1926 Gibson TB3 Tenor Banjo

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It’s got to be one of the finest sounding tenor banjos used for the Irish Trad scene. This TB3 banjo came from it’s original owner in the California area and is all original apart from the mylar head which I recently fitted (original calf skin head comes with it. See some details below from the Gibson manufacturers description.

The tone ring and flange designs changed at least three times during the TB 3’s production. Initial 1925 and early 1926 models used a classic ball-bearing tone ring, then for later 1926-1928 a solid archtop tone ring, and finally the flathead tone ring for 1929. The flange for the 1925-1928 models is two piece, with the one piece flange appearing in 1929.

At this point, Gibson often did not use serial numbers. On this banjo, the FON or Factory Order Number is 9478-159; the 9478 indicates a particular lot of instruments, and the 159 is the position of this instrument in that lot. With those numbers and the characteristics of the tone ring and flange, this banjo dates to the 1927 or 1928 period.   It was naturally built at the historic Gibson Parsons Street plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  

For Sale… Please email for details