SOLD: sale pending: 1960s Vega Pro II / Earl Scruggs II

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SOLD For Sale: SOLD: sale pending: 1960s Vega Pro II / Earl Scruggs II

Posted By: Karl Smakula (+26) | Rate Member

$1,275 USD

Personally, I feel that 1960s Vega banjos are the best value in the vintage banjo world and this is a great example of why. This particular example has some minor weirdness I have done my best to mitigate, and it would be a great way to dip your toes in if you’re not yet familiar with these.

The multi ply laminate rim is 10-15/16” with a Tubaphone tonering (the variation with the round holes). This rim appears to have never had finish on it or the typical yellow Vega label of the era. Given that the label was where the serial number would have been, we don’t have a way of precisely dating or knowing the exact model of the instrument.

When I purchased the instrument, it had a cornucopia of mismatched hooks and nuts so I opted to replace them all with modern ones. The tailpiece is original and the armrest is a modern Golden Gate. The smaller coordinator rod is a brass replacement my father was kind enough to fabricate for me as the original one snapped while taking the banjo apart. This was because the holes for that rod were misaligned from the factory, causing the rod to be under 60ish years of stress. I had those holes plugged and lined up correctly.

One will notice the banjo has kind of a toothless look as it is missing one of the four flange plates. I cannot find any of this version of the Vega flange to save my life (please let me know if you have one). It functions all the same so I’ve decided to leave it be unless one shows up.

The resonator attachment hardware is period Vega but non original to the banjo. A fellow BHO member was kind enough to send them my way when I put out a “want to buy” ad. They are missing the “wheels” that should go between the thumb screw and the flange, but the resonator is staying on fine without them.

The resonator itself has a few random holes inside from various attempts to secure different attachment hardware. There is some cosmetic damage in the 5 o’clock position on the back, and the pryalin (the drum wrap looking plastic that’s covering the resonator wall was partially removed or shrunk by the neck.

The neck is in great shape. There’s almost no fretware. The four tuners on the peghead appear original. I had a Gotoh geared fifth peg installed and since the original “Pro-II” Truss Rod Cover was missing, a generic modern replacement is in its place.

So it has some issues but it is fully functional. And boy does it function nicely. In my experience, these constantly sound great and are extremely versatile. They can cut though a bluegrass band and can equally thrive with clawahmmer. It’s kind of a sweeter sound than that of a mastertone. I feel that it’s every bit as good as typical mastertone sound but just different.

Ships in what is likely the original hard case, which is in great shape. It’s not branded Vega but a kind BHO member threw in a Vega case badge with some thing I got from him and I’d be happy to mail that on if the buyer would like.

Thanks for looking and feel free to reach out with any questions.