| CHARLES Z FISH'S PRE-WAR GIBSON BANJOS |
| STUDIO KING |
| This banjo was made circa 1932 (serial number 9427-27) by Gibson in its Kalamazoo, Michigan factory. However, the name Gibson does not appear on it. This model is one of several made by Gibson in the 1930's for sale by other companies, including the mail order house Montgomery Ward, for which it made the Studio King and the Recording King. Other Gibson models bear different names, including the in-house Kel Kroydon model and banjos with the brand names Truett, Trujo, SS Stewart and others. The Studio King is among the most uncommon of the Gibson models that bear other labels. |
| This Studio King is not a tenor banjo (TB), but a plectrum banjo (PB). Like a tenor it has four strings. However, it has 22 rather than 19 frets. It has the same scale length and tuning as a 5-string, or regular, banjo (RB). The neck and resonator are mahogany. |
| The unique peghead shape is similar to that of the Recording King on this website, as is the logo. The peghead inlays are identical to those of the TB-4 on this website. The banjo does not have a truss rod. |
| The neck is in other respects similar to the style 4, which is also mahogany, with hearts-and-flowers inlays. |
| The neck has white-black-white celluloid binding along the fingerboard and a similar heel cap, and the resonator is double bound, with the same pattern. These features are also shared by the TB-4. |
| The back of the resonator is inlaid with two concentric circles of wood marquetry. This is a deviation from style 4, but conforms to the pattern of the TB-5 on this website. |
| The tuners are Grovers, and the tailpiece is a Grover Presto. |
| The hardware is nickel plated. The flange is a two-piece tube-and-plate. The flange cut-outs differ slightly from the more traditional Gibsons and are identical to those of the Recording King. |
| There are two coordinator rods, and the tone chamber is a 40-hole archtop. |
