Vega definition is - the brightest star in the constellation Lyra. Vega, Burnaby, BC. Plant-based nutrition for those who want more and seek better. Vega fuels you to live like you mean it.
$10,450.00Exc(+) condition. All original except 5th string tuner.30 hooks and nuts. Serial number 27957.28″ Scale length. 11 13/16″ diameter pot.Orchestra model.This Vega Whyte Laydie #7 banjo is a rare find.Very ornate earlier “Fairbanks by Vega” model with all inlays intact, and no cracking of any Pear wood veneers. Maple banjo.Elaborate peghead layering shows maple wood with multi-wood layering at top and back. Top of peghead shows multi wood laminates below the pearwood peghead veneer, and below the fingerboard through the length of the neck.Veneer on back of peghead shows multi-wood layers and continues along the underside of neck past the 4th fret.Beautifully engraved pearl “Gryphon” in back of peghead. Peghead face has early Vega elaborate floral design and intricate triad near nut.
Four gold, original friction tuners with all original screws, washers and solid pearl tuner buttons. Highly figured maple neck has rounded “V” profile, and darkened wooden stringer down center, and has elaborate bas relief wood carving pattern at heel and continues up to the 12th fret. Ebony heelcap with intricate engraved large pearl inlay. Ivoroid binding along both sides of neck.Flat ebony fingerboard with original small frets and all original large, elaborately engraved pearl inlays. All hardware on pot in fine serviceable condition. Early “no-knot” tailpiece with original mounting hardware. Original universal armrest.
Hide head is an original Jos. Maple pot with all the trimmings: Wooden marquetry capping bottom of rim; Full tortoise celluloid binding on top and bottom of inside rim and bottom of outside rim.
Shoe and bracket band construction.Original period 5-string friction peg with solid pearl button included (in the original hard case).This is perhaps one of the highest attainable original Vega banjos. There are several other models hovering in this same niche, but to find one with no repairs, and with original case, tuners, and all inlays is rare.
28″ scale model with large, 11 13/16″ pots are known as orchestra banjos. Original hard shell case is in good shape and is serviceable - ' handle, hinges, latches all work.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOZOGZwHZj0.
There was a time when I was going full bore in the catch-and-release banjo search and this is the one I settled on. I found that the smaller Whyte Laydie matched with a skin head gave me a focused but warm sound. Better than any other combination that I tried, and believe me, I tried a bunch.The head is 10 3/4 in, 26 inch scale length, 36 inch overall length. The serial number is 50415, which dates to 1922 best I can tell. The pot is from a tenor, with a Wyatt Fawley neck (installed by him) and a new tailpiece and bridge. There is a pinhead-sized hole in the head that sits on the rim.
It's been there for the 10+ years I've had it and it hasn't changed one bit. If it is a concern, you can get a new head installed, but I like the (possibly) original head. BTW, Wyatt intentionally put the gryphon inlay upside down. This is an historical reference, which you can read about on line.Fully set up and ready to play. The strings are old Omes, but I'm including some spares and a capo, as well as any other case goodies that I can find. It comes in a well-fitting Reunion Blues gig bag.
A comfortable strap is installed, too. And a wrench to tighten the head - good to have with a natural skin head.I've sold a few fiddles and a mandolin or two on the internet and I've yet to have any returns. I like for everyone to be happy, so take a week to try it out. Return it to me unchanged and unharmed, at your cost, and I'll refund your purchase price. You just pay shipping both ways.It is strung up and ready to play, but I'll detune a bit for shipping and install plenty of bridge support.
I've never had a bridge fall in shipping, but if it happens it is the responsibility of the buyer to install it. Most shops will do this for nothing if you feel unqualified, although they might try to sell you some accessories in kind.Asking price is $1600, offers encouraged. Shipping to be paid by buyer, or we can transact in person in Atlanta or Chattanooga and points between. $2,250.00Wonderful openback banjo that is mostly all original hardware and an original 5-string neck.Serial number 78098. Mahogany10 15/16″ potThis is a fairly rare banjo to have been made this late in the 1920’s. Mostly all original parts.Appears to be original frets and original 5th string pip.
Original 5 friction tuners work fine.Set-up with a newer hide head and bridge.The neck is very nice and not bowed.Some polite cracking in the dyed pearwood fingerboard and heelcap.This is a fine banjo that is a piece of history and also a great sounding instrument.Comes with a hard shell case. Buckeye banjos virtually never come up for sale, and there's a good reason why: they are beautiful, and they play and sound fantastic. This one is no exception. I bought it new; received it in Dec 2017 after being on the waiting list for quite a few years.
It is a fantastic banjo - I just don't find myself reaching for it as often as I do my fretted banjo (also a Buckeye). So I am very reluctantly offering it for sale. The 'Web Site' link will take you to more photos on Greg's site - it is #176, with the Clifftop water tower on the heel. It still looks exactly as it does in those photos, with only one small addition: I have added a brass 'wire' armrest which I antiqued to match the rest of the hardware.Sound is hard to describe, but this banjo is deep, warm, and surprisingly loud. The tone ring is a rolled brass hoop, the pot is thin and deeper than normal, the head is goatskin, and the fingerboard and overlays are Richlite with thin maple laminations underneath. The neck features some really gorgeous figure.
The scoop is only in the thumb region, allowing access all the way up to the 23rd fret. I love the way this scoop design works - I don't miss having a full scoop at all.The banjo comes with a brown 'bump' hard case, 3 Buckeye bridges (5/8', 11/32', and 11/16'), a bracket wrench, and an allen key for the truss rod.Price is $2500 plus actual shipping. (I may be able to deliver it to Rockbridge if a buyer will be there, or even have it brought to Lake Genero if we moved quickly.)Thanks for looking,John. $1,949.00Case: Original Vega-branded caseDescription:Lowe Vintage is an authorized dealer for Deering Banjo Company! From Deering's website:Now with a featuring the new Grand 12' Rim, this banjo is perfect for old time clawhammer banjoists. The wider 12' rim brings out more bass response and truly gives a great old time banjo tone when paired with the fiberskyn head.
Featuring a scooped neck to ease playing over the fingerboard. We build in a traditional 'scoop' that allows more room for the fingers and thumb of the right hand to pluck the strings over the fingerboard.It is the mellowest banjo sound, a lovely full tone. 'Pre-war' style, at a price anyone can afford, AND authentic tone and superb playability describe the OB-150. This Bluegrass banjo sports a three-ply maple rim and one-piece flange (just like the megabucks originals), a maple neck inlayed in authentic style, a brass flathead tone ring and a smooth satin finish. This Bart Reiter Buckbee Banjo is a nod to the famous Buckbee banjos of the late 19th century and it delivers on that traditional, mellow, and full open-back sound. It's not only a cool, classic player, but a heck of a lot of banjo for the price.
Perfect for frailing or clawhammer-style playing, it comes with a scooped fingerboard that allows for easy playability over the neck. It has an 11' Maple rim with a Mahogany stain and a Walnut cap, a rolled brass tone ring, a Cherry neck, bone nut, Planetary tuners with a geared 5th and more.It has a really sharp, minimalist guitar-style headstock with an Ebony overlay and comes with a 26 1/4' scale length, 1 1/4' nut width, 17 nickel-silver frets and an Elite Amber head. Price: $1,395.00Scale Length: 25-1/2'Nut Width: 1-11/32'Neck Wood: WalnutFretboard Wood: PersimmonPeghead Overlay: PersimmonPeghead Inlay: Quilted StarFret Markers: WalnutNut Material: BoneSpikes: NoneTuners: Gotoh PlanetaryFinish: SatinRim Size: 11'Rim Wood: WalnutTonering: PersimmonBrackets: 18 Raw Brass from Balsam BanjoworksTailpiece: TraditionalHead: Remo RenaissanceArmrest: NoneCase: Access Gig BagThis model was the first made by Patrick over at Pisgah banjos and is customized with an 11' pot. The walnut neck and pot along with the persimmon tonering make for a warm and rich tone. The high quality craftsmanship shines thru on this with all the little details like the carved folk heel, the quilted star inlay, the persimmon scooped fingerboard with walnut dots, and so on. Great tone for solo or group play, it is truly an old time banjo that can fit most needs.
This includes a deluxe Pisgah gigbag. $2,495.00Case: Gibson hardshell caseThis banjo started as an RB Standard before being converted to its present Earl Scruggs ’49 Classic configuration by Clancy Mullins of Tennessee. Clancy built the mahogany neck and inlayed it with the infamous 'bowtie' pattern that the factory installed in Earl’s Granada when it was sent back to Gibson in the late ’40’s. Clancy also added a Gibson tone ring to the Standard pot, re-skinned the resonator in maple, and installed D-tuners.
The result is a great-sounding bluegrass banjo that is still in like-new condition. Includes the original hardshell case.-About us: Lowe Vintage Instrument Company specializes in bringing our customers the finest vintage fretted instruments in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Since opening our storefront in downtown Burlington, North Carolina in 2014, we have been recognized by NAMM as one of the top music retailers in the world with their annual “Top 100 Dealer” award for three consecutive years.
Whether you’re looking to buy your very first vintage instrument or want to sell a lifetime’s collection, we appreciate the opportunity to earn your business. The Orange Blossom (OB) banjos harken back to Gold Tone's early days and their popularity hasn't diminished over the decades. These professional-grade banjos evoke the great pre-WW ll banjos played by the Masters: Earl Scruggs, Don Reno, J.D. Crow all depended on those great banjos from the Midwest USA to power their sound. The OB-250 has everything needed to produce THAT tone: a sand-cast bell brass flathead tone ring, a cast one-piece resonator flange circling a multi-ply maple rim with twin coordinator rods and an extra-deep curly maple multi-ply resonator for better low-end response. The curly maple neck has a bound ebony fretboard with hearts & flowers inlay.
The bracket hooks even have metric threading to enable finer tension adjustment. The price includes a hard shell case.Small ding in resonator. $3,495.00Case: Original hardshell caseFull description coming soon!-About us: Lowe Vintage Instrument Company specializes in bringing our customers the finest vintage fretted instruments in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Since opening our storefront in downtown Burlington, North Carolina in 2014, we have been recognized by NAMM as one of the top music retailers in the world with their annual “Top 100 Dealer” award for three consecutive years. Whether you’re looking to buy your very first vintage instrument or want to sell a lifetime’s collection, we appreciate the opportunity to earn your business. $1,995.00Case: Original Deering-branded caseLowe Vintage is an authorized dealer for Deering Banjo Company! From Deering's website:The Eagle II banjo represents the latest in tone ring innovation from the collaborative efforts of Greg Deering and Jens Kruger.
It features the ground breaking patented Twenty Ten Tone Ring - a Deering original crafted unlike any other traditional tone ring. Made of brass and producing a tone with a very rich mid-range and good bass and treble response, the most unique feature of the Eagle II banjo is that it is suitable to both clawhammer and bluegrass, among other styles. Rarely has there ever been a tone ring model that could claim this but customers who own the Eagle II have proclaimed its utmost versatility in this respect.
Here’s a snappy 5-string that will delight players of many styles. This is a 1925 Gibson Mastertone, with its iconic ball-bearing staggered hole support ring and tube and plate flange. The sound of the original ball-bearing rim is the tone that the legendary Ralph Stanley was famous for in his early years. With a pleasant sounding top end a more transparent mid-range than the late ‘20s arch tops.A very talented (unknown to us) builder has fashioned a fine custom made replica mahogany Style 4 neck with its hearts and flowers inlay pattern (most often seen in the hands of Earl Scruggs), and has placed the “Mastertone” block above the 21st frets as on the slightly later 1926 version. The neck matches the mahogany resonator with its double concentric rings, triple bound on both edges, as well as on the fingerboard.
Another special appointment only found on the 1925 Style 4 are the attractive multiple bindings on both sides of the rim. The tuning machines are new Waverly '4-band' style with a new Grover double-ringed Geared fifth peg. Also included is its original Presto tailpiece. All other hardware is original.This 5 string wonder is in excellent condition with only a few light scratches on the back of the resonator, none on the neck and devoid of any wear on the frets themselves.This is one of the most versatile of the Mastertone designs, capable of producing old-time country, bluegrass as well as chordal tones from the swing era. Whatever style you play, this banjo has i!!$4,500.00 in contemporary hard case.Additional photos available upon request.
$4,995.00Case: Newer Gibson hardshellNew arrival! Full description coming soon!-About us: Lowe Vintage Instrument Company specializes in bringing our customers the finest vintage fretted instruments in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.
Since opening our storefront in downtown Burlington, North Carolina in 2014, we have been recognized by NAMM as one of the top music retailers in the world with their annual “Top 100 Dealer” award for three consecutive years. Whether you’re looking to buy your very first vintage instrument or want to sell a lifetime’s collection, we appreciate the opportunity to earn your business. Case: Original hardshell caseAll original right down to the Jos Rogers skin head. 4 hole arch top tone ring.
Comes with its original chipboard case and for nostolgic purposes; we also have the original hang tag.$2,695.00-About us: Lowe Vintage Instrument Company specializes in bringing our customers the finest vintage fretted instruments in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Since opening our storefront in downtown Burlington, North Carolina in 2014, we have been recognized by NAMM as one of the top music retailers in the world with their annual “Top 100 Dealer” award for three consecutive years.
Whether you’re looking to buy your very first vintage instrument or want to sell a lifetime’s collection, we appreciate the opportunity to earn your business. The Skillet Head was a name given to an early 1950s Bow-Tie Ron found. It was not just a banjo built in the 1950s.
It was put together with left over prewar parts at the factory. It went together in an un-usual way to create what we see as the ultimate flathead. This banjo quickly gained respect from the flathead community so Yates knew that they must reproduce it and that they did. Now everyone can have one.Highest Quality Mahogany Neck, Yates Pre-War Style Resonator and 'Fat Rim'.
Rim and Resonator now Thermal Aged.Finish is “Simi-Distressed” for that early 1950s look and, feel.Flat Rosewood Fingerboard, Ebony Peg Head, Mother of Pearl InlayLight Weight FlangeNarrow Frets (worked down and re-crowned for easier playing and pull-offs)Old Grover style bridge made by YatesSpecial 50's style TailpieceYates made three ply maple rimSimi-Distressed Nickel Plated Metal PartsYates 20 Hole Nickel Plated Tone RingWaverly two band Tuners with Ivoroid Buttons carved to the Keystone shapeSteel coordinator rods$5,825.00Contact Bob or Alvin at Morgan Music for additional information.
Funny story, I went to Vegas when I was 16 in 1980 and my Dad kept teasing my buddy and me we'd see Dan Tanna. We went by the 'warehouse' where he lived and it was there alright, right behind the strip but instead of a bachelors pad with cool antiques and props there was an older contractor inside smoking a cigarette and cutting a board with a power saw. He said he owned the warehouse and leased it to the 'TV Folks'. I did see some props, like a jet ski that you'd see hanging on the garage wall when Tanna pulled in.it was nothing more than a painted jet ski on a paper thin piece of wood.
There were plastic plants in the planters outside though complete with the Desert Inn sign.Anyway, we left and were heading down the strip. There I sat, slumped down in the back seat, dejected that I'd never see Dan.when low and behold and pickup truck with a guy operating a film camera passes us. I look out the window and up pulls ol'Dan in his flame red t-bird.white suit jacket and a nun in the passenger seat! I was going to a catholic high school at the time so I said it figured there would be a nun involved. My buddy and I start hollering for my Dad to pull over because the entire film crew pulled into a nearby parking lot.
While my Mom ran to get film from a souvenir shop, we ran over to the T-Bird. There it was, the car of my dreams in all it's glory with an overheated engine.
The production director told us not to get to close, but we looked over and Urich was talking with the 'Nun' while holding a script. We were in hog heaven. I talked to the guys about the car for about half an hour and they told me all kinds of things about it, like there were two of em.One stock for up close shots and another that was for stunts.it had a big dodge engine in it, and a button on the shifter that would lock the back wheels, so they could screech around corners. The guys also pointed out the hub caps were bolted on with tiny screws because they kept flying off during chase scenes. They also told me it was originally a white 57 that had been painted a 1978 corvette red rather than the flame red that ford produced. The funniest part of the whole day was that Urich was trying to lay low and had taken off his white jacket and was wearing a green dress shirts with blue tennis shorts and sneakers.As he was standing in the shade, a dozen or so Asian tourist saw him and the car and ran over like a buffalo herd yelling.'
Dan Tanna' Dan Tanna!!!' Urich was swamped and signing autographs.one of the tourist showed me a piece of paper Urich had signed and he had written.' Dan Tanna' instead of 'Robert Urich'.Anyway, I was thrilled to see the car and some 18 years later I found the car(s).but thats another story for another time.