relief at the 12th fret. Then came the task of refretting this baby. I performed a complete fret job, first leveling the fretboard with an old Stanley plane with 320 grit self-stick paper applied to it. I replaced the 5th string nut, popped in new medium frets and, voila, no more fret buzz.
The sound is a real eye-opener, no need for any mike and amplifier here. This banjo is now set up with a Remo Weather King outside frosted head, gold plated Keith detuners, Gibson Earl Scruggs medium strings, and a custom bridge made for me by Gary Sosebee Custom Bridges in Woodstock, GA. His bridges are every bit as good as the Snuffy Smith, cost less, and he will custom notch the slots for me to match my playing style. What more can I ask?
OK, Folks, here it is hot off the presses, my latest discovery. This is an original Gibson All American resonator direct from the Gibson factory. Unlike production items which are produced using a pantograph setup and a model, this one seems to be hand carved. I plan to build a Masterclone banjo worthy enough for this resonator to reside on. Since I don't happen to like the peghead on the original All American banjo I will probably do a neck in the fiddle shape and maybe use the Bela Voce or Florentine inlays. All I need to do is find soneone who is able to do the heel carving for me.
