Used,Vintage

1972 Gibson RB-800 5-String Banjo – Used

Original price was: $3,350.00.Current price is: $2,847.50.

Pickup available 211 Lambert Ave, Palo Alto, CA

Details
Specs

Their Mastertone banjos were some of the first acoustic instruments that Gibson took seriously in the early 1970s when they realized the long-simmering demand for good US-made bluegrass-family instruments. With well-done hearts and flowers neck inlays, chain-link marquetry, a 20-hole bronze flathead tone ring, and a subtle sunburst on the figured maple resonator and neck, this RB-800 looks, sounds, and plays far better than the banjos Gibson had offered just a few years earlier.

This example, the top model in Gibson’s banjo line at the time, has survived 50+ years in remarkably good condition and appears to be original throughout. Wear to the gold plating on the armrest, and the installation of a Shubb 5th string capo, tell us this Mastertone saw a fair amount of careful use, but the player had a light touch and thankfully there is only the lightest fret wear. It sounds and plays great.