1962 Gibson RB-170 5-String Openback Banjo

This is a customer's instrument, but today my friend Todd picked this up off the "finished rack" behind the counter to pick a little on it and was flummoxed by how good it sounds. I said something to the effect of, "it's a Gibson, what else did you expect?"

I suppose lower-end Gibson banjos aren't well-revered in banjo culture, but of the Gibson banjos that come through the shop, these late-'50s and early-'60s hoop-ring ones are often my favorites. They share the same big ply rims that you might find on a Mastertone, but the hoop tonering is installed at the inner edge of the rim and so you get an "archtop" banjo sound without the brutality of a super-heavy rim design.

So, the sound you get out of this has that usual magical Gibson sustain/poppy vibe but with bonus points of lower weight, slightly-less-aggressive volume and punch, and a ton of clarity. These don't "cloud-up" in overtone bombs that way most simple hoop-ring banjos do. I'm almost certain that's because of the heavy-duty ply of the rims and the "archtop" ring location.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, new compensated bridge, cleaning, and setup. I also added "railroad spike" capos at frets 7, 9, ad 10.

Setup notes: it plays beautifully with 1/16" action at the 12th fret, a straight neck and working truss rod, and 9s for gauges.

Scale length: 26 3/8"

Nut width: 1 3/16"

String spacing at nut: 1"

String spacing at bridge: 1 11/16"

Head diameter: 11"

Rim depth: 3"

Rim material: ply maple (thick)

Neck wood: mahogany

Fretboard: rosewood

Bridge: compensated maple/ebony

Neck feel: medium C-shape, flat board

Condition notes: replacement (older) head shows wear and tear. The rest of the instrument is quite clean with only minor scratches or nicks here and there.

The single coordinator-rod system makes small action adjustments easy-peasy.