1922 Gibson TB-4
Gibson started making banjos in 1918 but it took a decade for them to come up with the classic flathead tonering that is now the instrument for choice for bluegrass pickers the world over. This TB-4 was made in 1922, and in many ways it is closer in construction to the banjos made in the 19th century than it was to the banjos Gibson would make six years in the future. The most modern thing about this TB-4 the four-string tenor neck, a fairly new innovation in the banjo world at the time. For most of its history the banjo was was a five-string instrument with a short fifth string that musicians plucked and strummed with their fingers. Sometime in the early 20th century builders started making four string banjos that were tuned in fifths and played with a flatpick, instruments that were designed to be used in the rhythm section of dance bands or jazz ensembles.
Unlike the banjos that Gibson was about to develop with metal tonerings, the TB-4 had no tonering at all. The head rested directly on the wooden shell, a building technique that dated back to the earliest banjos and was basically obsolete by 1900. Like the Weymann banjo we featured a while back, the TB-4 is a banjo designed by skilled woodworkers rather than craftsmen with a knowledge of metal working. These early Gibson banjos don’t really sound great to our ears. They aren’t very loud and the tone is a little muffled. The TB-4 may not have much volume but I have to say I think it’s one of the most beautiful banjos that Gibson ever made. I think the shape of the headstock is gorgeous and the color, the red to yellow sunburst, is very similar to the finish found on the F-4 mandolin, one of my favorite instruments of all time. Because they lack tonerings, and can’t be retrofitted with them, these early Gibson banjos are very inexpensive. I think they sound pretty good for picking out old-time fiddle tunes and Celtic melodies, but they don’t work at all for bluegrass, even with a five-string neck. This example is priced at $650 and it can be found at Intermountain Guitar and Banjo.
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