Can you ID this long neck

Premier Sponsors

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our privacy policy which includes details of cookie usage. Hide this notice

Long Neck Banjo

Join This Group

... for those of us who prefer the tuning and singing differences the LN provides. All questions & help welcome!

273 Members, Created 1/30/2011 -

Administrators: TonyS (owner) , Gary Blanchard , pastorharry , vega long neck

< Back to Home

From Allan Levenberg on 4/6/2016 7:32:25 AM

Recently bought at auction. Auction photo was terrible. Pleasantly surprised that the apparent grooves were worn finish and not grooves. Neck is one piece Maple with no fingerboard. Had a torn Jos. Rogers head which I've replaced. Action is perfect. Check out the 5th string tuner which works great and is real smooth. Hardware appears to be Vega single point shoes, brackets and nuts. Not sure about the pot. Serial # 56425. Head stock "S" is inlaid bone (?), Tuners are '40s Grover guitar tuners. This is my first long neck. It plays pretty good.

Any comments would be appreciated.

4 Comments
	mainejohn says: 4/6/2016 7:45:55 AM I'm guessing it started life as a Vega Style F (low end from the 20's, and no tone ring), then sometime a few decades ago during the folk/scare era it was fitted with a home made long neck. The Style designation would have been stamped on the dowel stick, but the dowel stick I see in the photo doesn't appear to be original.
Allan Levenberg says: 4/6/2016 8:50:05 AM Thanks mainejohn, the dowel stick is not original, roughly carved. Probably at the same time the neck was carved. Have you ever seen a 5th tuner like this? The wear marks on the neck finish tell me that whomever built this thing, played it a lot. Interesting about the tone ring. It's solid and sits on a L 'shelf' cut into the pot where the ring sits virtually flush with the pot. Almost sounds like a 'woody'.
	wizofos says: 4/6/2016 10:08:33 AM If it sounds good and you like playing it then play it like you stole it.
Allan Levenberg says: 4/6/2016 12:09:14 PM Wiz, It came with a lap dulcimer in perfect condition, built 1976 with a maker's label. Feels like a steal...and I love the sound and feel of the neck. Wish I knew who made this neck and put this banjo together. For me, that's part of the fun of old banjos.
Post a Comment
You must be logged in and a member of this group to post a comment.

	Old Gray Coat Linked by Bluesage 7 months ago: My first attempt at working out this great Tony Rice composition on the open long neck. It lays our pretty well!
	Christ Church Cathedral Linked by Madame Twang 1 year ago
MP3: What Would The Prophets Say? Linked by jbakervt 2 years ago: The religious basis of authority in the Middle East (or anywhere for that matter) is the source of a lot of suffering and is unsustainable. The violence is mostly perpetrated on women and children.
MP3: You'll Never Leave Texas Alive Linked by jbakervt 2 years ago: A sad murder ballad of a sort. Some murderers wear nice clothes and use pens and paper to kill and never see their victims.
MP3: Ten Years On Linked by jbakervt 2 years ago: A lament, written for the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook school shooting. Sadly there are still parents who are irresponsible or foolish, and parents who suffer as a result.
MP3: Shutdown The System Linked by jbakervt 2 years ago: The pursuit of money is alienating, enervating, and exhausting. Here’s a song of resistance to finance capitalism.
MP3: Take The Wheel Linked by jbakervt 2 years ago: A song about mentorship, inspired by my mentor and HIS mentors too, that takes the form of the story of a ship’s mate being “shown the ropes”. The old sea captain may also have been a long-neck player
MP3: The Leatherwing Bat Linked by jbakervt 2 years ago
MP3: Old Rosin The Beau Linked by jbakervt 2 years ago
MP3: Deep Elm Blues Linked by jbakervt 2 years ago