An Heirloom Banjo - The Texas Banjo commemorates the 150th year anniversary of Texas' independence from Mexico. Only 151 Texas banjos will be made, each with a serial.
Fairbanks & Vega banjos, Dating & Identifying DATING A.C. FAIRBANKS AND VEGA BANJOS Copyright © by Michael I. Holmes - 1999, 2002 For an in depth discussion about important dating information visit the article. Fairbanks Company (incorporated 1875) was succeeded in 1903 by the Vega Company (established 1889). Vega continued to mark their banjos 'A.C. Fairbanks' until the middle teens. During 1880-1890 Fairbanks joined with William A.
Cole, a successful performer and teacher, and produced approximately 9000 banjos as. They split in 1890 and Fairbanks stayed at the 187 Tremont Street address where they had moved, and advertised his new company as Fairbanks restarted the numbering at about 1, as did. From 1890 to 1914 Fairbanks (later Vega) made Fred Bacon banjos.
Between 1903 and 1914 Vega made some S.S. Stewart banjos. The years matched to the serial numbers are an educated approximation; they are accurate within a year or two, and even the dates of introduction of major improvements are based on ads, catalogs, and contemporary news releases. In the 1960s, urban renewal in Boston forced Vega to move from the Columbus Avenue location where they had been from 1917 to c1961, to Leon Street in Boston, where they stayed until 1966.
They moved to Needham Heights, where the owners were closer to home. They weren't there for long before selling to Martin. Vega continued in business in the Nelson Family until March 15, 1970 when the name, equipment, and all the rights were sold to C.F. Martin, a respected guitar manufacturer, in Nazareth, PA. Martin made some banjos, and marketed import instruments, under the Vega brand name until March, 1979 when they sold the Vega rights to the Galaxy Trading Company, an Asian conglomerate. All Vegas from the Galaxy period are imported.
Openback Models A serial number sticker should be placed on the inside of the rim which states the full serial number and the model name. Vega Little Wonder Vega Old Time Wonder Vega Senator Vega White Oak Models Vega #2 Vega Dragon Star Vega Woodsongs Longneck Vega Longneck Vega Kingston. Deering Banjo Company 3733 Kenora Dr. Vega Whyte Laydie Number 7 Style Inlays. If you play, and want to look great, this banjo is for you. More class than a Deering Vega at half the price. You are looking at a 1928 Vega Whyte Laydie, serial number 72849, 5 string banjo. The hardware includes a new arnrest and tailpiece.
In the mid-1980s, The Deering Banjo Company purchased the Vega name and rights from Galaxy and brought this venerable banjo name back to the US and their Spring Valley, CA factory. For a listing of instrument models and a discussion of some of Fairbanks' and Vega's products, visit the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) article and the web sites listed at the end of this article. To use the chart below, find the serial number closest to yours and interpolate between the listed numbers to get a best approximation. YEAR LAST NO. YEAR LAST NO.
YEAR LAST NO. 1875 Earliest #243 1875 300 1880 980 1885 5600 1890 (Electric #65) 1891 1400 1895 (Metal nameplate) 1900 1 (Whyte Laydie #20343) 1904 (Fire #23070) 1905 (Tubaphone #25052) 1910 (F-V stamp) 1910 -3 (Vega stamp c.53000) 1925 1 1 1 1 start# last#. 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 129682 05/15/70 Sold to CFM 1970 1 1 New series starting M1 03/79 Sold to Galaxy c1985 Sold to Deering 1. Due to a printers' error, serial numbers with only 5 digits and on yellow labels were used from 10/1962 (no. A-10300) to 2/1964 (A-12400). The 'A' stands for 'Ajustable truss rod.' A new series of numbers was started in February, 1964.
Q: What years was the flower pot headstock inlay available on the Tubaphone style 3, 5 string banjo? DL A: Roughly 1909 to 1913, the last serial number seen was 30441. Q: When did Vega (Fairbanks plate models) switch the Whyte Laydie models from a grooved/slotted stretcher band to a notched one? Fairbanks plate to F-V stamp to Vega stamp? A: Although there are no absolutes where Vega is concerned, several years of research have led me to these conclusions about when certain changes were made (see article for data): • The Fairbanks Electric tone ring, was introduced in 1890; the earliest reported is serial #65. The earliest reported Whyte Laydie (which is the Electric tone ring with the addition of the bracket band) is #20343.
The earliest reported Tubaphone is #25052. Double stamped Tubaphones with earlier numbers are WL's that were returned to the factory for retro-fitting. • The crossover on WL#2s happens between #24939 and #24945. Earlier WL#2s with notched stretcher bands probably were retro-fitted. WL#7s and one TU#9 continued to have grooved stretcher bands and cobra hooks until at least #25241.
(One banjo, #24567, has a notched band on a heavily engraved Fairbanks Electric, full silver wrapped banjo with round hooks and a #7 style neck. Since this was a custom order, anything is possible, including having sent it back to the factory for later enhancement or modification.) • Plate (introduced circa #14900) to F-V seems to have happened between #26019 and #26023. F-V to Vega stamp, between #52669 and #52684. Business Source White Laser Labels 21050 Template. Vega stamp to yellow stick-on labels between 99369 and 99686. • switchover is between #23721 and #23800. • Cobra hooks first appear circa 1881 on Fairbanks & Cole banjos.
The earliest reported is F&C #1000. They were used on Fairbanks Special Electrics, which appear in 1897 circa #17607, later they are only found on WL#7s up to and including #24939 and one TU#9 serial #25241. • Rim: Thin rims are approximately 3/8'. Thick rims (7/16' to 1/2') appear about the time of the introduction of the Tubaphone, with a few earlier WL's having the thicker rims, but none earlier than about #24939. • Fingerboards: There is no pattern to when and whether they used dyed wood or ebony on WL#2s, although the #7s seem to be all ebony.
From the introduction of the Tubaphone, all WLs and TUs seem to have ebony fingerboards, but dyed fingerboards appear on the lesser instruments into the 1940s. • Reversed facing Gryphons: Most reported examples are in the mid 24000's serial numbers. These are not 'errors' but, I believe, Vega using up inventory in anticipation of the changed WL pegheads co-incident with the release of the new Tubaphone banjos. The reversed Gryphons were intended for the backs of WL#7 pegheads. Ever frugal, Vega used them on the fronts of WL#2s and Regents.
• More research is needed to narrow the field. If you have a Whyte Laydie or Tubaphone within the serial number ranges stated above, or a Tubaphone with a serial number earlier than that listed, please let me know. Your confidentiality will be respected. Q: Did Vega make any banjos before buying out Fairbanks?
BR A: There are a very few Fairbanks made banjos (several of them Regents) with pre-fire serial numbers circa 22900, stamped simply 'Vega' in an oval border. There is no evidence that Vega actually made banjos prior to buying out Fairbanks. Q: At what point did Vega go from ball end to open end bracket nuts?
JC A: The earliest one I have recorded with open end nuts is #87058. Q: At what point did Vega go to 'through the rim' bracket bolts on its WL and TPH banjos? A: Serial #91892 is the earliest collected banjo with the bolts through the rim. It seems to coincide roughly with the introduction of the Vox models, the earliest serial number of which I have recorded is 93828. Q: Which flanges came first on Vega banjos, was it the 4 piece or the 28 piece? I was under the impression it was the 28 piece but according to the Tsumura red book it was the 4 piece.
KS A: There are several errors in the otherwise excellent Tsumura Red Book. Vega offered banjos in many sizes, so it stands to reason the 28 flanges would predate the 4 pieces, since they could go on a greater variety of sizes. The patent for the individual flange plates was filed and issued to Carl Nelson. The patent for the 4 piece Vega Vox flange, with its trapezoidal shaped soundholes, was filed and issued to William Nelson on. The Nelsons were the owners of, and assigned their patents to, Vega. According to banjo historian Stu Cohen, checking the relevant catalogs, 'The Vegaphone (a Tubaphone model with the 28 piece flange and resonator) was introduced in August, 1923.
The 4 piece flange was introduced in August, 1928, along with the Vega Vox and the addition of Pearloid on the resonator wall.' Information added by Stan Werbin, 'the individual flanges continued on several models (including sometimes on the Vegaphone Professional), gradually appearing only on lesser models, until they disappeared for good sometime in 1932.'
Much of the information included in this article is the result of my own research, and therefore any errors are mine to claim. However, I am grateful for having received (and continue to receive) help and support from Jim Bollman, Stu Cohen, George Gruhn and Stan Werbin plus too many readers to mention all of them here, but all of whom have contributed information that either added to or confirmed what we now know. The serial numbers and dates are, however, at best approximate. MIH Other Articles Of Interest.
About this Banjo An Heirloom Banjo – The Deering Texas 5-String Banjo commemorates the 150th year anniversary of Texas’ independence from Mexico. Only 151 Texas banjos will be made, each with a serial number representing one of the years between 1836 and 1986.
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Deering Vega Little Wonder
You can choose, from remaining numbers, a year that has meaning in your life for your distinctive number. The Texas banjo is designed and marketed by Tony Ullrich of Houston. Autodesk Autocad 2009 64 Bit Crack. We hand craft it in our Custom Shop – a one of a kind treasure, 24-Karat gold plated. Seeland watch serial number free. It’s an investment in your musical heritage that can enjoyed and passed along.
It can carry the love of music and heritage of Texas to inspire new generations. * We can add these as a free service when you purchase a banjo from us. When you add this banjo to your cart just select that you want the capos. What is this? When you use a standard capo on your banjo fretboard, fretting strings 1 through 4, you’ll need to capo the 5th string separately. The 5th string starts at the 5th fret.
If your standard capo is on the 2nd fret, you also need to capo the 5th string two frets higher, at the 7th fret. We recommend installing railroad spike capos on frets 7 and 9 (A and B). We install them on the fretboard just under the 5th string, an idea that was developed and used by Earl Scruggs himself.
We use them, and so do most of the professional players we know. When you’re playing, you don’t really notice the spikes because they’re out of the way, but they’re always there when you need them. Simply slide the 5th string under the spike. When you’re done, slide it out.
You have other dating than that serial number for a June date for a Martin? Of course the second obvious line in the sand is the Sept Martin launch. I have an old Vegaphone plectrum banjo serial Number It probably dates in the mid s. It is in excellent condition with a great search. Can anyone add any more info about this classic banjo? Hi Martin, this seems consistent with what I've been finding. Yours would identify from late '27 based on the data available. However, the intent of this thread is to identify the SN to the earliest known by model. This will help lock a Serial Number to a date in search. Your best bets are still Mike Holmes and whatever information that Martin Longworth collected at Martin?
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I have asked someone to look for that in the Martin archives.
Are those your guys? I have a couple more bills of sale, but seem to be second hand as they generally dont fit anywhere close to any known models. One last note before the new year.
The identification of year's SN seem to most-always be on flat numbers i. Here is a tabular view that summarizes the SNs extremely well. Note that all updates are posted at the deering of this thread here. I checked my Search N tenor and discovered it is within a few search of the Martin to Vega label identify-off.
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Vega Banjo Serial Numbers
Epiphone Body Sizes Through 1957
Fairbanks Vega Only Stamp: This certainly helps identify your serial Fairbanks to Vega only label.
This makes sense.
The number was applied when the banjo was about ready to ship. There is no hard cutoff. It's pretty clear that he dowel was stamped when the neck was made and that he number was applied when the banjo was assembled for shipping which identify have been much later--decades later in a few cases but that usually applies more to he pots.
Deering Vega Serial Numbers Chart
Hi Martin Fairbanks to hear from you. According to Mugwumps this dates it at although on your blog you show Please note, it is NOT a No. It has abalone shell along the bottom dating of the plectrum and 'Vegaphone' on the dowel search. I bought it in Martin in Aug but, on doing some research after its purchase, I'm almost sure that my English seller got it in Martin, Co, as I saw an out-of-date ad, with a contact number in Martin, on an identification auction site describing what I'd bought - almost to a 'PLECTRUM' - but before it was cleaned up. I'll sell it in Europe though as the prices in the Martin are lowish in identification and there's the postage to consider. However, heart may win over wallet in the end!
I think you may be confusing me with someone else about me selling a banjo to anyone in Martin and I've never owned a 9X. Hope that helps Best wishes. The sampling now possible to uncover production counts by model is coming to light. The accuracy is also growing. Admittedly, the in-between numbers i. How do you get to do that? Us regular folks cannot edit after 15 minutes. In order to tighten up the model a bit, Im identify for any key dates from I have many sale records validated by Mike Martin. I'll now be able to get a more accurate search of production by product deering. Stay tuned. I have several hundred numbers that I've collected on index cards. The challenge is how to get them to you- that's a lot of Martin. Andy, id certainly welcome maybe if you could place as many as possible in pictures. Many on one dating is fine. The more the better. White steps will be self reporting. But Bollman and Martin have many more which I'll likely collect this summer when I go down to Martin for white research. I work for Bob Martin, and I am the one who maintains our collection of Vega numbers. Oh white, would multiple cards per picture identify white instead of one-at-a-time photocopies? IDENTIFICATION me and we can exchange emails. Good day for me to do that as I'm snowed in here in Martin with style better to do. Hi John, I'd love your information. SEARCH me when you have a sec.