Vintage 1964 Vega Extra Long Neck Banjo Gold Tone gig bag

Description

Vintage 1964 Vega Extra Long Neck Banjo Gold Tone gig bag
This is an extra long neck Vega brand
SS-5 Folklore
banjo built in 1964 with serial number A-124179 on the iconic yellow label inside the rim (The "A" stands for the adjustable truss rod which works on this one).  This banjo was built in Boston, MA.  In the 60's Vega built two different long neck banjos (excluding the rare "Excel"): the "Pete Seeger" with the Tubaphone tone ring and this simpler
SS-5
Folklore
. The Seeger was the choice instrument for well-known folk groups of the day such as the Kingston trio, and the Limeliters and is still revered by many.  The Pete Seeger banjo began to be produced in 1958. The Vega FR-5 Folk Ranger is a 1960's banjo which closely resembles the
SS-5 Folklore
except the F-5 has a shorter standard-length neck.  One of the listing photos shows a 1963 Vega banjo brochure featuring the
Folklore
.
As banjo preferences have evolved, the woody tone rim of the
Folklore
has become very desirable because of its lighter weight, its more basic sound, the versatility of the extra three frets, and its affordability (Seeger models routinely sell for 00 - ,000).
tuned E,B,E,G#,B in standard E tuning
Can be Capoed at 3rd fret for standard G tuning
Can easily be tuned in other tunings as well.
This banjo is clean and in great condition and comes with a new well-padded Gold Tone brand long neck gig bag.  The 11" wood pot sports a lightly frosted head held by 24 brackets.  All the nuts and hooks appear original. The Pat. pending Grover fifth string friction tuner appears to be original.  The vintage finish shows some minute crazing and some chips and scratches that have been touched up.  At the top is a black headstock with a "Vega" logo and four appropriate vintage tuners.  The fretboard is of Brazilian Rosewood and is straight and true with very little fret wear. At the bottom we find an original armrest and a Presto style tailpiece.  There is a small amount of tarnish to the metal parts as would be expected.  It plays beautifully with good action and clear tone and a 5/8" bridge.
Overall length is 43 1/2 in. (110.5 cm.), 11 in. (27.9 cm.) diameter head, and 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) deep. Scale length is 32 in. (813 mm.)
, a heavy notched tension hoop, open-ended Vega hook nuts, and dual aluminum coordinator rods. The head has been updated to a 10-15/16" frosted Remo Weather King.
The
Vega Company
was a musical instrument manufacturer that started operations in
Boston, Massachusetts
in 1881. In 1904, Vega acquired the instrument manufacturing firm (primarily building banjos) previously operated by Fairbanks, and continued to make Fairbanks banjos for some time. Vega also acquired the plectrum instrument division of Boston's
Thompson & Odell
Company.  The Vega Company made banjos, guitars, mandolin-family and brass instruments but is best known today for its banjos, such as the
Vegavox
model they co-developed with famous plectrum player
Eddie Peabody
. The Vega Tu-ba-Phone, which first appeared in 1909, featured a perforated metal tone ring—a ring-shaped, square-sectioned metal tube that lay between the instrument's wooden rim and calfskin head. The Tu-ba-Phone tone ring is still produced and is coveted by many banjo players.
The original holes in the tone ring were round, but around 1969-70 they began to be produced with barbell-shaped holes.
In 1970, the
C. F. Martin Company
of Nazareth, PA,
purchased Vega in the hope of capitalizing on the popularity of Vega's banjos among folk musicians. Under the Vega name, Martin produced guitars with the Vega logo on their headstocks in a Netherlands guitar factory (and probably others), usually with a label referencing "C.F. Martin Organization." In 1979 the Vega name was sold to the Galaxy Trading Company headquartered in South Korea. In 1989, the
Deering Banjo Company
purchased the Vega name. They currently produce Vega banjos reminiscent of the instruments Vega made during the 1960's folk revival and earlier.
I will ship the banjo in a padded sturdy carton and in its new Gold Tone brand padded gig bag with the bridge taken down and for safe travel.  The cost of insured shipping will be a flat rate of .00 for the contiguous 48 states and actual cost elsewhere; please inquire for a shipping cost estimate if you'd like to know in advance of bidding.  Local pickup is free if the banjo has already been paid for via PayPal. I have tried to give an accurate and detailed description; I will be pleased to answer any question you have about the listing. Thank you for reading the entire description.