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Darcy - Posted - 01/01/2011: 10:58:02
I treated myself to a Christmas present and got the box set of Jimmy Martin. There are some great photos along with the songs. I have a question that may have been asked before, so forgive me. What banjo is Sonny playing here? It looks to be a mid-fifties archtop. However, it has a fiddle-cut headstock with Gibson script. Anyone know the history of this one? Was it an earlier archtop with a replaced fretboard?
Interestingly, there's a photo of JD Crowe at the age of 14, and it may be he's holding the same banjo.
garman - Posted - 01/01/2011: 11:04:27
Ask Sonny, he's on the BHO.
plunka5 - Posted - 01/01/2011: 12:20:36
Great photo!
cabinwood - Posted - 01/01/2011: 13:18:47
That's an RB3 that Sonny sent to Gibson to be fixed. When it returned, it had the bowtie fingerboard. That was Gibson's policy-to replace anything that was worn out w/ the current replacement parts. Earl Scruggs' banjo had the same thing happen and I've seen lot's of tenors w/ the same deal-prewar w/ replaced fingerboard of bowties.
f5loar - Posted - 01/01/2011: 14:08:34
Very common practice on banjos and mandolins. There were many F5 Loars and Ferns sent back for frets and had the new block fingerboards put on them but hey it was free of charge to the original owner so they got few complaints. If guys like Sonny and Earl didn't complain of losing their prewar fancy inlayed fingerboards then why change the policy?
1935tb-11 - Posted - 01/01/2011: 16:15:30
notice how big the song list is on top of jimmys guitar!
terry m
n.c.
Darcy - Posted - 01/01/2011: 21:10:01
THanks Apherigo!
