Vega Tenor Banjo
date: label: Date made
content: 1909-1925
label: date made
content: ca 1929
name: label: maker
content: Vega Company
notes: label: Description
content: <p>This banjo was made by the Vega Company in Boston, Massachusetts, around 1929. It is a Four-String Banjo, Soloist Model, Serial #87500, with a seven-lap laminated maple rim, gold-finish top hoop and hooks, new design flanges and 28 brackets, patented Tu-ba phone tone tube and bracket band in a nickel finish. The neck is made of maple, peghead with mother of pearl inlay, ebony fingerboard with pearl inlay position marks, and 22 frets. Gold-finish gear pegs with white pearloid buttons, gold-finish tailpiece. The resonator is made of a maple five ply laminated shell and rim. The dowel stick is stamped:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>[Vega star]<br>MADE BY<br>THE VEGA COMPANY<br>BOSTON, MASS. U.S.A.</br>[Vega star]<br>PAT.<br>DEC 30.1890<br>JAN 10. 1893<br>JULY 27.1909</p>
label: Description
content: <p>This banjo features the following patents:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U. S. Patent #443510 dated December 30, 1890, by Albert C. Fairbanks, for new and useful improvements in banjos.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U. S. Patent #489470 dated January 10, 1893, by Albert C. Fairbanks, for new and useful improvements in banjos.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U. S. Patent #928948 dated July 27, 1909, by David L. Day, assignor to the Vega Company, for an improved means for stretching and retaining the head of a banjo.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>The ”Soloist” banjo is described in a 1928 Vega catalog:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>“The new Soloist model is designed to offer the finest tonal qualities, characteristic of all Vegaphones, with an attractive flashing appearance. This model is the ideal instrument for the player who desires a combination of superior tone and a flashing golden appearance.”</p>
label: Description
content: <p>This make and style of the Soloist Vegaphone banjo was listed for $200.00.</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Boston
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Music & Musical Instruments
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content: Banjos
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Adam Gallan
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1987.0055.02
label: catalog number
content: 1987.0055.02
label: accession number
content: 1987.0055
objectType: label: Object Name
content: banjo
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: maple (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ebony (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: mother of pearl (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: animal skin (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 34 in x 13 1/2 in x 3 1/4 in; 86.36 cm x 34.29 cm x 8.255 cm