1963 Gibson RB-100

Price: $1,400.00 USD

I have a lot of love for late 40s- 60s Gibson banjos with the guitar style headstock. I have two of them in my “keeper” stash and appreciate having them drift in and out.

This one appears to have all original parts except the head and fifth string tuner. This one has the smaller brass tone hoop that gives the banjo an archtop appearance.

This banjo has the desirable full thickness chocolate brown rim. Unfortunately, this rim is suffering from some delamination that I have tried to detail in the photographs. I took it to the Huber shop to have that issue repaired and they told me not to worry about it. The worst of the delamination is on the outer, thinnest maple ply of the rim. The banjo is an exceptionally good sounding example of this model, so it doesn’t seem to hurt the instrument in that sonic regard anyway.

Also one corner of the peghead got whacked and some wood got chipped off. Someone decided to clumsily fill that void with wood putty. This putty isn’t holding anything together, rather is is just kind of a wart on the headstock.

Plenty of finish checking and scratches on the wooden components. The outer veneer of the resonator has some cracks but they don’t go all the way through.

Very understandable if some of the issues would give anyone pause here. However, it’s a fine sounding and light weight vintage Gibson banjo with plenty of vibe. Plus it comes in a quality modern hard shell case. $1400 plus shipping. I believe this to be the cheapest RB-100 available on this site.

Also, if you are considering purchasing a light weight brass hoop equipped Gibson banjo, consider checking out the early 2000s Gibson RB I have for sale on this platform.

Thanks for looking and feel free to reach out with any questions.

Shipping: Cost

Posted By: Karl Smakula
United States, Nashville, TN,

Condition of Banjo: Used - Good Condition

Type: 5-String Resonator, Brand: Gibson

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