Details
Vega made dozens of tenor banjo variations, but this one has all the right specs for what is now called an "Irish tenor." It has the big Tubaphone shell (almost 12" diameter), the short 21" string scale, and a real ebony fingerboard (not dyed hardwood). Since the original friction peg tuners had been replaced with a mismatched set of flimsy 2-to-1 pegs, we upgraded the gears to Rickard 10-to-1 tuners, about the best banjo gears available today. All the rest of the hardware appears to be original with the exception of the tailpiece. The neck is straight, the frets have only light wear, and the Vega "spin-on" resonator projects the tone and protects your thigh from the brackets. Looks like the finish on the back of the mahogany resonator was removed at some point, but whoever did a decent job of it. A great vintage Vega banjo that's fully functional and ready for many more years of service.
Specs
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Binding
Ivoroid on neck, faux tortoise on shell
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Fingerboard
Ebony
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Finish
original shellac varnish
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Frets to body
17
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Neck material
Maple
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Nut width
1 1/8"
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Scale length
21"
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Total frets
17
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Tuners
Rickard 10:1 Cycloidal Tuners
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Year
1923
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Diameter
11 13/16"
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Resonator
Yes
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Shell
laminated maple
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Tone ring
Tubaphone
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Case type
Original Hardshell
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Serial number
57083
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SKU
VEGTUBM-57083
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UPC
140846
