Details
This Vega Fairbanks Style L mandolin banjo was made in 1918 and it’s in excellent structural and cosmetic condition. It has a 10-inch pot with a Whyte Laydie tone ring with a maple neck and an ebony fretboard. The frets show just a little wear and the neck is nice and straight. This instrument was made during a period when the banjo and the mandolin were vying for the title of Most Popular Fretted Instrument and companies were making hybrid instruments like this to appeal to both constituencies. (Yes, there were also instruments with mandolin bodies and banjo necks.) Mandolin banjos were fairly popular in vaudeville and with street performers, situations where volume was more highly prized than delicate tone. Vega built excellent instruments in the early part of the 20th century and it would be hard to find a nicer mandolin banjo than this Style L. Includes a hardshell case from the same period that is very slightly over sized.
Specs
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Fingerboard
Ebony
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Neck material
Maple
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Nut width
1 1/8"
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Scale length
14"
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Tuners
Vintage Waverly
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Year
1918
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Diameter
10 1/8"
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Shell
Maple
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Tone ring
Whyte Laydie
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Case type
Original Hardshell
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Serial number
41279
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SKU
VEGSTYLEL-41279
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UPC
142356
