Info wanted - Alex & Gibson Banjo
Al C
and am trying to find out any information about it that I can.
There is no manufacturer's name visible anywhere (though it might be inside,
but I am not going to attempt to take it apart to see) - I have only the
description from the seller that that is what it is.
It is well worn where the fingers rest. There are 'squarish" inlays on the
fingerboard and the back of the resonator has a gold "American Eagle" decal.
Does anyone have any information on the manufacturer and how old one of
these banjos might be?
Alan
Peter Roehling
>
> I just purchased a very nice used "Alex & Gibson" 5-string banjo on e-bay
> and am trying to find out any information about it that I can.
> It is well worn where the fingers rest. There are 'squarish" inlays on the
> fingerboard and the back of the resonator has a gold "American Eagle" decal.
Hmm. I've never heard of an "Alex & Gibson". But the "squarish" inlays
and eagle decal sound like one of the generic mid-line Japanese/Formosan
banjos that were made during the 1970s and '80s. They came with dozens
of different names depending on the whim of the importer, but anything
with "Gibson" in the name would have triggered instant lawsuits, so I'd
doubt that part of the story if I were you.
If you could post a picture or two at a website where we could access
it, there's a good chance that we could identify the banjo instantly.
P.
Al C
Thanks for the information.
I just posted a couple of photos of it on my website. The URLS are:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/arcon/banjo1.jpg - front view
http://www3.sympatico.ca/arcon/banjo2.jpg - rear view
If you look at the rear view at about 2 or 3X magnification, you can see the
eagle decal.
Any info including what they might have sold for and approsimate value today
would be appreciated. I'm
happy with it and think I got a good deal. Now I have to figure out how to
play it!
Alan Constant
"Peter Roehling" <peter_r...@eee.org> wrote in message
news:3AA001C1...@eee.org...
Peter Roehling
>
> Any info including what they might have sold for and approximate value today
> would be appreciated.
Thanx for the pictures. The instrument is indeed one of the imports I
was speaking of.
Depending on the importer, the retailer, and which model it happens to
be, it could have sold for anywhere from about $200.00 to $350.00 new.
If it's in decent playing condition, and with the case shown, it's worth
about the same today.
(New banjos not very different from yours retail today at upwards of
$400.00.)
Things to be cautious about:
#1. These banjos frequently used heads (that's the drum head we're
talking about) that are no longer available and that cannot -easily- be
replaced with an American made head.
Therefore: Do not break the head!
#2. Some of these banjos had adjustable truss rods and some didn't. The
ones that didn't can only be strung with very light strings (.009), and
are prone to warping the neck anyway.
#3. Those guitar style tuners on the headstock need a small drop of oil
applied to the gears every few months or so. It looks as if the stock
friction tuner on the neck has been replaced with a better one at some
point, so you DON'T need to oil the fifth string tuner.
> Now I have to figure out how to play it!
Ah, but that's where the fun comes in!
P.
JimLowther
>I just posted a couple of photos of it on my website. The URLS are:
>
>http://www3.sympatico.ca/arcon/banjo1.jpg - front view
>http://www3.sympatico.ca/arcon/banjo2.jpg - rear view
>
>If you look at the rear view at about 2 or 3X magnification, you can see the
>eagle decal.
>
>Any info including what they might have sold for and approsimate value today
>would be appreciated. I'm
>happy with it and think I got a good deal. Now I have to figure out how to
>play it!
This looks to be a dead ringer for the first banjo I bought in 1974, but it was
branded as a Lyle. I think I paid $100-125 for it, brand new. I have no idea
what they go for today, but if I still had mine and could sell it for what I
paid for it I would think I made a fair deal.
Best wishes,
Jim Lowther
JimLowther
>The instrument is indeed one of the imports I
>was speaking of.
>Depending on the importer, the retailer, and which model it happens to
>be, it could have sold for anywhere from about $200.00 to $350.00 new.
>If it's in decent playing condition, and with the case shown, it's worth
>about the same today.
>(New banjos not very different from yours retail today at upwards of
>$400.00.)
Are you sure we are all talking about the same banjo? As I said in an earlier
post, my Lyle cost me somewhere between $100 and $125 (1974). It look
identical to the one in the pictures supplied. It featured a very simple
aluminum rim, no tonering, Rosewood bridge and Rosewood arm rest. The neck was
Mahogany (with the same headstock outline, in fact). It featured a resonator
without flange (I think there were maybe three brackets that held the resonator
on). I believe it had an adjustable truss rod (don't think I would have bought
it otherwise).
I kept the banjo for less than a year before moving up to a Japanese Mastertone
clone.
Best wishes,
Jim Lowther
Peter Roehling
>
> Are you sure we are all talking about the same banjo? As I said in an earlier
> post, my Lyle cost me somewhere between $100 and $125 (1974).
Same banjo. They normally listed for quite a bit more than you paid, so
you got a good deal.
The store where I worked at the time was selling them -discounted- for
about $150/$200, depending on model and wholesale price.
P.
JimLowther
Of course, inflation was a bigger issue then than now, so I suppose it depends
just *when* in 1974 it was bought (early, may have been 1973)! It has been a
long while since I bought an entry level banjo, but I note with interest that
one can buy a remarkably similar banjo for not too much more than $200 today
(see http://www.drclucks.net/fusemain.cfm?section=search&categoryID=2 , number
134).
My dissatisfaction with the Lyle was accented by the weekly comparison with my
teacher's Fender Artist. Whenever I think about the kind of banjo tone I look
for, the memory of that Artist still comes to mind. Good sustain a yet rang
clear all the way up the neck.
Best wishes,
Jim Lowther
Bill Chaffin
>happy with it and think I got a good deal.
This is what is important. FWIW, you have a generic Japanese or most likely
Korean import. Your banjo has guitar style tuners and most probably does not
have a tone ring. You can buy similar ones new for around $200 to $250 from a
reputable dealer.
Bill - in Knipetown, WV: NEW Home of the Intergalactic Home for Trashy
Unwanted Korean and Japanese Banjos