WS16-6

Fairbanks (by Vega) Custom Tubaphone “No. 9" 5 String Plectrum

S/N- 27817 1911 12 1/4 x 28" 8 1/4 lb.

Originality and Condition: This rather pivotal and fascinating piece of banjo history had suffered many neglects and insults and definitely deserved to be professionally restored to a respectable condition and state of originality. None of the problems was serious. It had been robbed of several parts and had a few inlays replaced by someone who evidently never looked at those still present. I would classify it now as fairly original and very good - excellent condition.

Background: Most banjo fans, players, or collectors likely have never heard of a 5 string plectrum banjo. Indeed, the term sounds like an oxymoron. To learn about the origin and development of this extremely short-lived version of the banjo, go to my Group of "Fairbanks Banjos By Vega" and click on "Information for this Group" and read Part B. (The other 5 string plectrum in this collection is S/N 59331 in the following group.)

The specific instrument discussed on this page relates to so many aspects of banjo collecting and history that it could easily serve as the subject for a P. H. D. thesis. I suspect some viewers might even wonder if I had that in mind as I included so much information on this topic. If this exceeds what you care to know, just pick and choose. To decrease the length somewhat and allow you to choose what to read or skip, I have divided this information into several categories:

A) Personal bias: Although I collect and play vintage 5 strings, my favorite "banjo listening" is to the skilled players of 4 string banjos, especially plectrums. Thus I am naturally more interested in 5 string plectrums than the average collector.
B) 4 string banjos and playing with a flat pick and the significance of Brent Hayes: Refer to Part B of the information about the group of "Fairbanks Banjos By Vega".
C) Construction details of known 5-string plectrums: Jim Bollman has seen about 6 of these rarities. Two were made like Tubaphone No. 3 models and the others were made like Tubaphone No. 9 models. To those examples must be added the two in this collection. The only known Tubaphone DeLuxe example ( S/N- 59331) is discussed in the next grouping. The banjo on this page is stamped “ No. 9" on the dowel stick but nothing about it is like a No. 9. The pot is like a standard No. 3 pot and the neck is apparently a custom DeLuxe neck.

D) Inlays on DeLuxe models- So few examples have surfaced and nearly all of them date from the 1920s that most of us who have seen a few tend to think we know what the board inlays look like. However, we have had few or no opportunities to see a DeLuxe from the first few years they were made. Also, the cuts in the Vega catalog of circa 1912 do not make it easy to notice fine details. A careful check of those on the DeLuxe , however, reveal them to have been completely different when the model was introduced. Specifically, it is easy to discern a double ram’s horn in the first fret.

About this instrument:

1) Almost surely unique.

2) The carved heel pattern is known to appear on only one other banjo and is incredibly lovely.

3) The board inlays are examples of the extremely rarely seen designs present on the DeLuxe when it was first issued ( and illustrated in the circa 1912 catalog).

4) The No. 9 name is really a misnomer. Although that is stamped on the dowel stick, the pot is like a No. 3 and the neck is like a DeLuxe with a custom carving.

5) Extended fingerboard.

6) The string nut is mother-of-pearl.

7) Because of its 1911 date and relationship to similar instruments played by Brent Hayes, possibly an important nugget of banjo history.