quote:

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Originally posted by bern21

I had a chance to check out Alex's new XCel (with the 24 bracket pot) when the Limeliters played Town Hall in New York, back in the '60s. And, of course, Erik Darling used an early XCel neck on an older (28 bracket) pot. Here is a link to a letter he wrote to me (I knew him from the Weavers days) for my site (soon to be updated and fixed since the old host ruined it) longneckbanjoland.com. I had Monte Hendricks make me an XCel neck (without the holes for Scruggs Pegs) for my old Vega pot with blue abalone, similar to Erik's. (photos below)

http://longneckbanjoland.com/erikdarling.htm

Regards,
Bern

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 I can't tell from the photo: Is the Vega Vox tailpiece on Erik's banjo gold or nickel?

It should be an old Waverly, not gold plated.

Regards,

Bern

quote:

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Originally posted by bern21

It should be an old Waverly, not gold plated.

Regards,

Bern

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 Look at it more closely: Erik Darling's Excel is fitted with the same tailpiece Bob Gibson's first Vega (pre-Seeger model) had. Here is a closeup of the "I Come For to Sing" album. If you compare Bob's with Erik's they are clearly both Vega Vox tailpieces...Not a Waverly.

Bob Gibson tailpiece closesup

Edited by - Seansvoice on 03/26/2012 10:44:11

I think that the problem is that the image is Erik's second XCel.  His main one had the Waverly, I believe.  I last was close to the instrument in 1960, at the after party from their recording volume 2 at Carnegie Hall.  I thought it was a Waverly.  I was 14 at the time, so I may be wrong.  The image of Bob Gibson's banjo looks like a clamshell.  Erik did not have that.  Sadly, we can't ask him.  Someday, I'll have to post the pictures of Pete's original blonde Vega that I have.

Regards,

Bern

>Someday, I'll have to post the pictures of Pete's original blonde Vega that I have.<

​Yes, you will!

​Pete was given two Vegas. Do you know if both were blonde?

There was a thread a while back about the person who won the banjo in the Sing Out! subscription contest and was upset that he hadn't gotten the one that Pete owned - not understanding he owned two.

Edited by - mikehalloran on 03/26/2012 20:22:17

quote:

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Originally posted by mikehalloran

>Someday, I'll have to post the pictures of Pete's original blonde Vega that I have.<

​Yes, you will!

 

​Pete was given two Vegas. Do you know if both were blonde?

There was a thread a while back about the person who won the banjo in the Sing Out! subscription contest and was upset that he hadn't gotten the one that Pete owned - not understanding he owned two.

 

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 A recent Frets article had a closeup of Pete's banjo with the homemade neck. The serial number indicates that the pot was from a 1960 Pete Seeger. I have scratched my head over that...knowing that in "The Incompleat Folksinger" Pete had told Vega that he had a homemade neck with an old tubaphone pot. But then I noticed that the date those words were written coincided with the date that Vega presented him with that first VPS. My feeling is that at some point that pot found its way to Pete's old neck and was replaced by the "The Rainbow Quest" Vega that had the mid-60s "blocked" lettering on the peghead.

quote:

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Originally posted by mikehalloran

I, too, have a brand new Vega-Pitmann capo in its original box that I got on eBay many years ago. Someone was selling a stash.

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 I have a Vega-Pitmann stashed away in my stuff ...never opened. I have over the years fallen in love with the Shubb long bar 5th.

Just a bit of information.  Vega gave Pete Seeger only one Vega longneck banjo.  Rick, who won it, never thought that there were two.  I have images of the one, and it has Peter Seeger on the dowel stick and rim.  Thanks to Monte Hendricks (an exceptional banjo maker) for the photos.

it's the one

and only

thanks, Monte

Pete once stated in an interview that Vega gave him two. He then said what happened to each. It will take some digging but I think I know where and when so I should be able to find it.

Edited by - mikehalloran on 03/27/2012 21:12:47

Thanks, I would be interested in that.  If anyone has a reprint or other information about the Sing Out contest and the banjo it offered, please post or send me that information.

Thanks to all,

Bern

quote:

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Originally posted by mikehalloran

The nuts on Vega open backed banjos do stick out a little as you can see on mine.

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Depends upon when it was made. 

My 1914 Tubaphone pot has the shoes placed circa 3/32" higher than do my later Tubaphone and Whyte Laydie pots, and as a consequence that brings the bottoms of the nuts up perfectly flush with the back of the pot rather than extending out past the rim.    I've always wondered if Vega intentionally changed the dimensions at some point, and, if so, why they did it.

To me, it seems contra-productive to have the nuts extending out past the pot -where they're more often subjected to hook-bending impacts.

~Pete

A good photo of Pete's one Vega, on a good site that I haven't seen here, yet.

http://thecanadasite.com/antiques/banjo.html 

Let me know about the Sing Out contest if you have a reprint or know where to view the P.S. banjo contest issue on the Internet.

Regards,

Bern