WS18-1

Bacon ( by Vega)              Late F. F. Professional, Un-designated model           5 String

 

S/N- 533                     1911                            11 x 27 1/8"                             6 1/4 lb.

 

Originality: Neck may have been professionally refinished.

 

Condition: Near mint.

 

Background: The 1906 original Bacon catalog that surfaced recently is devoted exclusively to the F. F. Professional models. Four models were pictured and described; numbers 1, 2, 3(Dragon), and the No. 2 Special with the Flower Pot peghead inlay and a finely carved heel. All models were offered with rim diameters of either 10 3/4 or11 inches.

Features of this model: The S/N shows that this was made fairly near the end of the period that Vega made these banjos for Bacon. Its overall lack of many decorative touches might place it between the bottom 2 models from the 1906 catalog but the flower pot inlay on the peghead is like the No. 2 Special. The variation in colors between the neck and the pot are “as made” and not a result of the possible refinishing.
 

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