Gibson Kalamazoo TB-3 Serial Number: 8052-31
This is a 1925 conversion rim. The rim was originally a ball-bearing 1925 model which was held over for whatever reason in the Kalamazoo Gibson factory until 1927 and then converted by the factory into the 1927 version of the TB-3. Tone ring is original but has hand drilled holes placed around the inside at some point in its life.
Mahogany resonator with concentric circles.
Five String neck of curly maple very nice grain with rail road capos on the drone string. Schaller D tuners and original tuners.
Fluts Blue Ridge tail piece with lead tone pin and lead kicker pin.
Bart Veerman "Archy" Bridge: FROM BART'S WEBPAGE: "The sound/tone these Archies can liberate from banjos is just incredible, you'll have a huge dynamic range to exploit up and down the neck as well as the voicing of the X and Y positions and whatever else in between. Archie passes the 'low force test' with flying colors. Low force? Yes, as in barely picking a note and still have it sound clear and distinct despite the low volume.
Archies can comfortably handle lower tail piece and/or head tensions should you want to tone down the brightness without sacrificing mid range or bass. The word brightness, means brilliant clarity - nothing whatsoever to do with tinny or shrill. The side effect of lower tension is that the strings often feel less stiff near the bridge making playing more effortless.
Being as thin as Archies are, string vibrations have a more direct transmission path to the head and this thinness also makes them very forgiving when it comes to intonation issues."
Hard case and a few sets of strings and books with tuner & a "Mikes Banjo Mute".
This banjo is very nice, plays crisp and crackly and has a rich pre-war sound.
FURTHER READING ABOUT THE 1925 - 1927 Gibson SERIAL NUMBER AND FACTORY CONVERSION HISTORY:
http://www.earnestbanjo.com/ Gibson Banjo Serial Numbers vs. Factory Order Numbers
For the most part, prewar Gibson banjos have factory order numbers rather than true serial numbers. While serial numbers were placed on instruments at the time of shipment and were intended to be used for warranty issues, factory order numbers were issued at the time that a production order for an instrument or group of instruments was sent to the production department. Factory order numbers were intended solely for in-house use to help keep track of instruments and costs during the production process.
All instruments manufactured by Gibson prior to and during World War II were assigned factory order numbers, although in some cases these numbers do not appear anywhere on the instruments. Some Gibson instruments, particularly higher-end guitars and mandolins, were also marked with true serial numbers. Most Gibson banjos, except for those manufactured in the early 1920s and in the late 1930s, were not assigned serial numbers. Most prewar Gibson banjos are marked with factory order numbers, but in the cases of some lower-end banjos there may be no number visible at all.
While serial numbers on prewar Gibson instruments are reliable indicators of shipping date, the same is not true for factory order numbers. While factory order numbers can be used to determine an approximate manufacturing date, it was not uncommon for instruments to remain unsold at the factory for many months or sometimes up to several years. In the case of instruments marked only with factory order numbers, shipping date is best determined by examining the particular instrument's specifications in conjunction with surviving company records when available.
Thank you for looking! Happy Picking!
↧