This neatly constructed Dave Mills 5 string openback banjo uses a 12 inch pot with a spun-over Maple rim and Dobson-style tone ring, and a 3-piece Maple neck with an Ebony fingerboard that carries a frailing scoop. The Maple used on the rim and neck has a very convincing Cherry stain – so convincing that even our repair shop staff thought it was cherry from a short distance! The head uses a traditional ‘paddle’ outline.
Frailing
This is a Vega Professional Tubaphone openback banjo, with a neck from the 1960s and the pot from a 1923 Vega Tubaphone banjo, a conversion common in the 1960s. Vega, now owned by Deering Banjos, is one of the oldest American banjo brands, founded in 1881 in Boston, Massachusetts. This lovely old banjo is a mix of two Vega banjos: a product of 1960s Hootenanny era.
The Deering White Lotus 5-String Banjo by Deering is a resonator back model with no exotic woods, just White Oak and Maple. The bluegrass inspired White Lotus banjo, named for its lotus flower inspired inlay pattern, is centered around the patented white oak rim. Notably lacking a traditional heavy tone ring, the natural white oak rim closely recreates a bright, crisp bluegrass punch, ushering in a new era in playing comfort and sound for today’s banjo player.
Here’s a new item – the Vega White Oak 12 Inch Open Back Banjo by Deering. This is a lightweight open back model with no exotic woods, just Oak and Maple.
For many years, the Vega company was a prominent musical instrument builder, and the Vega Senator 5-string open back banjo was a typical offering. Market and management changes led to Vega’s decline, and the name has now become a valued Deering brand, recalling the historic banjos of the early part of the 20th century.
This instrument has sold
MORE →