Gibson Custom, serial number 127859. Gibson decal in pot, sliding capo, grover tuners and ODE cam tuners. Would appreciate any help in dating and value. I am jut helping the owner find new homes for these.
Edited by - okbanjobill on 03/24/2025 13:49:10
I'm confident that's not factory Gibson.
Gibson made two long necks in the 1960s, a 175 that had no tone ring, and a 180 (or 185) that had a Mastertone flat head tone similar to your photo. HOWEVER, Gibson was not using the gold decal inside the rim in the 1960s. Also, Gibson never made a "Mastertone" model with through-bolts in the rim wall to bracket shoes. So I conclude the "pot" is not from the period when Gibson made long neck banjos, nor is it an OLD (pre war) rim from a sub-Mastertone model.
The inlay on the neck is mostly, if not all, custom-made from the aftermarket. The guitar style peghead is in fact the type used on the 1960s long necks, but the inlays would be either dots, or bowties. The "Gibson" logo itself is too thick/crude for the 1960s banjos. So I have to conclude the neck is aftermarket, or at least extensively converted from a 1960s long neck. (The tuners in the photo were not used by Gibson in the 1960s, but anyone could have easily installed them later.
Probably the single most valuable thing about this banjo are the Burlile-type cam D tuners. Worth several hundred dollars to some bluegrass folks.
You don't say exactly where the serial number was located. If it was on the back of the peghead, that is correct for a 1960s Gibson neck. If it was stamped inside the rim, that's not correct in any way for real Gibson rim of this type.
BTW, that inlay pattern on the fingerboard is known as "Florentine Special". That pattern appeared on a mighty few top-of-the-line gold-plated, painted-wood and engraved Florentine resonator models. Totally NOT the type of inlay the factory would have put on a "folk" banjo. The inlay in the pattern is a mish-mash of common after-market inlay suppliers.
Basically, someone put this banjo together from parts (some parts "might" be real Gibson, but you don't show enough parts in your photos) and their imagination. It will be salable only to someone who is impressed by its unorthodox looks and wants a long-neck of unknown but non-Gibson provenance to make you an offer. I would guess they would have to play it to see how it sounds and feels before they would make an offer. I suspect you might get an offer for well under $1000. Does it have a Gibson branded hardshell case by any chance? That might help a little.
Good luck.
Hey okbanjobill, I believe Dick (the old timer) has given a pretty accurate overview of this long neck "Gibson", however, I'd like to give a piece of advice.....you need to step back 4 or 5 feet and take photos of the entire banjo, front and back.
Only posting a few close-up photos of various components of a banjo is actually not very helpful, if no one can get an idea of what the whole instrument looks like
Thanks, when I looked at them Friday, 2 out of the seven looked originally. The other 5 looked like this and that parts. One was a very nice Ode model 33 grade 1 tkl case. I have good pictures of that. Sorry about the inadequate pictures I posted. I have full length pictures I'll try to post them. I thought the 180 looked intact, and I'll post better pictures.
Things you need to pay attention to...........
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