| CHARLES Z FISH'S PRE-WAR GIBSON BANJOS |
| TB-11 WITH 5-STRING NECK |
| In the 1930's, presumably in response to hard financial times, Gibson produced lower priced banjos under the brand names of other companies, such as SS Stewart and Trujo. It also had an in-house budget brand called the Kel Kroydon. In 1933, Gibson introduced under its name the style 11 (double one), which was modeled after the Kel Kroydon. |
| This TB-11 has a 5-string conversion neck crafted by Monte Hendricks. |
| Monte has recorded various stages of the construction process. |
| The TB-11 is a non-Mastertone model, without a bona fide tone chamber. It bears an oval "The Gibson" label inside the rim, similar to but distinct from the Mastertone label. |
| It has a single coordinator rod and neck fastening nut. The rim thickness is 1/2 inch, although this model is also seen with a 5/8 inch rim. There is a brass hoop between the rim and the head. |
| When this instrument was converted to a 5-string, a flathead tone ring was not installed, which is the usual practice, at least amont bluegrass music enthusiasts. My intention was to have an instrument that more closely resembled 5-string style 11's, of which there were few. Earl Scruggs was playing an RB-11 when he joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in 1945. |
| The peghead of the original tenor is covered with a celluloid, or "pearloid" veneer, also referred to as "mother of toilet seat" (MOT). |
| It closely resembles the Kel Kroydon . . . |
| . . . and the SS Stewart. |
| The fingerboard is also veneered with mother of toilet seat, which is decorated with red, blue and black silkscreened designs with a floral motif. Monte Hendricks replicated these designs in mother of pearl. |
| Likewise, the back of the resonator has a celluloid (MOT) veneer and is silkscreened with a floral design. |
| This instrument has a one-piece flange, which is white, or "pot" metal, with nickel plating. The rim is maple. |
| There is a blue-colored finish on the neck, rim and sides of the resonator. The style 11's are referred to as the "blue banjos." The original Grover tuners from the tenor have been placed on the replica 5-string neck. |
| Gibson discontinued this model in 1942. |