Hi, I am new to this so I hope I am posting in the correct forum. I need help identifying this banjo I bought many years ago. It has sat in a closet for about 15 years. When I bought it it has a bit of painters tape on the case that said white lady ( laydie). I have done some research and believe that the neck has been changed but I am still trying to say for certain who the maker is.
Edited by - Dubliner37 on 12/04/2024 07:58:22
Looks like an old Vega pot with a replaced 5 string neck.
Banjolink, thank you for the info. So is it a Whyte Laydie pot? From what I have read the tone ring should be scalloped, it is also about 11 wide.
Your banjo has the rim from a 1927 Vega Whyte Laydie. The Whyte Laydie tone ring, which is slightly visible in your first picture, is indeed scalloped. The rim was likely attached to a four string tenor neck and was later converted for five string use. The resonator is also a later replacement. These rims consistently make for excellent sounding banjos.
Just to confuse things..... I still would like to know if you can tell if it's a Vega Style R with a Whyte Laydie tone ring or an actual Vega Whyte Laydie ? I own one and the responses I get when questioning are confusing. Supposedly the Style R had the same pot and tone ring as the Whyte Laydie.
quote:
Originally posted by gbisignaniJust to confuse things..... I still would like to know if you can tell if it's a Vega Style R with a Whyte Laydie tone ring or an actual Vega Whyte Laydie ? I own one and the responses I get when questioning are confusing. Supposedly the Style R had the same pot and tone ring as the Whyte Laydie.
Style R was just the designation applied to the tenor-necked version of the Whyte Laydie. The pot assemblies are identical.
