Gibson RB-1 #87-3, The "Grace Attfield"
The style 1 of the 1930s was a
non-Mastertone model and therefore had no true tone ring--only a small-diameter brass hoop
on top of the rim. It did, however, feature the same pot metal one-piece flange and
three-ply maple rim as the Mastertones of the same period.
Style 1 had nickel-plated
hardware and a dark-finished maple neck and resonator, with white binding on the neck and
both edges of the resonator. Even though the Mastertone models had by this time gone
to the double-cut peghead shape, the fiddle-shaped peghead was retained on
style 1, with a minor
modification--the two small indentations normally found under the fourth- and first-string
tuners were absent. The rosewood fingerboard was inlaid with a fleur-de-lis inlay
pattern which is also known by such varying names as "bats" and "flying
birds"; in the late 1930s, this inlay pattern was replaced on
style 1 by a simple dot
pattern, although the "inverted bud" peghead inlay remained.
Style 1 banjos have an oval
"The Gibson" label inside the rim which is similar to the Mastertone label found
on the higher models.
This is a rare original five-string RB-1 in an amazing state of preservation. Owner Tim Mullins tells us about it:
"I
got this through eBay. It came out of Canada. The woman who owned it, Grace
Attfield (her maiden and stage name), bought it new in
Victoria B.C. She toured in B.C. and to Hollywood. She later had a dance and
music studio. She got married in the early 1940's and put the banjo up. Grace's
grandson was the seller--she had died in about 2001.
As you can see, it is
an RB-1 with gull inlays, serial # 87-3, with the
export stamp & sticker. When I got it, it had the original two-footed
five-string bridge, wrench, instructions, broken skin head, strings, original
case and key, and a flatpick. The tailpiece was broken, but with it. I found a
perfect replacement Grover window tailpiece through Dave at Turtle Hill. I have
put in two spikes and it now has a Snuffy bridge and a Remo head. Everything
else is original and near mint. I gigged with it with our band. It takes a
little getting used to, with the tuners, no side dots, skinny frets and the
strings are very close together at the peghead. It sounds great!"
Want to know just how good an
unmodified prewar Gibson banjo with a brass hoop tone ring can sound?
Take a listen.
Photos courtesy of Tim
Mullins.
