A friend of mine picked this up and sent me a pic. I have seen these banjos on here before but cant place it. Any ideas?
Definitely mimicking a Gibson.
Looks like it might be from the Iida factory. I assume it is cut off at the peghead because there is no name on there. So 1970s made in Japan. The custom made thing on the truss rod cover is something I've seen on Iida made banjos as is the peghead inlay. It's probably one of their models, or based on one of these, but with no name (unless there is a name).
Edited by - GrahamHawker on 04/10/2025 09:30:58
I was assuming it was Japanese 70s, nothing on the peg head.
In common parlance, they are referred to as Masterclones. Japanese builders dutifully copied every aspect of Gibson banjos in the late sixties and early seventies, all the way down to the thin rim with the overhanging tone ring.
In some cases, however, Japanese builders designed their banjos and produced instruments of better quality than Gibson was building at the time. Think about the Gold Star, Alvarez, and Ibanez banjos that were made in Japan. The banjo in the original post was probably made a little bit before the Gold Star era.
Kasuga
