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KLandreth - Posted - 04/27/2009: 07:14:41
OK…this should be fun. Donald Nitchie will be publishing an interview with Jim Mills about Jim’s banjo collection and his new book on prewar Gibson Flathead Mastertone banjos in the July edition of the Banjo Newsletter. Donald wanted to follow-up that article with an online Q/A with Jim about these banjos on the Banjo Hangout. However, Jim is entering into a really busy schedule of touring and recording with Ricky Skaggs’ band, so Donald and Jim asked if I would facilitate that Q/A on the Banjo Hangout, organize the questions to make it easier for Jim to respond, and then post the responses back on the Hangout. This Q/A would also be published as a follow-up article in the Banjo Newsletter.
This book on Gibson Flathead 5-String Banjos has been in the works for three years and features extremely high quality detailed photos of 19 fine originals, rare historic photos and information about these banjos and their original owners, and details from the infamous Gibson shipping ledgers that we’ve all wanted to see. He’s included the banjos owned by Snuffy Jenkins, Earl Scruggs, Don Reno, Sonny Osborne, J.D. Crowe, Curtis McPeake, Steve Huber, as well as his own great instrument collection. This will be the definitive work on Gibson flathead banjos, so we should have plenty of questions for him as soon as we have the book in our hands (actually we can get started early if you already have questions for Jim). So as you think of burning questions, post them on this thread and we’ll get started when the book hits our coffee tables.
I’ve posted the full advertisement for the book under Shopping Advice, but you can pre-order an autographed copy for $45 (plus $5 shipping/handling) from Jim Mills, 809 Southview Road, Durham, NC 27703.
(PS: Thanks to the Flint Hill Flash for suggesting we do this.)
Edited by - Banjoman on 04/27/2009 09:24:45
steve davis - Posted - 04/27/2009: 07:27:14
I'll start saving up and get this one as soon as I can.
This should be a great book.
BNL always gets it done,BTW.
Pool
The Old Timer - Posted - 04/27/2009: 07:43:22
Questions:
Is there any fundamental difference in pot/rim construction/dimensions on flat head Mastertones vs the top tension banjos?
Would love to have Jim comment on how he "hears" differences in flat heads on two piece flange rims, top tensions and one piece flange Mastertones, his description of differences in sound of gold vs. chrome vs nickel plating, and his comments on differences in sound of varying resonator and neck woods.
Any difference in sound of ebony vs. rosewood vs pearloid fingerboards (would only apply to #6s, B-Vs and Florentines, I think).
Are there differences in sound of various original tailpieces?
Any influence of pearl vs. bone nuts on the sound of the old originals?
What does he tap tune a calfskin head to, vs. a plastic head, on these old originals.
Description of neck "thickness/shape" variations.
Comments on original tuners quality.
Comments on tightness of "fit" of tone ring to rim, I've heard comments from all over from "as tight as possible" to "you can spin Earl's tone ring on his rim".
Would like to know which he considers the "best" one to play, and the best one to hear played (if different), and why.
Can't wait!
The Old Timer, still learning!
The Old Timer - Posted - 04/27/2009: 07:48:40
Also, while we're at it, let's ask Jim what he thinks about:
Cutting the rim of an old original arch top Mastertone to turn it into a flat top. (Or a 1, 2 or 11)
Punching a hole in an original old 4 string Presto tailpiece.
Seriously...
The Old Timer, still learning!
DIV - Posted - 04/27/2009: 10:28:14
Yeah, I've always compared these banjos to the famous violins made by Antonion Stradivari. Famous instruments, don't just sound great, they also come with wonderful histories. So a detailed history of the banjos would be great. Also, detailed descriptions of how they sound would be of great interest. As anyone who's played these can tell you, "once you've played a prewar flathead, you have NOT played them all!"
I just saw violin virtuoso Joshua Bell in concert at the Disney Hall in Los Angeles. He was playing the famous "Gibson (no relation!) Stradivarius". He sold his other Strad for $2 Million to buy the Gibson Strad for $4 Million. He says that the Gibson Strad puts the other one to shame by comparison! WOW!! I tell you it DID sound like Miliion bucks! He did a solo encore where he did a little play on "Yankey Doodle Dandy" It was incredible. The high notes were pure and powerful.
The story of the Gibson Strad is amazing. It was made in 1713 and it had been stolen twice, and it's just a great story.
You can read about it here (scroll down to the "history of his Violin"): http://www.joshuabell.com/biography
Dan Varadi
Edited by - DIV on 04/27/2009 11:16:45
jfb - Posted - 04/27/2009: 18:35:58
Ken,
I kwould be curious if it will contain all of the old shipping records, or just the ones pertaining to the listed banjos?..Thanks
Haskells RB3 - Posted - 04/27/2009: 19:20:41
Dan I saw Joshua Bell play with Edger Meyer, Mike Marshall , and Sam Bush, it was great.
Edited by - Haskells RB3 on 04/27/2009 19:33:59
beegee - Posted - 04/27/2009: 19:48:36
quote:
Originally posted by DIV
Yeah, I've always compared these banjos to the famous violins made by Antonion Stradivari. Famous instruments, don't just sound great, they also come with wonderful histories.
But not all Stradivari violins sounded great and most are very temperamental, requiring extreme expertise to coax optimum sound from them. And many Strads have been extensively repaired and rebuilt over the years. And not all Gibson pre-war banjos are jewels. And.... __________________________ "It is better, of course, to know useless things than to know nothing." - Seneca
myfavefive - Posted - 04/27/2009: 21:08:19
I'd like to get as much info from Jim as possible about his knowledge or possession of shipping records & how they impact correct dating of any given banjo. Related would be insights into Factory Order Numbers (FON) vs. stamped serial numbers.
I'd also like to know more about the evolution from the 2 piece flange of the late 20s to the one piece flange, and how the size & matching of rims were impacted by those changes in flange dimensions over those first few years. I understand that some fatboy rims were made to accommodate what were still relatively new one piece flanges that hadn't yet been standardized. Cushman knows a lot about this and would be curious to see what Jim could add.
Great project Ken, thanks for organizing this.
Tom
f5loar - Posted - 04/27/2009: 22:11:46
No doubt this book is a labor of love on the part of Mills and his life long dedication to Gibson prewar banjos. Can you tell me how many books will be printed and I would be interested in a ball park figure on how much it cost to print a book of this quality?
Tom Isenhour
Studebaker Hawk - Posted - 04/28/2009: 04:43:05
quote:
Originally posted by beegee
quote:
Originally posted by DIV
Yeah, I've always compared these banjos to the famous violins made by Antonion Stradivari. Famous instruments, don't just sound great, they also come with wonderful histories.
But not all Stradivari violins sounded great and most are very temperamental, requiring extreme expertise to coax optimum sound from them. And many Strads have been extensively repaired and rebuilt over the years.
And not all Gibson pre-war banjos are jewels. And....
__________________________
"It is better, of course, to know useless things than to know nothing." -Seneca
Not meaning to hijack this thread, but I read somewhere that very few, if any, of the old violins made by Stradavari still have their orginal necks. To my understanding, the original necks were replaced to accomodate the changing playing styles throughout the years. Can anybody confirm this? --Dean
anbanco - Posted - 04/28/2009: 05:31:45
The Baroque style violins that Stradivari built had a shorter neck and a straight neck set. The fingerboards were wedge shaped, being thinner at the peghead and increasing in thickness towards the box, thus establishing the proper set for string angle and bridge height. The classical violins have the modern neck and fingerboard we are most familiar with. Most , if not all, Strad violins have had their necks modified over the years to suit the classical playing styles of the times.
Glen
DIV - Posted - 04/28/2009: 06:03:03
I guess the hijack could be blamed on me, but I think the parallelism of Strads and prewar Gibson's is very interesting.
Getting back to the Mills interview, I think it best that the questions asked of Jim be questions NOT ANSWERED in his book, but instead, beyond the books scope and things the Jim has learned that pertain to the many good suggestions given here in this thread such as shipping dates vs. serial number dates, fat boy rim evolution, etc.etc.
Dan Varadi
Edited by - DIV on 04/28/2009 06:03:31
SandyR - Posted - 04/28/2009: 10:35:17
If that is a mock-up of the book cover, one thing they should do is change it from the possessive ("Banjo's") to the plural (Banjo).
plunka5 - Posted - 04/28/2009: 11:30:07
quote:
Originally posted by Sandy Rothman
If that is a mock-up of the book cover, one thing they should do is change it from the possessive ("Banjo's") to the plural (Banjo).
That's true Sandy...the plural could be either banjo, banjos, or banjoes...but not the possessive banjo's, in the context they're using it in the title. Also to add apostrophes on the 1930's and 1940's to show that these were unique to this period in time. I would like Mr. Mills to speculate on the order of importance, in his vast experience with pre-war Gibson banjos. what parts are the most significant to least significant in their construction, playability, and tone. That is understood to make them so unique to the era in which these fine instruments were produced.
Edited by - plunka5 on 04/28/2009 11:32:28
gjt1028 - Posted - 04/28/2009: 12:30:43
quote:
Originally posted by country frank
I heard that most strad necks have been reset but not replaced.
Proud Union Man
Regards from London.
No, Dean is right, most of the Strad violins do not have their original necks. If memory serves, modern scale length is longer, and the neck is angled more. When these violins were first made, concert A (today A-440) was pitched lower than today. The lower pitched concert A, shorter scale, and less angled neck made the instruments much quieter. As playing styles changed, and as orchestras grew in size (especially during the classical and romantic periods) demand for louder instruments increased. Longer neck, higher bridge, steeper neck angle, higher concert A. Almost all of the surviving Strad fiddles have had their necks completely replaced. Do a Google - I'm writing this from memory (from a music history class I took in college in 1973.) Greg
Edited by - gjt1028 on 04/28/2009 12:32:36
anbanco - Posted - 04/28/2009: 12:51:57
To tie this together (somewhat), about 1830 most of the original violins of the "Golden Age" ,from 1690 to 1750, including virtually all of the great 18th century instruments were completely rebuilt to meet the demands for greater volume and treble compass. Between 1830 and 1860 Vuillaume of Paris and Hill in London took apart and literally rebuilt almost every violin in existence considered worth the trouble. Besides making or lengthening necks, bass bars were thickened and replaced, bridge curvatures reset and soundposts increased in diameter. Most of the original necks were saved and some still exist and are kept with their instruments. Compare this to todays practice of rebuilding and re-necking tenor banjos. Changing tone rings, bridge heights, head tensions etc. All to meet the needs and demands of modern players. There is indeed, nothing new under the sun.
Glen
DIV - Posted - 04/28/2009: 18:30:46
quote:
Originally posted by anbanco
....Compare this to todays practice of rebuilding and re-necking tenor banjos. Changing tone rings, bridge heights, head tensions etc. All to meet the needs and demands of modern players. There is indeed, nothing new under the sun....
Yeah. Amazing. Another parallel to the our "prewar conversion craze"!!! I wouldn't pay 4 million bucks for a Strad if the neck, bridge, soundpost etc. were not original!   By the way, does anyone know who those violin luthiers can "open" an old violin without breaking it? Aren't the halves glued together? Dan Varadi
BanjoLink - Posted - 04/28/2009: 18:41:20
Dan:
A friend of mines brother-in-law (Carl Becker) has worked on numerous Strads. The back of an ordinary violin can be taken off in less than an hour, but in the back removal of the "Lady Blount" (a Strad), I think he said he spent two days. Not that he couldn't have removed it quicker, but with a violin that valuable, you are going to take extreme caution. Violins are glued with hide glue, as they are meant to be taken apart if necessary.
PS: Headed you way day after tomorrow - see if you can do something about the weather!
daren - Posted - 04/28/2009: 19:27:56
Actually it is preferable to remove the top of a violin if that makes the repair accessible. Some repairs do of course require the removal of the back, but it is much harder to do. When the top is originally glued on a violin a weaker mix of hide glue is used so that it can be more easily be removed. I have had tops off in under 5 minutes and I have had them take over an hour.
stormoveroklahoma - Posted - 04/28/2009: 20:38:05
Let's get back to Gibson banjos.
Question for Mr Mills:
What role do you think that oxidation of the metal in the tone ring plays in the way older Gibson's sound?
What do you think the head should be tuned to?
Stormoveroklahoma
by the way any tabs to Storm over Oklahoma (Crary, Hickmon and Berline) out there?..I've been lookin for ten years.
myfavefive - Posted - 04/28/2009: 21:45:53
YES, GET BACK TO BANJOS. Ken's doing us all a big favor here, don't let this get sidetracked.
Tom
KLandreth - Posted - 04/29/2009: 03:05:32
Jim will have time for a phone call to answer some questions on Thursday...so look for an update with some resonses to questions then.
...and good catch on the cover text Sandy...I've notifed Jim to see if it can be repaired prior to final production.
Ken
keithmcgreggor - Posted - 04/29/2009: 04:38:44
My thought is that the amount of wood left on the neck after the last fret contributes than you might think toward getting "the sound" (moves the bridge slightly toward the tailpiece, allows for more mass influence). Most of the old 5s I've seen don't have very much left (maybe about a fret's width or so). Newer necks seem to have quite a bit more comparatively.
We've had this discussion a time or two on the hangout before. Any comments from Jim on that?
- Keith
DIV - Posted - 04/29/2009: 07:35:06
Yes, Keith's point is a great one to ask.
Also, I'm SO glad Sandy mentioned those text issues. Hopefully, it's not to late to change them. I've seen "banjo's" used too many times....
Dan Varadi
KLandreth - Posted - 04/29/2009: 09:24:33
quote:
Originally posted by keithmcgreggor
My thought is that the amount of wood left on the neck after the last fret contributes than you might think toward getting "the sound" (moves the bridge slightly toward the tailpiece, allows for more mass influence).
I'll ask Jim his thoughts on this and report back, but here's the best sounding original 5-string flathead I've ever played...and the last fret is touching the stretcher band on this one... 
Edited by - KLandreth on 04/29/2009 09:28:27
rupickin5 - Posted - 04/29/2009: 09:34:37
I'd also be interested in the topic of "wood" past the 22nd fret vs bridge placement= sound/tone differences.
Nice tension hoop on that original 5-stringer!
Also, would be interested in the "hardcover" addition, if available.
Thanks Ken,
Brian
Bronx banjo - Posted - 04/29/2009: 17:15:24
I don't know if the amount of wood after the last fret makes a difference. What's the amount on Earl's banjo? In the case of the last fret touching the tension hoop, I wouldn't want to be the one who does a fret job on that banjo for fear that I tear the slight amount of wood off. I think it's better if there is about 1/4 inch after the last fret for that reason alone.
BanjoLink - Posted - 04/29/2009: 19:30:02
You are right on the money on that one Bronx banjo. I wouldn't want to be the one refretting that fret. Of course how often would you have to refret that particular one? If you could match the old frets there may never be a need to replace it.
1935tb-11 - Posted - 04/30/2009: 17:09:51
i would like to know what info he found out about the scotland granada.
i think it was out of the same lot that , daves, sonnys and earls came out of.
it had made in the USA on the back of the peg head and was sent over seas
to scotland or england i forget which.
i believe there was a picture in gruens fretted instrument book but not alot
of detail.
and if earl ever kept track of the style 11 he is holding in the picture of him
at that old RCA mic when he was young.
terry m
n.c.
4 longs and 1 short=banjer ring
bbanjoboy - Posted - 04/30/2009: 17:17:39
I would very much be interested in his stories on how he came to acquire these banjos.. I know a bit of the story on Snuffy's banjo, but one that would interest me most is Ralph Stanley's original style 2 that is now in the Hall of Fame next to Carter's guitar.. My last visit to the hall, I just stared at Ralph & Carter's banjo for about an hour.. thinking of what those 2 instruments had seen and been through was worth 20 times the price of admission. .to say nothing of Hank Sr.s boots.. but then seeing Bill's Mandolin at the end was another 2 hour staredown.. I'd seen Bill play that many many times and to think of the master and joy that came out of every note, the tunes written on it, from Jeruselem Ridge to Last days on Earth to Rawhide, etc ... And Ralph's style 2 having written countless tunes like, Big Tildy, Hard TImes, and imagine Ralph playing the Backstep on that old # 2 is just about the greatest thing I could think of here on Earth... Imagine Ralph toting that old 2 in the trunk of a big old 1940's car and him and Carter pulling up to some Pie Supper at some old schoolhouse about 90degrees in the shade with George Shuffler having that big doghouse or his guitar strapped on.... them boys sweatin and lugging there gear to make $8.50 each... minus expenses... Sure would like to hear stories of what happened to the banjo between Ralph getting rid of it, how he got rid of it, and how the heck Jim managed to track it down... what he had to pay, and how he loaned it to the hall of fame etc... that's the fun and interesting part of all this.. in reality, I don't care if it has a pearl nut, or a bone nut, or a fossilized walrus penus nut... it's all about the history..
If you have a moment, please check out this link... It''s the REAL deal...thanks, Kenny
http://www.missionoflove.org/
KLandreth - Posted - 04/30/2009: 17:43:10
Had a good conversation with Jim Mills today about his new book and some of the great questions that are already posted here. As you might expect, a lot of these questions are answered in detail (with photographs) in the book and will lead to another whole set of follow up questions for this thread, so it would be unfair to Jim to reveal all of the good stuff before the book is even published. We’ll just have to wait for some of this discussion until we all have the book in front of us.
However, we did discuss several issues that have been raised here about the book. It is scheduled for release on June 1 and all indications are that it is on schedule. The publisher is not planning on releasing a hard bound edition at first, so all copies will be softbound until the publisher (Center Stream Publishing, LLC) sees sufficient demand to make a hard bound edition profitable. The good news is that this will not be a limited edition. Oh yes…Jim also mentioned that the cover artwork I posted at the start of this thread was a preliminary cover mock-up to meet a Bluegrass Unlimited deadline and that the grammatical issues many of you keen-eyed linguists raised were corrected in final copy editing.
One point that Jim felt strongly about was that he has insisted that the publisher use the finest paper and photo-reproduction quality throughout this book. This increased the cost of the book, but I think we all owe Jim big thanks for insisting on this. The great Nashville photographer Dan Loftin did the photography and there are full page professional color photos of each of the 19 featured banjos (front and back for most), lots of color detail shots of the outside and inside of each banjo, incredible early b/w shots of the banjos with their original owners, and photos of documents that detail the history of these instruments.
The book does not include a catalog of all of the Gibson shipping ledger information for flathead banjos, but it does include photographs of actual pages from the ledger that document shipping of some of the important five-string banjos included in this volume. And he discusses the issue of serial numbers vs factory order numbers at some length in the book ….and presents new data most of us have never seen to illustrate that Frank Schoepf (oldtwanger) pretty much had this one nailed…the factory order numbers on flathead period banjos were not shipped out in nearly the orderly array that can be documented for Gibson banjos shipped before the depression. He’s got some really juicy new data for us here…but I promised to wait until the book is released to start that discussion.
Which banjos will be able to drool over in these spectacular full page color photos? Earl’s Granada, Sonny Osborne’s Granada, Snuffy Jenkins RB-4, Butch Robins RB-4, JD Crowe’s RB-75, Don Reno’s Nellie, Curtis McPeake’s Betsy, Jim’s own collection, and seven more previously undocumented original 5-string flatheads that include three original top tensions (an RB-7, an RB-12, an RB-18).
Jim discusses rim construction details of flatheads (standard OPF vs top tension vs two-piece flange), details of tone rings, and neck shapes in the book…and we’ll discuss all of that after we’ve all had a chance to read his take on all of this.
So that’s where we are for now. Jim is happy to answer all of these questions as soon as we have the book as a reference point and I, for one, am looking forward to picking his brain about some of the issues raised above as soon as I’ve got my hands on a copy of that book.
And, yes, I don’t trust that ‘not a limited edition’ thing either….I’m ordering a couple of copies right away so I have one in safe keeping in case I drool all over the first one.
Edited by - KLandreth on 05/01/2009 05:02:16
Oldtwanger - Posted - 04/30/2009: 17:46:15
1935tb-11 wrote:
<< would like to know what info he found out about the scotland granada.
i think it was out of the same lot that , daves, sonnys and earls came out of.
it had made in the USA on the back of the peg head and was sent over seas
to scotland or england i forget which.>>
________________________________
I believe the RB Granada in the Gruhn book is 9530-1 and it was found in Scotland.
Oldtwanger Frank
"Strangers are just friends I haven''t met yet!"
KLandreth - Posted - 04/30/2009: 18:09:54
quote:
Originally posted by keithmcgreggor
My thought is that the amount of wood left on the neck after the last fret contributes than you might think toward getting "the sound" (moves the bridge slightly toward the tailpiece, allows for more mass influence).
quote:
Originally posted by rupickin5
I'd also be interested in the topic of "wood" past the 22nd fret vs bridge placement= sound/tone differences.
I did bring this up with Jim today and he agrees that the slight shift of the bridge toward the tailpiece that results from reduced length of the fingerboard on some of these banjos does reduce some ringy overtones and also reduces sustain...and volume. On a really lively ( alive) old flathead this can apparently be a good thing...both the Mack Crow RB-75 that is Jim's main instrument and John Bowles' RB-75 ( see photo above) have almost no wood after the 22nd fret and these are two of the best sounding of the original 5-string flatheads (to my ear)....but he also feels this loss of sustain and volume on some banjos could make it start to sound dead. So the effect of shorter fingerboard length really depends on the individual banjo, the scale length used (all makers do not use the old standard Gibson fingerboard scale), and may only be "a good thing" on some really lively/loud flatheads. That explanation made sense to me. Oh yes...variations in the neck/fingerboard length on original flathead 5-strings is discussed in his book.
Edited by - KLandreth on 05/06/2009 06:12:05
keithmcgreggor - Posted - 05/01/2009: 05:29:41
quote:
Originally posted by KLandreth
I did bring this up with Jim today and he agrees that the slight shift of the bridge back when there's almost no wood after the 22nd fret reduces some ringy overtones and reduces sustain. On a really lively (alive) flathead this can be a good thing...the Mack Crowe and John Bowles banjos are like this and they are both incredible flatheads....but he feels this could deaden overtones and reduce sustain on a less lively banjo to the point that the instrument starts to sounds dead. So it depends on the individual banjo and may only be "a good thing" on some really lively flatheads. That explanation made sense to me.
Thanks for asking him. I've also felt that the mass of the neck plays a big role as well. I notice a difference in the tone I get depending on whether or not I have Keith tuners installed. I also think that (along with that side of it), the way in which you use your fretting hand matters. I tend to use a stronger grip/pinch when vamping chords, playing up the neck, or whenever I want to get a good pop. I use a much lighter touch and barely any grip at all when playing softly. My thinking here is that the more braced the neck (the more support you give it with your fretting hand), the more vibrational energy goes back into the bridge/head and the louder the overall sound. Ever notice how different your banjo sounds when you capo? I think some of that also can be accounted for by the vibrational modes of the neck. I *know* my Frankenjo sounds much better capo'ed up in B. (No, Greg, it's not for sale; yes, you're first in line.) Gonna have to break out the ol' physics book and dust off some diff.eqs to see what's really what....(Tom B.... this begs for scholarly analysis!) - Keith
RB3Banjo - Posted - 05/01/2009: 06:06:15
quote:
[i]the way in which you use your fretting hand matters.
Would you (and the ol' physics book) not agree that everything matters?  Maybe (to keep this line of thought somewhat relevant to the thread) ask Jim Mills if he agrees. RB
keithmcgreggor - Posted - 05/01/2009: 13:39:28
Well, I'd like to know what he thinks of that, certainly. (And yes I do agree that everything matters ... )
Is there an email for him? Will there be an online store where we can order the book?
- Keith
DIV - Posted - 05/01/2009: 15:25:20
Ken
Did you find out if there's any difference between the $50 version Jim is selling and the $27 one available for pre-order at Amazon??
Dan Varadi
jfb - Posted - 05/01/2009: 16:39:30
Ken,
I thought of one other thing I would like to hear Jim's thoughs (and others also). Does he feel that anything is lost in sound by using a reproduction neck on an old instrument? And does he ever use one on his originals? Thanks
1935tb-11 - Posted - 05/01/2009: 17:28:18
[quote]Originally posted by Oldtwanger
1935tb-11 wrote:
<< would like to know what info he found out about the scotland granada.
i think it was out of the same lot that , daves, sonnys and earls came out of.
it had made in the USA on the back of the peg head and was sent over seas
to scotland or england i forget which.>>
________________________________
I believe the RB Granada in the Gruhn book is 9530-1 and it was found in Scotland.
==========================================================
thanks frank, i thought it was out of the same lot as those others i mentioned. guess i was wrong. that banjo has always fascinated
me though how after all these years its still mint pristine condtion.
this book oughta be alot of fun for everyone to read and drool over.
terry m
n.c.
4 longs and 1 short=banjer ring
f5loar - Posted - 05/01/2009: 23:02:16
Is the Scotland RB Granada in the book? That is the finest sounding and picking prewar banjo I've ever played.
Tom Isenhour
DIV - Posted - 05/01/2009: 23:22:03
John, those are very good questions...
Dan Varadi
RB3Banjo - Posted - 05/02/2009: 08:14:43
quote:
Originally posted by KLandreth
This book on Gibson Flathead 5-String Banjos has been in the works for three years and features extremely high quality detailed photos of 19 fine originals, rare historic photos and information about these banjos and their original owners, and details from the infamous Gibson shipping ledgers that we’ve all wanted to see. He’s included the banjos owned by Snuffy Jenkins, Earl Scruggs, Don Reno, Sonny Osborne, J.D. Crowe, Curtis McPeake, Steve Huber, as well as his own great instrument collection.
Ken, elsewhere you have said that the book will include seven previously undocumented RB flatheads. Those seven + the seven specified above, + Jim's own banjos supposedly equals 19. But the full-page pics of Jim and his collection in BU include only four original flathead 5-strings. What is "the missing banjo"? Thanks. RB
Pitts - Posted - 05/02/2009: 08:38:56
quote:
Originally posted by 1935tb-11
i would like to know...if earl ever kept track of the style 11 he is holding in the picture of him
at that old RCA mic when he was young.
He said(in an interview with Gibson) that he was playing a show with Bill, and a rainstorm came in; and all the MOTS delaminated from the neck, rim, and resonator, so he threw it away.  Hot Dog!
Ira Gitlin - Posted - 05/02/2009: 17:00:47
quote:
Originally posted by KLandreth
Jim will have time for a phone call to answer some questions on Thursday...so look for an update with some resonses to questions then.
...and good catch on the cover text Sandy...I've notifed Jim to see if it can be repaired prior to final production.
Ken
Being a former prooofreader, I noticed it immediately when I saw the ad in BU. I didn't know how socially acceptable it would have been to bring that up, though. But I'm glad someone did. 
KLandreth - Posted - 05/03/2009: 12:45:06
quote:
Originally posted by RB3Banjo
Ken, elsewhere you have said that the book will include seven previously undocumented RB flatheads. Those seven + the seven specified above, + Jim's own banjos supposedly equals 19. But the full-page pics of Jim and his collection in BU include only four original flathead 5-strings. What is "the missing banjo"?
Thanks.
RB
I'll go back and check my numbers...but I think the explanation is that Jim has added one to his collection since that photo was taken... KL Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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