The Twelfth Fret ~ Since 1977 ~

Resonator

National Style 1 Tricone, 1929

On August 16, 2019   /    
National Style 1 Tricone, 1929

This National Style 1 Tricone has a 12-fret ‘Spanish’ or round neck and dates to 1929, and was built at the National shop in Los Angeles. All of these guitars had 12-fret necks until 1934, at which point the influence of banjo players migrating to guitar prompted an industry shift to 14-fret necks. This guitar is in good condition and is fully playable – it has just been serviced at The Twelfth Fret Repair Shop, with a neck reset, fret dress, setup, brace repair and new cones.

Vintage
Price: $8500 CAD
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Gibson TB250 Mastertone Tenor Banjo, 1969

On August 12, 2019   /    
Gibson TB250 Mastertone Tenor Banjo, 1969

THere we have a Gibson TB250 Mastertone Tenor Banjo, built during 1969 at the historic Parsons Street shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This model was built from 1994 to 1996, and models from 1960 on bear the Mastertone name. Gibson banjos were the center of the banjo universe for decades, but with the rise of serious amplification and rock music, the banjo as an instrument fell out of popular favour. It was still found in various music genres, particularly Irish, traditional jazz and bluegrass, but not much beyond them.

Vintage
Price: $1450 CAD
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Vega Deluxe Electric Tenor Banjo Sunburst Restored, 1937

On July 29, 2019   /    
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: $4995.00 CAD
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Stelling Bellflower 5-String Banjo, 2012

On July 26, 2019   /    
Stelling Bellflower 5-String Banjo, 2012

The Stelling Bellflower 5-String Banjo is the basis of the Stelling Sunflower Banjo, and features Virginia Black Walnut construction to the Sunflower’s flame maple. This provides a somewhat warmer, rounder tone.   The Bellflower consistently gets rave reviews from its owners.  Stelling established themselves as a benchmark in modern banjo construction with a unique approach to tone ring to rim construction that ensures maximum ring to rim contact for full tonal transmission.

Used
Price: $4950 CAD
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Gibson TB 3 Mastertone Tenor Banjo, 1926

On July 12, 2019   /    
Gibson TB 3 Mastertone Tenor Banjo, 1926

Built from 1925 to 1937, the Gibson TB 3 Mastertone tenor banjo was a popular though relatively unadorned instrument, used in jazz and banjo orchestras. As the popularity of tenor instruments waned, many of these banjos were converted with 5-string necks. This example is in largely original condition, save for the tuners.

Vintage
Price: $2500 CAD
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Gibson TB 3 Mastertone Tenor Banjo, 1927-28

On July 12, 2019   /    
Gibson TB 3 Mastertone Tenor Banjo, 1927-28

The Gibson TB 3 Mastertone tenor banjo – the TB actually stands for Tenor Banjo – features a plain Maple rim and resonator, with Mahogany for the neck and Rosewood, likely Brazilian given the date, for the fingerboard. The tone ring and flange designs changed at least three times during the TB 3’s production. Initial 1925 and early 1926 models used a classic ball-bearing tone ring, then for later 1926-1928 a solid archtop tone ring, and finally the flathead tone ring for 1929.

Vintage
Price: $4700 CAD
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The Twelfth Fret

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2132 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, Ontario  M4C 1J9
CANADA
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