Gibson TB-Granada #1485-1
In 1937, Gibson completely overhauled its Mastertone line. The top-tension styles 7, 12, and 18 were introduced, style 3 was renamed style 75 with its price lowered from $100 to $75, and all other Mastertone styles were discontinued. This banjo is from the last known batch of prewar Granadas. It conforms to standard catalog specifications for a thirties Granada tenor with curly maple neck, curly maple resonator with sunburst finish, a one-piece flange, gold plating on all hardware and engraving on the tension hoop and armrest, a forty-hole archtop tone ring, flying eagle inlays in a rosewood fingerboard, a double-cut peghead, multi-ply black and white binding on neck and resonator, and a clamshell tailpiece. The tuners are high-end Grovers with amber buttons. The veneer often used on the rear of the peghead to hide the peghead ears on Gibson's more expensive Mastertone models is absent on this example.
Photos courtesy of Bernunzio Vintage Instruments.
