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.
Tub-a-phone
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.
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 →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.
This instrument has sold
MORE →The Deering Vega Senator banjo is the perfect “crossover” and parlor banjo. It is a light-weight, classic open back banjo, with a warm, woody tone with a lightweight tone ring that adds just enough punch and high-end clarity to play bluegrass with your buddies but warm, fat and woody enough to play in your parlor as a classic clawhammer or fingerstyle solo instrument.
This instrument has sold
MORE →This Vega Pete Seeger long neck banjo, built during 1961 at the Vega shop in Boston is a ‘dowel stick’ version and in good working order. Capo tacks are installed, also a Presto tailpiece, with the original in the case. It has a new bridge. The tuners and brackets are original, and the original case is included.
This instrument has sold
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