Deering (California) now owns the Vega brand name and produces a `Little Wonder` and `Old Tyme Wonder` 5-stringer not unlike your instrument. Martin factory in Nazareth, PA, parts were shipped overseas to Japan and Canada for assembly. My suggestion would be to take you banjo down to the local hardware store and cobble together a workable thumb screw (some have collars) and washer combination. 2 Vega banjo from the early Boston era. Be safe, be well. I have attached photos comparing the label printing difference. Hi there Folks.A few weeks ago i bought a Vega martin 5 string banjo, tubaphone tonering, the screws to attach the shoes to the bracket band go through the bracketband but also through the rim.The banjo is almost in unplayed condition, sounds wonderfull, the original case is also there.serial numer is 1707. Martin Museum collection. Photos , BRC Replies To Samantha (November 23, 2019), Reply From Dr. Ron (the BRC Vega Vox/EddiePeabody consultant). It appears to be serial number 231 (engraved). Thanks for your post and happy pickin`, Barry. Martin upgraded the maple rim to 10 ply after purchasing the Vega/Boston franchise in May of 1970. They made both tenor/plectrum and five-string models. Martin made 76 commemorative V-76 banjos in 1976 to celebrated the bicentennial of the USA. This classic and ornate Vega series dates back to the 1920s but did not appear in the 1970 and 1972 Vega Martin catalogues. It is in pristine condition and is clearly a very high quality instrument. Deering now owns the Vega line and offers open-back Tubaphones in their inventory. The VIP-5 is known for its mellow sound, and the tone of my VIP-5 (SN 1364 circa 1974) was admired by a faculty member at a northeastern banjo camp a few years ago. When C.F. GREAT FORUM. Like Mark whom you cite from Comment #6 above, your banjo is one of 14 Pro-5 instruments manufactured per Shop Order #2197 in 1974 in Nazareth, PA. Martin built 100 Pro-5 banjos from 1971-79, including the whimsical Bobby Joe Fenster 5 stringer which was a thinly disguised Pro-5. I also did replace all of the cheapish plastic knobs with ivoroid ones of much better quality. The last two Vox Vs (serial numbers 1964-1965) were built in 1979, and still exist to this day. Barry, I have purchased a Martin Vega V-45 described as 1971 production and a serial number of #327. There were forty-six Vega Martin V-45 banjos made of similar design, but the hardware was gold-plated. Its mostly been in storage since I purchased it in the late 1970s. The first SN#720 I know is a VW-5 because it has the original hang tag. model serial number 1990. The Vega line was then marketed in the USA by TMC Company (Targ & Dinner 20 Century Music Company). Vega Martin banjo SN 324 was manufactured in Nazareth, PA, in early 1973. 403.80. There is no #1 Martin banjo listed, but banjos #6-8 were Vega Vox-4-T tenors built per Shop Order 2087. Elite Fiberskyn Banjo Head, 11", High. My Dad left me a Martin VegaIm thinking I want to pass it on to someone wholl play it and care for it more than I can. There are some folklore stories why the Seeger banjo was discontinued. Hope this helps and best wishes from the BRC, Barry. My estimate is that your VIP-T would likely fetch in the $700-1100 range these days, and maybe a little more, depending on condition and special appointments. Thanks so much! An example of one of these 4-stringers from the 1920`s is still in the C.F. If this banjo has some more of the early prewar design features, add $1000-1500.Hope this helps, Dr. Ron. Hi! Gold and ivory hard wear with a butterfly mop inlay on the back of the body. Thanks for your post. vega banjo identification. So there are gaps at the high end of each thousand series -- since Fairbanks The tone ring really had me confused! I cannot find any pictures remotely close online. Landis- Thanks for your post. I have a Vega Martin five string that my father special ordered around 76-77 Supposedly it was #10 of 10. Tony Trsichka wants Greg to make a 5-string model, much like Vega did on very rare occasions in the late 1950s/early 1960s. Neck and rim look a lot like made by Martin craftsmen, and it arrived set up perfectly. Thank You The Galaxy serial number is not a continuum of the Martin serial number sequence. I tried to find your email address at your Banjo homepage without any success. The earliest reported is F&C #1000. Martin purchased the Vega brand in May of 1970, the Martin factory in Nazareth, PA, began to re-tool for banjo production. Inside your device. My Vega VIP has the Martin decal on the back of the headstock. Hope this helps, and I am sending you the circa 1978 C. F. Martin Tubaphone model promotional flyer . They all had yellow serial number stickers. C.F. 0 bids $10.96 shipping Ending Oct 14 at 5:44AM PDT5d 4hFrom GermanyBrand: VEGA To generally confirm that your banjo is a Nazareth built instrument, check for a C.F. It has dual rods running through the pot and it has the tubaphone tone ring. Please take detailed photos of your banjo inside and outside. So happy to find this site. Serial # 1795. I play it weekly (weakly) on Monday nights at restaurant in Anaheim, California and love its sound. Barry, My Vega VIP 5-string has S/N 2316 painted inside the rim, which I presume means it was assembled by Galaxy in Asia. Thanks! Prices subject to change without notice. best of . Enjoy. If anybody can shed some light on what I have. Today I purchase Vega PS-5, serial number M-130259. I just acquired a second, SN#990 with the dog-bone tone ring. Further investigation related to your comments in the abovefirst paragraph might shed some light on the wood tone finish differences. Micky- Thanks for your narrative on your Pete Seeger long neck. The back of the peghead of these rare banjos is imprinted with a C.F. I appreciate having some of the history around my banjo and will cherish it even more knowing it is somewhat rare. . The distinct disadvantage to having a rare banjo is finding replacement parts. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC recently showcased an exhibit of pre-1900 Martin guitars. I have a Martin Vega Banjo, #324. From the BRC, Barry. I remember seeing a brand new tenor Vox I in a musicstore in late 1973/early 1974 that already had the rosewood cap (memorablefor me as a kid and thought it odd, when compared to the 1972 catalog; aWonder or Ranger were also in the store from Needham Heights and were stillblackened). After a loooong wait I finally got it in 1971 . Martin also made 1976 model D-76 guitars to partner the banjo. Is this an old genuine Vega in the lower price class, Sten- Thanks for your query about the FR-5 banjo. George Gruhn might also know. Your VW-5 would fetch $700-$1000 these days. FAIRBANKS BANJO MANDOLINE. Both the VW-5 and FW-5 appear in the 1961 Vega ((155 Columbus Ave., Boston, MA) catalogue but featuring a 5 ply rim in the early design. The Vega Vox IV of that era featured burnished gold-plated parts, engraved flanges, an all white pyralin deep resonator with elaborately engraved back and sides, a fretboard with fancy pearl inlays, and an engraved and colored scroll shaped peg head. Rettberg & Lange(1898-1920) banjos were initially similar to Buckbee-made I actually picked up a banjo that had a resonator that was sitting on the shelf in that 1970-72 period as Martin was transitioning and shutting down the factory there. Fred- Thank you for the detailed photos of your instrument. 2 Tu-Ba-Phone model which is part of an historic production series started in the 1920`s in Boston, continued in Nazareth, PA, and sustained today by Deering in Spring Valley, CA. tone ring that you have. Your site is a great resource for these instruments by the way. This is an early and very nice example of the classic Vega . I recently had a luthier friend do setup on it and he found the pot metal rim flange to be broken and wont allow me to have the head at proper tension. Hello, I have enjoyed reading your posts on Vega-Martin banjos. On the inner rim of the back cover is another Martin logo and the (embossed in white) number 887. Id like to echo previous comments and thank you for a great, great website, chock full of useful information. . I call him Rory, although much louder he has a beautiful rich tone, but is quite punchy.. 6. I do not know anything about banjos but the label inside the rim says VEGA of Boston. Martin Vega Banjo Strings Features: Tin-plated steel core is responsive, lively, and resilient Nickel alloy wrap wire is consistently smooth and tonally flexible for a variety of playing styles Medium gauge for full-bodied tone and strong midrange response Tech Specs Number of Strings: 5 String Material: Steel Winding Material: Nickel Alloy Martin in Nazareth, PA, in 1973. Martin`s beloved historian). It is the first martin-vega I have ever seen in person, or had in my hands! Any help with identifying it (I cant find a serial number anywhere) or locating buyers would be so gratefully welcomed! How do you date a banjo? port melbourne players; fair lawn high school graduation; vega banjo identification; By . It was a student model that Eddie convinced long time friend and Vega owner/president to make positioned as a lower cost alternative to the Vox I/Professional IIit was an upgrade over the Little Wonder/Ranger banjos. Of note, my Vega Martin VIP-5 banjo built in 1975 also came with a `Care of Your Banjo` memo dated 8/26/71 and a warranty that instructed the owner to call 215-759-2837 and ask for Mike (probably Mike Longworth who was C.F. Im not very knowledgable about banjos so please forgive my terminology. Give it a try and good luck. Identification: "A" Style mandolins were symmetrical and shaped like a teardrop. Your banjo neck is from a Martin Tu-Ba-Phone 5-string banjoas advertised in a Martin flyer circa 1978, and the potalso looks like a left-over rim inherited from theNazareth, PA, company. 1969, probably initially at the 40 Leon Street factory the Needham Heights (just before the sale to Martin). Im mostly a guitar player. Vega Banjo Identification Vega Tenor Banjo Serial Numbers Chart Vega Tenor Banjo Serial Numbers Vintage Mandolin Banjo Fairbanks Vega Company Boston USA 1920 6 Saiten Einige der Spanner samt Schrauben und sowie die Saiten sind nicht vorhanden. He was told that it was made by Martin, but I do not find any Martin labels. Tom- Thank you for the prompt and detailed photos of your instrument. Thanks again. Cobra hooks first appear circa 1881 on Fairbanks & Cole banjos. This uniquestyle resonator was verypopular for many years, and it still hasvalue as a vintage part. I was told by someone at C. F. Martin that they only made 11 of them ( mine is ser # 7 ) . I was disappointed because I badly wanted to see Scruggs models! Again, thanks for your post. It is not to be confused with the metal pie plate or hubcap resonator manufactured by Elton in the 1930`s. Published by at 16 de junio de 2022. Dick- Thank you for being a frequent reader of the BRC website. Data from these logbooks are available per e-mail request from the BRC founder. Martin`s transition from traditional Spanish, Viennese, and Renaissance structural features towards innovating a modern acoustic guitar with a unique cross brace design. I have a seperate label thats still in the case showing the serial # 1199. Martin Company acquired the Vega rights from the Bostonian Nelson Family in May of 1970 and sold the franchise overseas in March of 1979. The six digit Boston serial numbers were replaced by the Martin SN`s beginning with #2 in 1972. It listed back then for $345 without to BRCcase. Martin made only about a dozen more PS-5 banjos. Heres a link to a .zip file you can download. Thanks for letting us see this fascinating and unique instrument. My guess is that most of the left-over parts from near your home in Massachusettes were used up over the next ensuing 7 years of production, but there is an outside chance that a few spare parts like an occasional tonering survived and were transferred to Galaxy when it purchased Vega in 1979. SF bay area > east bay > for sale > musical instruments - by owner. sir- need some help. Yes, the VVI banjos have the same inlay pattern as the VM Pro (Professional) 5 string model. Only 101 model PS-5 banjos were made by C.F. From the BRC, Barry. Despite its puzzling serial number, your instrument is a Tu-Ba-Phone Deluxe 5-string. By early 1971, Martin began to assemble banjos from Boston-made parts in Nazareth using the Vega six digit serial number system prefixed with the letter M for Martin and beginning with Shop Order 2001.