Description
Exc condition / #9098-12
1-3/16″ width at nut
This 1928 Gibson TB-3 Conversion is a great professional banjo that delivers a great Bluegrass sound. All original except the neck, which was made by Murrell Thixton at Sullivan Banjo. The banjo has all of the things a collector looks for: the chalked serial number on the inside of the resonator, the same number painted with gold wreath near the neck notch in the resonator, the same number stamped in the inside of the rim by the neck joint, with the PAT. APPLD.FOR stamp alongside. All finish on the resonator and the rim is original. The new neck finish is a very good match in color.
The fiddle-cut peghead has the Gibson logo inlaid at the top, and style-3 diamond and square inlays in the peghead face. Original cover and truss access above the nut. This new neck was done faithfully close to an original with a nice slim feel profile, and the look is great with antiqued cream binding along the fingerboard. The frets show the barest amount of wear. The tuners are more recent Krishot tuners (very close copy to Grover “pancake” tuners from the 20’s and 30’s) hand made in Prague with a German Schaller 5th tuner. All have matching ivoroid buttons. The pot is all original, and the old armrest has “J.J. Dwyer” engraved in the face. Original prewar tailpiece. This is a 3/4 3-ply Maple rim with a tube and plate 2-pc flange, and 40-hole archtop tone ring.
We cannot stress enough that this is a very fine acquisition for any serious player or collector. Not only are all the parts there, it has an excellent replacement neck and has the kind of tone that fits Bluegrass quite well. Comes with a hard case. Also, this banjo comes with the original tenor neck and case which can be shipped separately for an extra cost.
