Along the lines of what you said, wouldn't a 5-string be a Style De Luxe? Isn't an X strictly a tenor?

It would be interesting to see what's stamped into the dowel.

It's in Japan. No serial # given. It's WAY underpriced for an original 5 string.

Tenor No 9 X Deluxe were gold, right? Yet we see from the two No 9 plectrums posted by Adam that they were nickel. Stringbean's No 9 was nickel.

So I'm super-suspicious.

If I had to guess: the dowel stick and rim serial numbers maybe match, or maybe not? Wood working skills exist to add ebony to the "5th string" side of the upper neck -- so I would want very badly to see if the BINDING on the treble side of the neck is completely original, or perhaps "interrupted".

I smell a plectrum conversion to a 5 string -- perhaps not to fool anyone, but to supply a "5 string" banjo into a starved Japanese market decades ago.

I would demand CLOSE inspection of the 5th string pip, the 5th string tuner, the upper frets from fret 5 up compared to the first 4 frets and the grain match (or mismatch) along the treble edge above the 5th fret.

But, bottom line, if the price doesn't go up, and if the suspected conversion job is well done, it's probably worth the money anyway compared to an original 5 string No 9.

I remember old Vega or Fairbanks catalogs showing the fingerboard extension was a mark of the "professional" grade models.

I'd want to see some close-ups, especially with the resonator off. But if that's a solid 20's big Tubie pot, and you assume the neck is of recent make (and it's as well-made as it appears to be), it seems a pretty reasonable price, especially as they say it includes shipping.

It looks right-ish to me and Vega did all kinds of unusual things (maybe not as many as Gibson but a lot!).
Just remember that in the current time the import duties could be quite significant on even an antique American-made banjo like this...

The inlays look too well centered to be a plectrum conversion.

The photos are too crappy to say for sure, but it looks to be either an original or a well-crafted reproduction neck. A modified plectrum neck would have most of the inlays off center, unless a new fingerboard was installed.

I've seen a number of Tubaphone 5 strings with extended fingerboards, both No. 3 and No. 9.

The Style X designation was used on tenor and mandolin banjos only, but often is applied to plectrums and 5 strings by sellers who don't understand the nuances (aka lack of logic) of Vega's numbering system. 5 string and tenor instruments of this grade level would ordinarily just be marked "No. 9", or "DeLuxe".

There were not many differences between the No. 9 and the No. 9 DeLuxe, with the most significant being that the DeLuxe got gold and silver plated hardware instead of the standard nickel plate. The DeLuxe also got an Abalone rim cap instead of wood marquetry.

quote:

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Originally posted by The Old Timer

It's in Japan. No serial # given. It's WAY underpriced for an original 5 string.

Tenor No 9 X Deluxe were gold, right? Yet we see from the two No 9 plectrums posted by Adam that they were nickel. Stringbean's No 9 was nickel.

So I'm super-suspicious.

If I had to guess: the dowel stick and rim serial numbers maybe match, or maybe not? Wood working skills exist to add ebony to the "5th string" side of the upper neck -- so I would want very badly to see if the BINDING on the treble side of the neck is completely original, or perhaps "interrupted".

I smell a plectrum conversion to a 5 string -- perhaps not to fool anyone, but to supply a "5 string" banjo into a starved Japanese market decades ago.

I would demand CLOSE inspection of the 5th string pip, the 5th string tuner, the upper frets from fret 5 up compared to the first 4 frets and the grain match (or mismatch) along the treble edge above the 5th fret.

But, bottom line, if the price doesn't go up, and if the suspected conversion job is well done, it's probably worth the money anyway compared to an original 5 string No 9.

I remember old Vega or Fairbanks catalogs showing the fingerboard extension was a mark of the "professional" grade models.

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Standard No. 9 models were nickel plated, while the No. 9 DeLuxe models were gold/silver plated. Both had gold plated tuners. 

This dowel should not say Style X NO 9 unless a tenor but, without pictures of the dowel, we have no idea how this banjo is marked. From the pictures, we can tell the following:

30 brackets --11 1/13" Professional Artist sized pot

20 frets clear -- correct for for the Professional Artist plectrums and 5-strings. Catalogs state 28" nominal scale — I have measured these at 27 1/2" – 28 1/4". I have seen 22 and 24 fret extensions on these more often than not. I have never seen a correct 3rd party necks for these. If you count 30 brackets on the pot and see 22 frets clear of it, the neck is not original.

The Vega engraved Kershner tailpiece seals it for me. I'm not believing the 1925 date nor the Professional sized resonator being original. There was a resonator with 30 flanges made for these. Frankly, I don't care.

If I still played and didn't own one like it already, this would be mine.