Re: 1930 TB2 conversion NMC
Ivan K's got some good insights. My "best" banjo is a "ball-bearing" Mastertone GB-3 (guitar banjo), with a "diamonds and squares" five-string neck made by a local luthier. He put a "Gibson" logo on the headstock although that part of the instrument isn't Gibson-made.
Gibson Co. would probably frown on another builder using their trademarked name, but in the world of conversions, it's pretty common practice. Forty years ago, a bunch of F-2's and F-4's were "converted" to F-5's by installing new tops and long raised necks (a pretty deplorable thing to do, IMHO, to some lovely Gibson oval-holes). The new headstocks invariably were inlaid with "The Gibson" logos.
So there's a somewhat indistinct line, between building an instrument from scratch and labeling it "Gibson," and taking an indeterminate mixture of Gibson-made and non-Gibson-made components, putting them together, and labeling the result "Gibson." The first is pretty much a no-no, the second is generally considered acceptable.
What if it's just the banjo shell, with a new tone ring, neck, resonator, tuners, tailpiece, etc.? What if installing the new tone ring meant that the shell had to be re-cut to fit it? There's not an enforceable rule of which I'm aware, but clearly, at some point, calling the end product a Gibson is quite a stretch.
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
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