| CHARLES Z FISH'S PRE-WAR GIBSON BANJOS |
| "RB-75" |
| Style 75 was introduced in 1937 and was a lower priced version of the Style 3, down from $100.00 to $75.00 This is the same year that Gibson introduced the top tensions, styles 7, 12 and 18. |
| This instrument deviates markedly from the catalogue specifications for Style 75. It is referred to as such because the rim and hardware conform to those specifications and, as is the case with the 75, the neck and resonator are mahogany. The neck has the guitar-style peghead and the inlays characteristic of Styles 7, 12 and 18. |
| There are two concentric circles of purfling on the back of the resonator. |
| The neck features an art deco inlay, with geometric designs. |
| The headstock is guitar-shaped, identical to that of the top tension models. |
| It features Kluson step tuners with "butterscotch" tulip-shaped buttons. |
| There is a celluloid binding on the front edge of the peghead. |
| The instrument had been exported to Canada, and the inside of he resonator bears a "Made in U.S.A." sticker. |
| The pot conforms to style 75, with nickel plating, a one-piece flange, and a conventional (as opposed to top tension) bracket and tension hoop arrangement. The one-piece flange had been introduced in 1929 to replace the tube-and-plate flange on several models. It is cast of white, or "pot" metal. |
| The resonator is double bound. The tailpiece is a "Grover Patent" Presto. The absence of a lip in the rim, which had been required for instruments with the archtop configuration, permitted the use of a 3-ply rim for this and other banjos with a one-piece flange. The rim has been machined down to 5/8 inch so that the flange could be slipped over it. |
| The tone ring on this instrument is a high profile flathead with 20 holes. Gibson introduced this ring in 1932. It was available as an option but not promoted as the standard tone chamber until the introduction of the top tension banjos in 1937. |
| Pre-war Gibson flatheads are highly sought after. Original flatheads are rare, and original 5-string flatheads are more rare. It has been estimated by Joe Spann that Gibson manufactured a total of 700 5-string banjos in the pre-war era. In the early years most of these were RB-1's. It has been suggested that, at most, 150 5-string Mastertones were made. |
| The flathead ring provides a larger banjo head surface, and flatheads are generally considered the best bluegrass banjos. The archtops have a similarly sharp tone, but the clarity diminishes somewhat as the higher notes are played. The flatheads have a full, bassy tone in the open positions and a clear, ringing timber in the higher positions. |
| This RB-75 does not have a serial number and is thought to have been made circa 1939. An RB-Granada with one-piece flange and flathead ring, of which, according to Spann, there are a total of twelve, may be the Holy Grail. If this unusual 5-string flathead left the factory in Kalamazoo with this neck and pot and ring, it may not be the Holy Grail but does come close. |
