Rather than true serial numbers, most prewar Gibson banjos were marked with factory order numbers which were solely intended for in-house use during production and assembly attempts to date Gibson banjos based on these numbers represent a significant challenge (see Gibson banjo serial numbers vs. Martin and Company, Gibson’s prewar and wartime numbering system is extremely convoluted and often counterintuitive. The majority of these banjos have been modified in some way by their owners over the years, due to the adjustability of the components, changes in playing style, etc.The dating of vintage Gibson banjos has long been a subject of debate and contention.Demand for these instruments is high, which has led to significant efforts toward reproducing them, with varying degrees of success.The actual number of authentic banjos is relatively small, so the experience of examining and playing them is limited to comparatively few individuals.Prewar Gibson banjos frequently failed to conform to the standard catalogue specifications, by dint of cost-saving measures to diminish inventories of excess or less-than-desirable components, thus casting doubt on the deviant banjo's authenticity.The Gibson company produced a fairly wide variety of styles.Identifying a prewar Gibson banjo ĭetermining the authenticity of a prewar Gibson banjo can be a real challenge for a variety of reasons: On April 12, 1947, the Gibson Instrument Company changed their corporate logo from script lettering to the use of block letters, and this change occurred sufficiently close to resumption of banjo output to allow easy identification of prewar and postwar Gibson instruments.
Production of metal banjo parts resumed in the Fall of 1946 however, it is commonly believed that the metal composition of foundry products delivered to Gibson after World War II was inferior to that of parts produced prior to 1940. For that reason, Gibson banjos produced between 19 often reflect the creativity of shop personnel rather than standard catalogue descriptions. However, small numbers of Gibson banjos continued to be constructed and shipped during the war years using stocks of metal parts remaining in factory bins. Production of metal banjo parts was suspended during World War II. Gibson RB-1 (1933), RB-00 (1940), PB-3 (1929) banjos at the American Banjo MuseumĪlthough this term normally refers to World War II, when used to describe Gibson banjos, the term prewar operationally refers to banjos made prior to 1947.
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