Gibson TB-4 Tenor Banjo (1924)
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Item # 4237
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Gibson TB-4 Model Tenor Banjo (1924), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Cremona Brown Sunburst varnish finish, laminated maple neck and rim, original black hard shell case.
Here's a "Loar" that won't break the bank! This 1924 TB-4 tenor banjo is a particularly lovely instrument, although not the banjo design that Gibson would be best remembered for. Nonetheless this late production trapdoor -- built just prior to the Mastertone era -- has many of the design and construction features that would soon distinguish the Mastertone line. These early Gibson banjos have the feel of having been designed by and for mandolin player - as indeed they were. While never popular among most tenor banjo players, they are beautifully built instruments with an attractive Nouveau aesthetic all their own.
The narrow short scale neck is a 3-way maple/ebony laminate with a dot-inlaid extended ebony fingerboard bound in grained ivoroid. The single-bound "moccasin" headstock is veneered with ebony and inlaid with a slanted "The Gibson" logo and slotted diamond and fleur-de-lys designs. The heel, rim, and "trap door" resonator are ivoroid bound and finished in a striking "Cremona Brown" sunburst rarely seen on this model but common on higher-end Loar era Gibsons.
The heel is a beautiful shaded sunburst and the back of the headstock is black with a point faired into the neck's ebony stripe. The tuners are silver-plated two-on-a-plate Waverly gears with real pearl buttons, only usually seen on style 5 Master Model instruments. The nut is also pearl, characteristic of many top-line Gibsons of this era. All hardware is silver plated; again unusual for a Style 4.
The rim is brown-finished maple capped with ebony and carries the Lloyd Loar designed perforated tubular tone ring resting ball bearings that was used for the earlier Mastertones until 1927. The tube hook/nut bearing used on this banjo would become half of the "tube and plate" flange system when the "plate" flange was added. This banjo features the then-new Gibson double co-coordinator rod system for fixing and adjusting the neck which has since become the world's standard. This example is marked "Patent Applied for" on the lower rod.
The flat plate "trap door" resonator is finished in "Cremona Brown" with an inlaid wood marquetry ring and celluloid bound edge. This can be opened or closed to alter the tone of the banjo; this instrument would have been one of the last to feature this system. Most extant trapdoor banjos are earlier and do not have the proto-Mastertone features of this example. Inside the rim is a gold "Gibson Guarantee" label and impressed serial number.
The original red plush-lined shaped case is included. This was an expensive ($150) instrument in its day, equivalent to the F-4 mandolin and L-4 guitar and indeed was top of the line until the Style 5 Master Model line was introduced -- this example actually has a number of Style 5 features. We have handled another TB-4 from this exact same serial number batch that did NOT have the unusual Style 5 features; this may well have been a custom ordered instrument. A rare and beautiful banjo, and as a fine playable piece of 1920's Gibson ephemera, this an unequaled bargain for the enthusiast or collector.
Overall length is 29 in. (73.7 cm.), 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm.) diameter head, and 3 in. (7.6 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 19 in. (483 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/4 in. (32 mm.).
All original finish and hardware, set up with a plastic head and newer bridge. Silver plating is somewhat clouded but very little playwear; an extremely fine example. Excellent Condition.
Here's a "Loar" that won't break the bank! This 1924 TB-4 tenor banjo is a particularly lovely instrument, although not the banjo design that Gibson would be best remembered for. Nonetheless this late production trapdoor -- built just prior to the Mastertone era -- has many of the design and construction features that would soon distinguish the Mastertone line. These early Gibson banjos have the feel of having been designed by and for mandolin player - as indeed they were. While never popular among most tenor banjo players, they are beautifully built instruments with an attractive Nouveau aesthetic all their own.
The narrow short scale neck is a 3-way maple/ebony laminate with a dot-inlaid extended ebony fingerboard bound in grained ivoroid. The single-bound "moccasin" headstock is veneered with ebony and inlaid with a slanted "The Gibson" logo and slotted diamond and fleur-de-lys designs. The heel, rim, and "trap door" resonator are ivoroid bound and finished in a striking "Cremona Brown" sunburst rarely seen on this model but common on higher-end Loar era Gibsons.
The heel is a beautiful shaded sunburst and the back of the headstock is black with a point faired into the neck's ebony stripe. The tuners are silver-plated two-on-a-plate Waverly gears with real pearl buttons, only usually seen on style 5 Master Model instruments. The nut is also pearl, characteristic of many top-line Gibsons of this era. All hardware is silver plated; again unusual for a Style 4.
The rim is brown-finished maple capped with ebony and carries the Lloyd Loar designed perforated tubular tone ring resting ball bearings that was used for the earlier Mastertones until 1927. The tube hook/nut bearing used on this banjo would become half of the "tube and plate" flange system when the "plate" flange was added. This banjo features the then-new Gibson double co-coordinator rod system for fixing and adjusting the neck which has since become the world's standard. This example is marked "Patent Applied for" on the lower rod.
The flat plate "trap door" resonator is finished in "Cremona Brown" with an inlaid wood marquetry ring and celluloid bound edge. This can be opened or closed to alter the tone of the banjo; this instrument would have been one of the last to feature this system. Most extant trapdoor banjos are earlier and do not have the proto-Mastertone features of this example. Inside the rim is a gold "Gibson Guarantee" label and impressed serial number.
The original red plush-lined shaped case is included. This was an expensive ($150) instrument in its day, equivalent to the F-4 mandolin and L-4 guitar and indeed was top of the line until the Style 5 Master Model line was introduced -- this example actually has a number of Style 5 features. We have handled another TB-4 from this exact same serial number batch that did NOT have the unusual Style 5 features; this may well have been a custom ordered instrument. A rare and beautiful banjo, and as a fine playable piece of 1920's Gibson ephemera, this an unequaled bargain for the enthusiast or collector.
Overall length is 29 in. (73.7 cm.), 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm.) diameter head, and 3 in. (7.6 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 19 in. (483 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/4 in. (32 mm.).
All original finish and hardware, set up with a plastic head and newer bridge. Silver plating is somewhat clouded but very little playwear; an extremely fine example. Excellent Condition.