Gibson TB-00 #EG-5712
Style 00, introduced in 1935
with a list price of $30, made the Gibson name accessible to Depression-era
banjoists. Its affordability made it a top seller in Gibson's banjo line
and it remained in production through the early 1940s. This example
conforms to
standard catalog specifications for style 00
with maple neck
and resonator, sunburst finish on the neck and back and
sides of the resonator, binding on the back edge of the resonator only, nickel-plated
hardware, one-piece pot metal flange, grooved tension hoop
with flat hooks, and dot inlays in an
unbound Brazilian rosewood
fingerboard. The
peghead shape is unique to
style 00, and the Gibson logo is silkscreened
in white rather than being inlaid in mother of pearl.
The rim is
1/2" thick below the flange, as is the case with most
style 00 banjos, and there is
no tone ring or brass hoop but only a bead turned in the top of the rim to serve
as a bearing for the head. The presence of Kluson tuners with amber
Catalin buttons identifies
this TB-00 as a later example, as does
the serial number stamped on the back of the peghead; the letter prefix "E"
denotes a production date of 1939.
