gtaunton - Posted - 11/14/2011:  18:27:09

Word is that Gibson banjo are no longer in production since the factory got flooded and that there are no plans to re-open it. How long before all Gibson banjo start to go up in price?

Jacob Moore - Posted - 11/14/2011:  19:36:38

Its a very scary thought :0

eagle32 - Posted - 11/14/2011:  20:00:24

Old news as far as Gibson is concerned. How much will their newer banjo's be worth in future years? Who knows, but there is several builders (Huber, Hatfield, Yates, Sullivan, Cox, Neat, etc..) that in my humble opinion that are building better Jo's anyways.

NYCJazz - Posted - 11/14/2011:  21:02:24

New prewar Gibson Mastertone banjos get built every day. Just not by Gibson.

desert rose - Posted - 11/15/2011:  02:34:14

The Opry Mills banjo mandolin dobro shop was basically shut down and employees let go in October of 2009, six months before the flood.

I recently had a talk with someone close to the situation and their information was that banjos are not in the near future plans of Gibson

Scott

rexhunt - Posted - 11/15/2011:  02:51:53

Mastertones never brought in the bucks like the Les Pauls.

Rex

kmwaters - Posted - 11/15/2011:  04:28:03

Maybe a little uptick in resale, but like earlier post says, there are plenty of good instruments being made elsewhere.

beegee - Posted - 11/15/2011:  05:24:21

Imagine being the owner of the last Gibson banjo ever made.....

banjoez - Posted - 11/15/2011:  07:11:42

I am always in the market for used modern Gibson banjos and I see a slight upward trend in the asking price for them. That doesn't always mean they sell for that price but a couple years ago you could get a nice Scruggs for around $1800-$2100. RB-75's for a little more. Very rarely will you see those prices today unless it is a desperation sale or one of those rare deals of the decade. On average I would say modern Gibson's have appreciated in value by about $500 or so recently. Of course that can all go away if the economy continues to stall out.

 

Edited by - banjoez on 11/15/2011 07:13:10

gtaunton - Posted - 11/15/2011:  07:16:05

I am blessed and fortunate enough to have a J.D. Crowe Blackjack and an Earl Scruggs Golden Deluxe (which won't be going anywhere unless times get REALLY hard). I also have a Finthill FHB-300 (the Flinthill knock-off of a Recording King Scout) and one of the new Recording King Elites. The sad commentary is that the Flinthill and the Recording King both sound VERY good. It's disappointing that anything built in America has to cost 2 to 3 times more than it's Asian counterpart.

USELESSWALI - Posted - 11/15/2011:  07:35:52

                   wren ferguson was making banjos in montana last time iwas there

beegee - Posted - 11/15/2011:  07:41:51

quote:

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Originally posted by gtaunton

It's disappointing that anything built in America has to cost 2 to 3 times more than it's Asian counterpart.

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Especially when the quality is not 2-3 times better.

The Old Timer - Posted - 11/15/2011:  07:52:38

Now there's a Banjo Quest! What was the LAST Gibson banjo serial number (pardon me, F.O.N.), and where is that banjo?

Mr. Spann et. al. have a new mission!

Anybody got a peek at the 2008-9 shipping records?

7M4 - Posted - 11/15/2011:  08:12:29

quote:

---

Originally posted by eagle32



Old news as far as Gibson is concerned. How much will their newer banjo's be worth in future years? Who knows, but there is several builders (Huber, Hatfield, Yates, Sullivan, Cox, Neat, etc..) that in my humble opinion that are building better Jo's anyways.

---

 Thank you eagle32!  I think too big of a deal is made over the name Gibson.

NYCJazz - Posted - 11/15/2011:  09:39:05

Everyone with a table saw has been building "Gibson" banjos for years, and it looks like the actual Gibson company just threw in the towel.

Les Paul owners have a much higher level of expectation of authenticity, and the prices and demand reflect that, I believe.

gtaunton - Posted - 11/15/2011:  09:47:55

quote:

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Originally posted by 7M4

quote:

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Originally posted by eagle32



Old news as far as Gibson is concerned. How much will their newer banjo's be worth in future years? Who knows, but there is several builders (Huber, Hatfield, Yates, Sullivan, Cox, Neat, etc..) that in my humble opinion that are building better Jo's anyways.

---

 Thank you eagle32!  I think too big of a deal is made over the name Gibson.

---

 Nice V34 (or is it V35) that you have there. I played both the maple and mahogany ones at banjo.com last weekend and they're great banjos.

grich - Posted - 11/15/2011:  10:41:02

From 

Ed Weber

7M4 - Posted - 11/15/2011:  10:56:51

quote:

---

Originally posted by gtaunton

quote:

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Originally posted by 7M4

quote:

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Originally posted by eagle32



Old news as far as Gibson is concerned. How much will their newer banjo's be worth in future years? Who knows, but there is several builders (Huber, Hatfield, Yates, Sullivan, Cox, Neat, etc..) that in my humble opinion that are building better Jo's anyways.

---

 Thank you eagle32!  I think too big of a deal is made over the name Gibson.

---

 Nice V34 (or is it V35) that you have there. I played both the maple and mahogany ones at banjo.com last weekend and they're great banjos.

---

 V35 Maple.  Thanks.

davey - Posted - 11/16/2011:  12:01:38

There are plenty of NOS Gibbo's all over the place if you look. Always available.

f5loar - Posted - 11/16/2011:  17:12:45

They are still out there in dealers all over the USA.   I know Jackson's music carried one of each model and last I look they still had quite a few.  Price is another issue.  When you compare those prices to what others have it sure would be hard to choose which to go with but with news of no more Gibson I sure would lean towards a good preflood model. 

wissel - Posted - 11/17/2011:  15:33:13

I remember the day when Winchester stopped making the model 94. I have the same low down sort of depressing feeling as I did then about this. Death of another American Icon. Kind a sad if you ask me.

wissel - Posted - 11/17/2011:  15:33:41

I remember the day when Winchester stopped making the model 94. I have the same low down sort of depressing feeling as I did then about this. Death of another American Icon. Kind a sad if you ask me.

wissel - Posted - 11/17/2011:  15:33:54

I remember the day when Winchester stopped making the model 94. I have the same low down sort of depressing feeling as I did then about this. Death of another American Icon. Kind a sad if you ask me.

RB00 - Posted - 11/17/2011:  17:03:02

wissel.

My sentiments exactly. It's sad. Maybe we should go OCCUPY Plus Park Blvd.

NYCJazz - Posted - 11/17/2011:  22:12:44

Maybe Gibson should go back to Kalamazoo and apologize for leaving.

Deaf Lester Crawdad - Posted - 11/18/2011:  00:37:45

quote:

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Originally posted by USELESSWALI

 wren ferguson was making banjos in montana last time iwas there 

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That's "Ren" Ferguson.

 lobueguitars.com/bio/Ferguson.asp 

~Pete

f5loar - Posted - 11/18/2011:  17:56:14

I bet the rent is cheaper in downtown Kalamazoo then it is in Nashvegas.    I called Jackson's Music in Winston Salem, NC today and they still have these new pre-floods set up by  banjo legend Snuffy Smith:

RB-1 Mastertone ; RB7 TT  ; RB5 Chrome plate and an RB18.