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Redbone - Posted - 02/24/2024: 13:24:45
What is it that makes an old Gibson more valuable with a one piece flange. Seems like alot of hype to me. You seldom see an old one piece that isn't warped. You never see a two piece that is!
Culloden - Posted - 02/24/2024: 14:31:33
It's because Earl played one. If he had played a Bacon & Day, that would be what everyone would want.
I have played a few tube and plate Gibsons that would hold their own with anything I ever had in my hands. I have also played a few Gibsons that had hoops instead of tone rings. They were nothing to sneeze at, either.
The big hype seems to be that most builders today are trying to reinvent the Gibson Mastertone instead of trying to come up with a new design. You see the same old design ad nauseum, one piece flange, flat head tone ring, three ply rim, even the double cut peghead and old inlay patterns. If more people would experiment with their own designs like Tom Nechville did it would be interesting to see what kind of banjos we could produce. Back in the 20's and 30's there were dozens of banjo makers who each had their own unique designs.
RB3 - Posted - 02/24/2024: 16:36:32
Ultimately, the answer to your question is marketplace demand. But, in addition to Earl Scruggs, the Gibson Mastertone with one piece flange has also been preferred by Sonny Osborne, J.D. Crowe, Charlie Cushman, Ron Stewart, Jim Mills, Bela Fleck, Noam Pikelny, and many other virtuoso performers. It's difficult to argue that all of them didn't or don't really know what they've been doing in their choice of instruments.
