I have been given free and clear a Frankenstein/hybrid banjo. I’m pretty sure the head is from a Vega Tub-a-phone made mid-1920s, probably a tenor. All shoes and hooks seem to be original with the exception of a dowel stick shoe and post added for the Presto style tail piece. The serial number on the head is 51940. The mahogany (?) neck is nothing special and the dowel stick is still showing tool marks. It does have a serial number, 57348, and a strange woodburned element. Guitar tuners have been swapped out and replaced by planetary tuners. I’m hoping to get confirmation that the head is a Vega Tub-a-phone and any ideas about the neck. If the neck has no historical value I’ll probably look to make a replica Vega neck. Thanks for any help.
It looks like a Tube-a-Phone pot with a Kay neck attached. It would be well worth making a new neck for. The tuners look pretty good, they might be worth keeping on the new neck.
The serial number on the rim dates to 1922 or 1923. I don't know what you are referring to when you mention the number on the head. The head is a Remo Weather King. Any serial number on it would have absolutely nothing to do with the banjo's date of manufacture.
Edited by - Culloden on 09/14/2024 17:57:53
Sorry, I meant the serial number on the rim. Thanks for the information. It's very helpful.
As he usually is, Mark is dead-on with his id call and his advice on what to do.
And the presence of 30 brackets indicates that it is a large Tubaphone pot, slightly under 12 inches.
I believe that Mark Hickler in Mesa AZ has plenty of experience building Vega replica necks.
I’ll second what Bob said above, if you want a Vega style neck made, Mark is the person to do it.
quote:
Originally posted by rcc56And the presence of 30 brackets indicates that it is a large Tubaphone pot, slightly under 12 inches.
I believe that Mark Hickler in Mesa AZ has plenty of experience building Vega replica necks.
Thirty brackets. Good call, Bob. I missed that one.
The head size is 11 15/16". If a tenor, this would have been a Style M with 15 frets clear — many had a fretboard extension to get the total to 17 or more frets.
If a NO 3, the original plectrum or 5 string neck would have had a 28" scale with 20 frets clear of the pot. Again, many had an extended fretboard over the pot to bring the total to 22 or 24 frets.
The Kay neck is missing the Kay Neck Adjuster hardware. The heel had to be re-machined making it shorter and pushing the bridge closer to the tailpiece than many would consider ideal.
Edited by - mikehalloran on 09/16/2024 12:07:12
That heel is not a good fit for the pot. A Vega-style neck, properly fit, would be much better. It should have an ebony heel cap that extends beneath the bracket band and touches the rim for a solid fit.
Sorry Mike, isn`t the 30 hook pot 11 13/16 "diameter ?
quote:
Originally posted by deke46Sorry Mike, isn`t the 30 hook pot 11 13/16 "diameter ?
Correct. By the time I noticed the typo, the 15 minute editing window had closed.
Thanks for the all of the information. One more question: I have a Bart Reiter Whyte Laydie that was an anniversary present 32 years ago. With the exception of how the heel is cut to match the rim can I use the dimensions of my Bart Reiter neck for the Tub-a-phone to have a suitable neck. In other words, are the necks the same for the Whyte Laydie and the Tub-a-phone?
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