Wow

I don’t know about 350k, but if that hits the market, it’s going to be way, way up there.

Beautiful instrument to say the least. 
 

Wow, That's a nice example.

I have played this banjo, when it was in Steve Huber's shop in 2003 and some years later after somebody had purchased it. The growl of the 4th string is really impressive.

You seem to be conflating "important" with "potentially expensive"....

Is this the banjo known as the Scotland Granada?

Its an important banjo as there were only around 17 original 5 string RB Granada's made ..and this one is museum quality.
It is not the Scotland Granada.. its 9530-1, and a beauty!! earnestbanjo.com/wp/gibson-rb-...-granada/
..and yes, I believe $350K is the price..

As Dave said, it is not the Scotland Granada. You can think of it as the Montreal Granada, because it lived in Montreal for a number of years. You can hear me playing the Montreal Granada (nearly 20 years ago) here on "Are You Missing Me": banjohangout.org/myhangout/med...archived=

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Originally posted by corcoran

As Dave said, it is not the Scotland Granada. You can think of it as the Montreal Granada, because it lived in Montreal for a number of years. You can hear me playing the Montreal Granada (nearly 20 years ago) here on "Are You Missing Me": banjohangout.org/myhangout/med...archived=

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That is AWESOME!!! You got to have that banjo in your hands and record with it. What a piece of banjo history..and its Canadian!!!!

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Originally posted by lazyarcher

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Originally posted by corcoran

As Dave said, it is not the Scotland Granada. You can think of it as the Montreal Granada, because it lived in Montreal for a number of years. You can hear me playing the Montreal Granada (nearly 20 years ago) here on "Are You Missing Me": banjohangout.org/myhangout/med...archived=

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That is AWESOME!!! You got to have that banjo in your hands and record with it. What a piece of banjo history..and its Canadian!!!!

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Yes, and it was deja vu all over again, because I had played it when it showed up in Huber's shop in 2003. Here is a photo: https://www.banjohangout.org/photo/129820 After playing it I did not wash my hands for weeks! HAHA, just kidding, it was only for a couple of days.

Oh my!

WOW! Beautiful! Truly something to behold. Before I die, I would LOVE to hold and pick a pre-war 5-string Mastertone ( I know I will never be able to own one). Love seeing these beauties...thanks for posting!

For those of us who don't know, why does the label appear to have been cut?

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Originally posted by jethrobodine

For those of us who don't know, why does the label appear to have been cut?

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Those rims are supposed to have been completely finished for archtop rings already, only to be cut again when upgrading with a flathead ring, thereby taking the top off the label.

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Originally posted by RB-1

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Originally posted by jethrobodine

For those of us who don't know, why does the label appear to have been cut?

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Those rims are supposed to have been completely finished for archtop rings already, only to be cut again when upgrading with a flathead ring, thereby taking the top off the label.

 

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And among the verified prewar flatheads on Greg Earnest's website is Earl Scruggs's banjo. So a cut label on a banjo starting out life with a flathead ring is rare but not unprecedented.

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Originally posted by RB-1

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Originally posted by jethrobodine

For those of us who don't know, why does the label appear to have been cut?

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Those rims are supposed to have been completely finished for archtop rings already, only to be cut again when upgrading with a flathead ring, thereby taking the top off the label.

 

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So, there's Gibson documentation on the rim originally being turned for an archtop ring then recut by Gibson for flathead?    Seems like I remember many years ago here on bho, there being a lot of discussions about cut rims on prewars.  Best I remember, in my old age, back then if a rim had the label cut, generally it was cut years later after it left Gibson.  I do not remember reading about Gibson selling new banjos with cut labels in the prewar era.  Live and learn.  This is just curious info as I will never own one and most likely never play one, but I do love looking and hearing them played.

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Originally posted by corcoran

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Originally posted by RB-1

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Originally posted by jethrobodine

For those of us who don't know, why does the label appear to have been cut?

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Those rims are supposed to have been completely finished for archtop rings already, only to be cut again when upgrading with a flathead ring, thereby taking the top off the label.

 

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And among the verified prewar flatheads on Greg Earnest's website is Earl Scruggs's banjo. So a cut label on a banjo starting out life with a flathead ring is rare but not unprecedented.

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Same with the 177 batch of RB-3s. One is detailed in Jim Mills book. I think it is 177-6.

I am certainly no expert on these pre-war flatheads, but Jim Mills documents several original pre-war flatheads with "slightly cut Mastertone labels" (both Earl's and Sonny's Granadas, Butch Robbins' RB-4, and others).

Yes, Gibson did "cut" arch top rims that were in stock, to make a flat head banjo whether for a cataloged stock item or a special order.

Arch top rims were "all purpose" -- flat head rims could ONLY be used for flat heads, which meant a PB or RB banjo rather than a catalog correct TB. It made sense for Gibson to draw the more common rim out of the parts shelf and cut it for a PB or RB order.

Just like Gibson turning old unused ball bearing rims into arch top rims by gluing on a whole new top almost 3/4" tall!

The only fly in this ointment was the decal being applied just a little bit too "high" in the arch top rim, such that some of it got cut off when the rim was shortened for a flat head tone ring. Awkward, yes, but after awhile they figured out to put the decal as low as possible on the rim so it wouldn't be damaged in shortening a rim. Back then NO ONE could foresee a day when Gibsons needed to be "authenticated".

I don't know where the FON "cut off" number is for the end of the "fat rim" Mastertones. Is this 9557 banjo a fat rim?

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Originally posted by The Old Timer

I don't know where the FON "cut off" number is for the end of the "fat rim" Mastertones. Is this 9557 banjo a fat rim?

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This banjo is not a "fat rim". Gibson changed the inner dimensions of the flange starting in 1930. So the "fat rim" was basically just on the 1929 models. 

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Originally posted by southerndrifter

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Originally posted by The Old Timer

I don't know where the FON "cut off" number is for the end of the "fat rim" Mastertones. Is this 9557 banjo a fat rim?

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This banjo is not a "fat rim". Gibson changed the inner dimensions of the flange starting in 1930. So the "fat rim" was basically just on the 1929 models. 

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Did that change happen on the first (or second) of January 1930, or later that year?

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Originally posted by Emiel

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Originally posted by southerndrifter

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Originally posted by The Old Timer

I don't know where the FON "cut off" number is for the end of the "fat rim" Mastertones. Is this 9557 banjo a fat rim?

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This banjo is not a "fat rim". Gibson changed the inner dimensions of the flange starting in 1930. So the "fat rim" was basically just on the 1929 models. 

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Did that change happen on the first (or second) of January 1930, or later that year?

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Somewhere around the 9550 batch. I think the 9550 batch was early in 1930...... maybe Feb or March?

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Originally posted by southerndrifter

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Originally posted by Emiel

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Originally posted by southerndrifter

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Originally posted by The Old Timer

I don't know where the FON "cut off" number is for the end of the "fat rim" Mastertones. Is this 9557 banjo a fat rim?

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This banjo is not a "fat rim". Gibson changed the inner dimensions of the flange starting in 1930. So the "fat rim" was basically just on the 1929 models. 

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Did that change happen on the first (or second) of January 1930, or later that year?

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Somewhere around the 9550 batch. I think the 9550 batch was early in 1930...... maybe Feb or March?

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Thank you! So very early 1930 might still be fat rim…

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Originally posted by Emiel

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Originally posted by southerndrifter

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Originally posted by Emiel

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Originally posted by southerndrifter

quote:

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Originally posted by The Old Timer

I don't know where the FON "cut off" number is for the end of the "fat rim" Mastertones. Is this 9557 banjo a fat rim?

---

This banjo is not a "fat rim". Gibson changed the inner dimensions of the flange starting in 1930. So the "fat rim" was basically just on the 1929 models. 

---

Did that change happen on the first (or second) of January 1930, or later that year?

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Somewhere around the 9550 batch. I think the 9550 batch was early in 1930...... maybe Feb or March?

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Thank you! So very early 1930 might still be fat rim…

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Possibly. The bleed over from 1929 into 1930 is very likely. Evidently, the flange issues with the fat rim, showed up fairly quickly after production began.