Banjogirl77 - Posted - 04/02/2014:  19:40:56

I have recently purchased a used Epiphone by Gibson MB250 in great condition. It has no serial number. It is a Masterbuilt, not Masterbilt. It has Epiphone by Gibson on the headstock, not on the plate next to the Nut.  Can anyone tell me where and when this banjo was produced. Thank you.

beegee - Posted - 04/02/2014:  19:45:58

Most likely korea in the 80's-90's

5stringpicker2 - Posted - 04/02/2014:  19:53:11

Pics will help alot!

​( I  )====='----<: :}

davidwigal - Posted - 04/02/2014:  20:39:10

Off topic, but hey 5stringpicker2 I really dig that little banjo thing you thought up made out of symbols... real cool :-)

RB4picker - Posted - 04/03/2014:  06:14:19

Hey Banjogirl77, I have a '96 Epi MB 250. Good banjo. Sounds and plays as good as some higher end banjos.

Should be a serial # on back of headstock.

David

Fathand - Posted - 04/03/2014:  09:52:27

The ones I have seen were made in China with a sticker stating assembled and set up in US. The set ups I have seen were poorly executed but they can be adjusted to very playable.

They were available in N America up to a 2 or 3 years ago and I know someone that just mail ordered a new one into Poland last year.

Edited by - Fathand on 04/03/2014 09:54:02

meldooby - Posted - 04/03/2014:  10:40:59

  I have one of the Korean ones with "Masterbuilt" on it.  Sweet banjo, best Asian one I've seen.

I sold my 2004 Gibson Earl Scruggs because it had too much bark.

the Epiphone has a sweeter sound.

Mickypearl - Posted - 06/29/2014:  17:32:45

Hi. I also have an Epiphone by Gibson Masterbuilt. Bought it 2nd hand in 1987 or 88. Like banjogirl77s, my Epi has no serial number...at least not one that I can find. I've removed the resonator, checked the headstock, and had work done by a couple of folks, and none of us are able to find one. It's heavy and loud but has a sweeter tone than my Deering Sierra (maple). I've got pics posted under my profile album, but if I can figure out how this works, I'll attach them here. (It's my first Forum post!)

Rick Turner - Posted - 06/29/2014:  21:59:20

These may have had serial numbers on poorly gummed labels. In '88 they were probably being made in Korea; China hadn't happened quite yet for Gibson. I was at a factory in Japan that had made a lot of banjos, Terada Gakki, and they were in the middle of shipping a lot of banjo tooling to Korea, maybe to Cort or one of the smaller factories there in Inchon or Pusan.

daranta.com/92/00/48/terada-ga...agoya.htm Lots of factories on that trip...

desert rose - Posted - 06/30/2014:  02:48:05

Japan held on to acoustic production like mandolins and banjos until the early  ninetys. By 1993 ALL banjo and mandolin production had moved to Korea with the closing of Iida, Kasuga and all the other OEM makers.

By about 2001 to 2003 all production in Korea had stopped, much of the Korean work had already been subcontracted to China any way with assembly in Korea and when Cort moved production of all instruments to Indonesia and Sam Ick moved everything to China when they were ordered into bankruptsy by the govt.

Scott

Edited by - desert rose on 06/30/2014 02:51:26

The Old Timer - Posted - 06/30/2014:  06:14:41

Desert Rose, does Yamaha even make their guitars in Japan any more?