The Twelfth Fret ~ Since 1977 ~

Carved Heel

SOLD!! Vega Style X No.9 Tenor Banjo, 1926

SOLD!! Vega Style X No.9 Tenor Banjo, 1926

Here, we’re looking at a Vega Style X Number 9 Tenor Banjo, built in Boston during 1926. Typical of higher end banjos of the era, it is adorned with engraved Mother of Pearl Inlays which are in lovely condition, and the engravings have been re-filled. The banjo features a tube-a-phone tone ring and Maple is used for the neck and dowel. The heel is hand carved, also typical of the era.   The backstrap, the wood covering the back of the head, plus the head plate, are Rosewood.  

Vintage
Price: $3,150.00 CAD

This instrument has sold

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❌SOLD❌ Larrivee OO Body Steel String Guitar Rosewood, 1976

❌SOLD❌  Larrivee OO Body Steel String Guitar Rosewood, 1976

Here is a lovely item from the past – a Larrivee OO body steel string guitar from 1976 in Toronto, just as The Twelfth Fret opened, with signatures from both Jean Larrivee (on the label) and Tony Duggan-Smith (discreetly engraved in the headstock inlay). At the time this guitar was built, I was just moving to The Twelfth Fret from the late Darryl Williams’ shop in Schomberg, Ontario, as the first Twelfth Fret employee.

Vintage
Price: $4,000.00 CAD

This instrument has sold

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SOLD!! Bacon and Day Super Tenor Banjo, 1927

SOLD!! Bacon and Day Super Tenor Banjo, 1927

It’s always interesting to see vintage pieces like this Bacon and Day Super Tenor banjo, built around 1927 at the Bacon Banjos shop in Boston, Massachusetts. The Super Tenor was built from 1920 to 1927. From 1906 to 1920, noted musician Fredrick Bacon sold banjos under his own name. In 1921, he partnered with David Day and while the company name remained Bacon, many instruments were branded Bacon and Day. Bacon, and Bacon and Day, operated independently until 1940 when they were purchased by Gretsch;  the line was discontinued in 1967. 

Vintage
Price: $1,549.00 CAD

This instrument has sold

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❌SOLD❌ Vega Deluxe Electric Tenor Banjo Sunburst Restored, 1937

❌SOLD❌ Vega Deluxe Electric Tenor Banjo Sunburst Restored, 1937

Here we have a real rarity from around 1937 – a restored, refinished and replated Vega Deluxe Electric Tenor Banjo, and they meant ‘Electric’ – this has a pickup! The Vega company was one of the older banjo builders in the USA, having started during 1881 in Boston, Massachusetts and acquiring the A C Fairbanks company assets in 1904 following a devastating fire at the Fairbanks plant. By the 1040s Vega was fading, and in the 1970s C F Martin purchased the company and held it until 1989 when Greg Deering bought it and re-created the Vega line.

Vintage
Price: $4,995.00 CAD

This instrument has sold

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❌SOLD❌ Vega Artist Tenor Banjo, 1926

The Vega Artist Tenor banjo was a professional grade instrument made by one of the top – from the turn of the 20th century to the 1930s – American musical instrument producers. However, just about the time the Dopyera Brothers and George Beauchamp started National to produce their new resophonic guitars, the popularity of banjos began to drop, and by the 1930s many banjo players had shifted to guitar.

Vintage
Price: $1,999.99 CAD

This instrument has sold

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❌SOLD❌ Bacon and Day Silver Bell No4 Tenor Banjo, 1927

❌SOLD❌ Bacon and Day Silver Bell No4 Tenor Banjo, 1927

One of the most well known of the Bacon Banjo Company and Day instruments was the Bacon and Day Silver Bell. These banjos are very elaborate, carved, engraved and plated, and have a full, rich tone with lots of power.

Vintage
Price: $2,799.00 CAD

This instrument has sold

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THE TWELFTH FRET

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2132 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, Ontario  M4C 1J9 CANADA
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