Vega guitars serial numbers
- #VEGA GUITARS SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBERS#
- #VEGA GUITARS SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBER#
- #VEGA GUITARS SERIAL NUMBERS INSTALL#
The handsome Professional-5 model with an upgraded tone ring and rim re-appeared in the 1972 Vega/Martin banjo catalogue- but no sign ever again of the short lived BJF-5 stringer. Martin did not develop or cultivate such a banjo line, a dozen such BJF-5 entries are recorded in their shop files from 1971-1972. In the Martin SN files, banjo #1302252 manufactured in 1971 is designated as a “BJF-5 (Pro)” style instrument. In the 1970 transitional Vega/Martin banjo catalogue, their “Pro” model line is conspicuosly absent and instead, is seen a nearly identical twin “Bobby Joe Fenster” style banjo named after a fictitious nerdy folk musician invented by Martin in 1967 as an insider marketing joke. Of note, when the “Professional” 5-stringer was made in Boston in the early 1960`s, it had square MOP inlays with dots on the neck compared to the nicely designed inlays on your fretboard and seen in the 1966 catalogue. From the mailbox- Dear Reader, Thanks for the photo of your Vega/Martin Pro-5 banjo. Data from these logbooks are available per e-mail request from the BRC founder.
#VEGA GUITARS SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBERS#
The Banjo Rehabilitation Center archives contain the serial numbers and dates of manufacture of the Vega-Martin banjos made in Nazareth, PA, during the 1970`s. The back of the peghead of these rare banjos is imprinted with a C.F.
![vega guitars serial numbers vega guitars serial numbers](https://www.retrofret.com/images/9500_Banjo/xLarge/9500_01.jpg)
An example of one of these 4-stringers from the 1920`s is still in the C.F. Martin briefly built a lightweight tenor banjo between 1923-26 to compete with Vega and other manufacturers whose heavier and more popular banjos had greater tone, volume, and sales. Martin Company acquired the Vega rights from the Bostonian Nelson Family in May of 1970 and sold the franchise overseas in March of 1979.
#VEGA GUITARS SERIAL NUMBERS INSTALL#
He is credited with being one of the first banjo-builders to install side brackets with hooks to adjust the tension of the head. This 5-stringer was manufactured circa 1845 in Baltimore, MD, by luthier William Boucher, Jr. Although the Martin Company did not manufacture Vega banjos till a century later, a solitary banjo from the mid 19th century is appended to the exhibit to display parallel innovation in the instrument because of its increasing popularity during that era (see close-up photo). Martin`s transition from traditional Spanish, Viennese, and Renaissance structural features towards innovating a modern acoustic guitar with a unique cross brace design. This fascinating collection of vintage stringed instruments chronicles luthier C.F. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC recently showcased an exhibit of pre-1900 Martin guitars. Note the unique cluster of 3 sound apertures spaced around the tone ring of the below VIP-5 model owned by the BRC founder (SN 1364).
#VEGA GUITARS SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBER#
Martin installed a serial number decal on the inner rim beginning with #2 and on through #1945. Old 6 digit Vega serial numbers persisted on a yellow sticker on the inner pot until production was moved to Pennsylvania in 1972. For several years, the Vega Martin banjo was an amalgam of parts from Massachusetts and Nazareth, PA. Bought the Vega banjo line in May of 1970, hundreds of parts were inherited from the Needham Heights factory near Boston. The two legendary musicians in the camp photo are banjo godfather Tony Trischka and Grammy award winner Eric Weissberg (click to enlarge).Īnatomy of the Early Vega Martin Banjo When C. Kudos to Greg Deering who rescued the Vega brand name from extinction in 1989 and restored it to greatness. Vega: Martin bought Vega Banjos in 1970 and moved production to their property in 1971.Īfter its Martin Guitar era, the Vega brand name ownership was sold overseas, and the banjo line fell into obscurity. Rolando: In 1916 to 1918 Martin made 261 guitar (numbered 1 to 261), and some later guitars with standard Martin serial numbers. From its early Boston beginnings, the Vega Banjo Company made splendid and now vintage instruments, including the Earl Scruggs signature model he endorsed in the 1960′s. These data were generously provided to the BRC founder in 2000 by the family owned Martin Guitar department of history. The BRC Archives contain the serial numbers of these unique Vega-Martin banjos.
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![vega guitars serial numbers vega guitars serial numbers](https://daydreamguitarscs.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/201304101327357431.jpg)
![vega guitars serial numbers vega guitars serial numbers](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFNcKrbRpPg/VaGMRIld8dI/AAAAAAAAPok/cbv8HxikSQk/s1600/bay-2.jpg)
Martin” decal photographed on the back of the VIP Vega peghead. Unbeknownst to most 5 string aficionados, the Martin Guitar Company manufactured Vega banjos from 1970 through 1979. Vega Guitars Serial Numbers Average ratng: 3,7/5 6471reviewsįlanked by interactive faculty at a northeastern banjo camp, the BRC founder proudly shows-off his Vega VIP banjo built in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in 1975.