1930s Charles McNeil (Gibson TB-1) Resonator Tenor Banjo

I bought a big group of instruments from my pal Don and this was the one I was most excited about. I really do love Gibson banjos -- they're practical, sturdy, well-built, and easy to work on. Once you do the work on them, they remain stable for long periods, too, before needing any tightening or adjustment.

This guy bears a Charles McNeil brand at the headstock but it's basically a rebadged Gibson TB-1 with a deeper resonator (about 1" deeper), non-adjustable truss rod, and the Recording King-style "fan" inlays in the fretboard. It's got a hoop tonering but the rest of the fittings are Mastertone-style.

Frankly, Gibson rims in general sound very "Gibson" and familiar across the tonering spectrum, so every one I've played has always been good and followed the Gibson voice of, "poppy, bright, sustained, and chipper without a lot of distracting overtones." That's what this one sounds like!

Anyhow, after servicing this guy, it plays spot-on and sounds the business. It has tons of volume, an easy feel, and looks great. I have it setup for Celtic GDAE tuning at the moment but can restring/set it up for whatever tuning that's desired.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, replacement tuners (Gotoh 4:1 geared), replacement fretboard binding and side dots, cleaning, setup.

Rim wood: multi-ply maple

Tonering: hoop

Bridge: maple/ebony/inserts

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: maple

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 42w, 30w, 20w, 12 for GDAE tuning (can restring/retune for whatever)

Neck shape: slim-medium C/V

Board radius: flat

Truss rod: non-adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium-low

Scale length: 22 3/4"

Nut width: 1 1/4"

Head diameter: 11”

Resonator diameter: 13 5/8"

Depth overall at rim: 4"

Weight: 7 lbs 13 oz

Condition notes: overall it's in good shape for its age, but it does show plenty of signs of wear and tear. The resonator binding/upper edge was hack-job glued back around 1/3 of the rim on the tailpiece side. It's not obvious unless you're looking due to the yellowing of the rest of the finish, but it's there (and pictured). A lot of finish on the resonator sides has also worn off just from contact and age. The nut, tuners, bridge, head, and a few hooks are replacements.

It comes with: no case, sorry!