Vega Little Wonder Special Tenor Banjo (1931)
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Vega Little Wonder Special Model Tenor Banjo (1931), made in Boston, Mass., serial # 96132, natural finish, laminated maple neck, rim and resonator; ebonized fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
The Little Wonder Special was Vega's best budget tenor of the late 1920s-early '30s, a combination of the Vegaphone style resonator and flange with the simple rim and tone ring construction of their most basic model. Although priced in 1930 at $75 as a good student's value this model feels and plays like the higher grade Vegas, if with a bit less volume and "ring" due to the plain tone ring. The materials are top grade; the neck is maple with an ebonized fingerboard, the rim and resonator laminated maple.
This example is fitted with the fancy engraved multiple flange pieces originally produced for the upscale Vegaphones, but here being used up as that line had by this point been altered to a solid flange design. That gives this banjo a fancier look than many. It has simple geared Grover tuners and the classic "Presto" tailpiece, with the only ornament of note being the engraved pearl Vega star in the headstock. "A beauty in appearance, a wonder for tone and the highest quality for the price" read Vega's catalog description, and in this case they are not really gilding the lily. This is a great learner's or knockaround tenor and offers a good rich sound for Irish playing as well.
Overall length is 33 1/4 in. (84.5 cm.), 11 in. (27.9 cm.) diameter head, and 3 in. (7.6 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 23 in. (584 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/16 in. (30 mm.).
This banjo shows some wear overall, but remains nicely original and still an excellent value in a period tenor banjo. The very thin original finish shows checking overall with dings, scrapes and dents and a decent amount of wear to the wood on the back of the neck. The resonator finish is in batter shape than many, in this case the neck shows the bulk of the wear.
Apart from this area, the banjo remains quite attractive with almost all the original hardware and the chrome plating showing only minor wear. A couple of the flange pieces are the non-ornamented variety, so we assume those were replaced along the way along with the adjacent hooks and nuts; all else looks original. The original frets have been recrowned and playability is quite good. The banjo is set up with a plastic head and later Grover bridge and plays and sounds quite nice, ready to go still in a battered but functional OHSC. Overall Very Good + Condition.
The Little Wonder Special was Vega's best budget tenor of the late 1920s-early '30s, a combination of the Vegaphone style resonator and flange with the simple rim and tone ring construction of their most basic model. Although priced in 1930 at $75 as a good student's value this model feels and plays like the higher grade Vegas, if with a bit less volume and "ring" due to the plain tone ring. The materials are top grade; the neck is maple with an ebonized fingerboard, the rim and resonator laminated maple.
This example is fitted with the fancy engraved multiple flange pieces originally produced for the upscale Vegaphones, but here being used up as that line had by this point been altered to a solid flange design. That gives this banjo a fancier look than many. It has simple geared Grover tuners and the classic "Presto" tailpiece, with the only ornament of note being the engraved pearl Vega star in the headstock. "A beauty in appearance, a wonder for tone and the highest quality for the price" read Vega's catalog description, and in this case they are not really gilding the lily. This is a great learner's or knockaround tenor and offers a good rich sound for Irish playing as well.
Overall length is 33 1/4 in. (84.5 cm.), 11 in. (27.9 cm.) diameter head, and 3 in. (7.6 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 23 in. (584 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/16 in. (30 mm.).
This banjo shows some wear overall, but remains nicely original and still an excellent value in a period tenor banjo. The very thin original finish shows checking overall with dings, scrapes and dents and a decent amount of wear to the wood on the back of the neck. The resonator finish is in batter shape than many, in this case the neck shows the bulk of the wear.
Apart from this area, the banjo remains quite attractive with almost all the original hardware and the chrome plating showing only minor wear. A couple of the flange pieces are the non-ornamented variety, so we assume those were replaced along the way along with the adjacent hooks and nuts; all else looks original. The original frets have been recrowned and playability is quite good. The banjo is set up with a plastic head and later Grover bridge and plays and sounds quite nice, ready to go still in a battered but functional OHSC. Overall Very Good + Condition.