1920 Vega Tubaphone No 3 Resonator Plectrum Banjo

It's extremely difficult to "go wrong" with a vintage Vega. The entire line of their banjos -- from student level to high-end -- sounds great. Tubaphone models were nearer that top-end, though, and when you get a period specimen in the hand you can hear why right away. This instrument is loud as heck. It punches beautifully and does so with a clean, chipper, bright, and strangely full sound. In the video clip it doesn't sound as nice as it does in a room, though, because I've had to pad the input a bit to keep it from overdriving the microphone as it's such a loud instrument.

What else? Oh, yes, it's a plectrum banjo. That means it's a long-scale 4-string banjo -- like a 5-string banjo without the drone string. Typical traditional tuning for these is CGBD low to high but the great majority of modern players that I know either tune them CFAD like a 4-course Greek bouzouki or DGBE like the top four of guitar. Well -- it's either those two tunings or whatever relevant open tunings are close to them -- DF#AD for open D, CGCE for open C, EG#BE for open E, DGBD for open D -- you get it!

The longer scale compared to a tenor banjo gives this instrument its pizazz. You get increased sustain, a bit more of a chorus-like effect on chords, and a sound that lends itself to closed-position sliding chords, chord-melody playing, and guitar-like flatpicked lead work.

I didn't have to do a whole lot to this to get it going, but suffice to say it's now playing spot-on quick and easy and it sounds excellent.

Lastly, I'd like to point-out the restrained bling -- a beautifully-carved heel, sunburst pie-plate resonator and rim sides, individual-piece flange design, tortoise binding all over the rim and resonator, ebony fittings, and of course the pretty pearl in the peghead veneer.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, cleaning, and setup.

Rim wood: multi-ply maple

Tonering: Tubaphone! Tub-a-Phone!

Bridge: maple/ebony 2-foot

Fretboard: ebony

Neck wood: mahogany

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (fast)
String gauges: 20w, 13, 11, 9 for DGBE tuning

Neck shape: medium V

Board radius: flat

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: smaller/medium

Scale length: 27"

Nut width: 1 1/4"

Head diameter: 11”

Resonator diameter: 13 1/2"

Depth overall at rim: 3"

Weight: 8 lbs 9 oz

Condition notes: it has a mild-medium amount of light scratching and scuffing throughout the finish. The binding on the fretboard edges appears to be replaced and it looks like it may have been refretted at some point in the past. All of the hardware is completely original except for the bridge and (well-used) synthetic head. Someone in the past reglued the dowel into the neck and also adjusted the "dowel window" near the tailpiece in the rim to be a little deeper so the neck angle could be set steeper as compared to original. I've taken photos -- it's such a tiny detail that it hardly matters. I currently have a maple shim fit at the top of the heel to knock the neck angle back further -- a normal thing for old banjos -- especially if you like to get a 5/8" tall bridge fit so there's room for adjustment at the bridge if needed.

It comes with: an original hard case in many-times-repaired but good, functional condition.