The banjos advertised in the brochure had generic names and Item #`s. Your instrument was listed as Vega 5-string Banjo featuring a Tu-Ba-Phone tone ring with round holes thus representing A reproduction of the early Tu-Ba-Phone No. I have two Ode long neck banjos, and one of them is my daily practice instrument because of its wife-friendly tone. According to the C.F. Martin Vega Banjo Strings Features: Tin-plated steel core is responsive, lively, and resilient Nickel alloy wrap wire is consistently smooth and tonally flexible for a variety of playing styles 4-string tenor gauge is mellow and warm and accents low to midrange frequencies Tech Specs Number of Strings: 4 String Material: Tin-plated Steel Hope this helps. fender american professional ii vs ultra. Can you identify this rare Vega Martin banjo just by the peghead markings? The open back Folk Wonder 5-stringer does not appear in the 1976 Vega/Martin catalogue where the Vega Wonder resonator series is still advertised featuring a brass tone ring and ebony fingerboard. Martin stamp. Tim, Tim- Thanks much for your query. The evolution of the Professional model dates back to the Boston 1963 Vega catalogue that featured the first Pro model banjo that looked like an inexpensive version of the Earl Scruggs model that Vega offered at that time. Rochester NY 14610. The Galaxy serial number is not a continuum of the Martin serial number sequence. So, your banjo is likely either a late 1963/early 1964 model (Vega model years ran from Oct 1st-Sept 30th at the time, much like automobiles). The SN 1456 on the outside of your tone ring is a fascinating and new discovery to me, and we VM banjo owners should inspect our tone rings for this hidden marking the next time a head gets exchanged. My VIP-5 is SN 1364 and was made about one year after your 5-stringer, and it has a nice mid range tone. The last one was produced in early 1975 despite being their very first banjo made that year. Any help with identifying it (I cant find a serial number anywhere) or locating buyers would be so gratefully welcomed! After 20 years, the wear and tear on a refinished instrument may reduce the value further. The melody banjo was the equivalent of a 4 string mandolin banjo. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thank you for your query to the BRC and the abovephoto link. Hope this helps, and thanks again for your post. It has almost all the hallmarks of a stock model VIP banjo. If anybody can shed some light on what I have. Do you know how many Scruggs or Scruggs Soloists, and Sonny Osborne models were made under the Martin ownership and where made? Hello, I just stumbled onto this site today 4/16/20. Just found this wonderful site. (BTW, foradditional postings select Vega Martin Stories on the homepage menu or enter Vega Martin in the search engine. 2 Tu-Ba-Phone XL is seen in the 1976 catalogue. Also, the banjo has some ornate details carved in it. Below are more Letters from the BRC Archives. The highly ornate Vega Vox IV banjo with serial number #1969 was the final officially documented banjo manufactured by C. F. Martin in Nazareth, PA. , circa 1978-79. In your e-mail, you mention being told when acquiring the instrument that it was a prototype design. It is a Four-String Banjo, Tu-ba-phone Model No. If you had a picture archive, Id be happy to post some pictures. He was told that it was made by Martin, but I do not find any Martin labels. What is it worth today, and what did it sell for when new? The Wonder-5 retailed for $345 without case per the CFM 1971 price list. 1921 Vega Style L Whyte Laydie Mandolin Banjo. No markings saying Martin but looks identical to fancy ones I saw in an old Martin sales flyer. This is an early and very nice example of the classic Vega . Lastly, the banjo could be cleaned-up and refitted at a local music shop, or referred by the shop to a nearby luthier for repairs; and you would have a workable starter banjo for taking some exploratory music lessons. Give it a try and good luck. I apologize for using this email to reach you, but I have a banjo question I hope you can help me with. Most likely, your banjo has a paddle peghead still with Kluson tuners, block MOP engraved fingerboard inlays, and an updated resonator design with black bindings and a fleur-de-lis added under the engraved star De-Luxe Vegavox on the back (brand new on the 1963-model). The seller advertised it (in 2016) as verified by BRC made in 1976 in Nazareth. So there are gaps at the high end of each thousand series -- since Fairbanks The PS-5 is advertised in the 1970 and 1972 Vega/Martin catalogues but is absent from the 1976 catalogue where the No. I do not know anything about banjos but the label inside the rim says VEGA of Boston. Your VW-5 would fetch $700-$1000 these days. The Item # was VT2NRC. Martin`s beloved historian). The parts of your VIP-5 (Very Important Player) banjo # 130056 were probably manufactured in Massachusetts and assembled in Pennsylvania with a yellow data sticker on the inside rim and maybe C.F. I will trade for a good Octave Mandolin or Bouzouki Greg Deering acquired rights to the Vega brand name in 1989 and restored the banjo line to greatness. There are different types of banjos and plenty of new terminology for parts of banjos and playing styles. In 1979, Martin sold the Vega brand to the Asian conglomerate Galaxy. cscl star vessel flag autism and narcissism differences. Bob- Thank you for your kind words about my website, and I reply with compliments to your luthier shop with which I am familiar. Martin decal on the back of your peghead and on the inner rim. Virtually immaculate. Deering now owns the Vega line and offers open-back Tubaphones in their inventory. 6. The Vega/Martin PS-5 would probably fetch in the $1000- 2500 range these days depending on appointments and condition, whereas the Vega/Boston Seeger banjo seems to be valued more by collectors and would command a higher price. I remember seeing a brand new tenor Vox I in a musicstore in late 1973/early 1974 that already had the rosewood cap (memorablefor me as a kid and thought it odd, when compared to the 1972 catalog; aWonder or Ranger were also in the store from Needham Heights and were stillblackened). Vega banjos were marketed in the US thereafter by TMC (Targ & Dinner 20 Century Music Company) via a catalogue published in May of 1979. C.F. The C.F. Martin logbook, banjo SN 1450 was an entry level Wonder model 4 string plectrum banjo made in 1975. Ive owned one for 30 yrs though I dont play it very well. In addition to the unusual R-D-136 serial number, the C.F. I bought my Vega PS-5 S/N 1046 new in, I believe, late summer of 1974 through Miller Music in Lawton, OK. Dog-bone Tubaphone tone ring, Grover milk bottle guitar tuners. Learning how to play the banjo is no different. The PS-5 is advertised in the 1970 and 1972 Vega/Martin catalogues but is absent from the 1976 catalogue where the No.2 Tu-Ba-Phone XL long neck premieres instead. Hopes this helps. I have a vegavox 4 tenor banjo by Martin . I would love some photos of your V-45 to upload with this post. Published by at 30, 2022. Aspiring players also wonder what makes one banjo better than another. The description of your banjo serial number 916 is curious, and I will offer my theory about the instrument per the information given. Each of the men is posed in front of a Vega model 131 amplifier, identical to the unit which remains with the banjo today. Unbeknownstto most 5 string aficionados, the Martin Guitar Company manufactured Vega banjos from 1970 through 1979. Your 5 stringer is cited only as Item VDX75C in the 1979 TMC catalog where to retailed for $475. Andreas- Thank you for the historical narrative on your banjo and the detailed photographs. The tone ring really had me confused! Martin acquired Vega. The peg head engraving and paint motif matched the resonator. Really sounds and pays great. All original except the tailpiece cracked at the bend not long after I got it, and I replaced it with the Stew-Mac version. Is this an old genuine Vega in the lower price class, Sten- Thanks for your query about the FR-5 banjo. Categories . Close study of the flange can sometimes reveal, however, that it is left-over Vega hardware from the Needham Heights factory. Photos are always welcome, and thanks for your post. The VIP model featured a unique `audio-sonic` bell brass tone ring, a scrolled peg head with ultra filagree pearl work, engraved pearl inlay in the ebony fretboard, a 10 ply maple rim with a heavy notched tension hoop, geared tuners, a walnut finish, and marquetry around the resonator. A total of 101 PS-5 instruments were manufactured in Pennsylvania. The banjo shown here (serial number M130316) was the second Ultra Vox V built in 1971, shortly after C.F. The Eddie Peabody Model was actually made by Vega of Boston from 1966-ca. The banjo featured a bell brass audio-sonic tone ring, different from the tubaphone tone ring, and a ten ply maple rim. Your Vega Wonder (VW) plectrum banjo SN 129 was one of six `VW-Plec` 4 string banjos made in Nazareth, PA, by C. F. Martin per Shop Order #2105 in mid 1972. Age differences in the instruments might alsoalter the wood tones. Im sure theres a story behind this banjo and why it was made. Martin upgraded the maple rim to 10 ply after purchasing the Vega/Boston franchise in May of 1970. I have 2 Martin Vegas. The mahogany neck had an ebony fingerboard with distinctive inlays including the peg head. Again, thanks for your query and photos. Martins acquisition of Vega of Bostonand, the only other one completed in the old Needham Heights factory before banjo production finally moved to Nazareth. Recently purchased a Vega Vox iv plectrum banjo. It is in pristine condition and is clearly a very high quality instrument. safety tips; prohibited items; product recalls; What can you tell me about my instrument? I inherited a Vega 5-string resonator banjo and have been trying to find out additional information about it. Eddie- Thanks for your query and kind comments about the website. The VIP banjo last appeared in the 1976 VM catalog as an open back instrument but still featuring the V.I.P. On the back side of your device. The Folk Wonder model does not appear in the 1972 or 1976 Vega Martin catalogues, but its resonator version the `Wonder` model does. The `Martin Guitars: A Technical Reference` confirms that the BJF-5 banjo was a thinly disguised Pro-5 not unlike yours . Barry, Eddie- Thanks for your query and kind comments about the website. The shoes (instead of Vox next nut shoes) and the round hook and nutassemblies are probably from stock, as I have some still lying around athome that I bought from Martin back then to replace on a 1929 Vegaphone(which are slightly different). Its also featuring the two small hexagon bolts inside the rim (Quite handy for fine-centering the neck! How do you date a banjo? In general, the Boston made Pete Seeger long neck banjos seem to command a greater collectors` interest than the ones manufactured in Pennsylvania. SOLD Vega Earl Scruggs Banjo and Original hard case Price: $695.00 USD a 1969 Earl Scruggs on rim inside :TRB 13746 . Vega Martin long neck PS-5 banjo SN 80 is one of eleven Pete Seeger 5-stringers manufactured in Nazareth, PA, in mid 1972 per Shop Order 2098. The banjo had a 3 piece maple neck and a signature tubaphone tone ring clearly shown in the pictures that you provided. He uses the one piece neck design typical of the other Deering models with the SN stamped on the back of the peghead. post id: 7593773670. posted: 2023-02-27 00:34. Of course she did a beautiful job with it including turning its blond color into a brunette! Thanks for your post and happy pickin`, Barry. A total of 98 model D-76E guitars were also made for employees. When C. F. Martin took over Vega in 1970, they dropped the A-xxxxxx serial numbers and replaced it with M-xxxxxx series, until starting a new four digit numbering system in 1972 at the Nazareth factory. The long neck banjo is less popular nowadays with the surge in Bluegrass music, but I have two of them and value their mellow wife-friendly tone. Theres barely a mark on the banjo (except for the binding where it was put on a stand) and this will probably buff out. In the the 1971 Vega Martin price list, the VW-Plec retailed at $345. Its always inspiring to see someone so dedicated to their craft! best of . Martin built 561 VW-5 banjos in the 1970`s.You can learn more about this VM instrument by browsing my