1923 Fairbanks-Vega Deluxe 5-string
By 1923 the Jazz Age was cranking up and the tenor banjo was coming into its own. Five-strings were few and far between, and this Deluxe model (inv. #JA2678) from the Fairbanks-Vega company of Boston is an especially rare piece.Although tenor banjos had begun sporting resonators, this five-string is true to the "classical" open-back style of earlier times. The ornate appointments include elaborately engraved fingerboard inlay, the long carved neck heel, engraved gold-plated hardware and abalone edging on the rim.
The head is 10 15/16" in diameter, and the original hard case has the "long bump" to accommodate the fifth string peg. In exceptionally fine condition, this banjo is priced at $15,000.
Also of interest... a 1907 Fairbanks Whyte Laydie No. 7 5-string.
This instrument is SOLD
For further enjoyment...
Fingerboard at fifth-string peg
