I have owned a 1923 Gibson TB-3 and an earlier TB-4 but I had never heard of a TB-5 until now....
https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/156738#156738
Holy mother of toilet seat Batman!
NFI
I have owned a 1923 Gibson TB-3 and an earlier TB-4 but I had never heard of a TB-5 until now....
https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/156738#156738
Holy mother of toilet seat Batman!
NFI
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
I met and hung out with John Pearse a few times in the 1980s (yes that guy whose name is on the strings etc.) he was a phenomenal guitarist and I heard him play some hot ragtime tunes on his GB-5 trapdoor guitar banjo. Lots of glitz.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Well I've got a 1923 MB-5! All silver plated, Loar engraved pearl button tuners ,and the silver tailpiece cover with "The Gibson" engraved on the bottom just like the Loar F-5's! I had it posted awhile back and may try to sell again? I don't know its very nice!
William, any way you can post a photo? I would love to see it.
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
Wow, very cool! Finding a tailpiece cover for a regular trap door is almost impossible, you might own the only known one of those.
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
Yes and its about the same engraving as the Loar F-5 tailpiece covers! David Harvey never seen one like it! Another strange thing the inside where the Gibson label is its worn strangely! David H. said that back in the day guys put lights in their banjos and such so it would show up on stage while in their tux! Pretty neat if it could tell stories huh
Actually the banjo lights were not for stage use but were used to dry out the skin heads they used back then. They didn’t have plastic heads in the twenties. I have seen the armatures which would clamp on the dowel stick. They would usually use Christmas tree lights. I doubt some of these vaudeville performers would want to be plugged in back then.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
This TB-5 has the same tailpiece cover as Williams...
https://www.sylvanmusic.com/store/p2...nor_Banjo.html
Bottom photo.
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
Mike, I think you're generally right, but I'm pretty sure some of the banjoists "lit up" their instruments during performances. My long-time musical partner Bob bought a '20's Gibson Grenada tenor "pot" to convert to a five-string, and glued to the inside of the head was a thin black-carboard silhouette of a fully-rigged ship. It was only visible when lit from behind. So evidence suggests that the incandescent bulb(s) not only kept the skin head tight, but provided a visual accent during performances.
It would have been cool if a sound-activated switch could have been installed, so that the light flashed in synch with strumming! Whatever the electrical set-up was, it was taken out of the Grenada shell before Bob bought it, so we don't know.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
Here is a shot of my tailpiece,
This is not working for some reason.
THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!
Thanks pheff not sure why I can't find it, The number in the photo's is not the one that came up. Can't seem to change it so good for a laugh.
THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!
A friend of mine had a Vegaphone Professional tenor banjo with the Elton lights in it. Here's a photo. Yes, it is possible that some folks did use them on stage but with the electrical systems in those days it would have been pretty scary, I would think. My friend with the Vegaphone said he was afraid to plug it in but it did work.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Then, there is this....
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
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