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My Gibson Mastertone TB 250 "Bowtie"

Welcome to my latest addition. I was thinking of getting a more fancy banjo but Gibson Mastertone is just that Mastertone. It was aquired from Ireland before Christmas 2005 and was sent by English och Irish mail to Spain first. They canīt spell those guys. Or did they thought it was a toilet (banõ in spanish)? Never mind. It arriwed after one months holiday in Madrid. Olé! After some setting up wit neck angle adjustment and old Bacon bridge it is fit for fight. And I must confess I am a flat top man. The banjo is loud and have a good heavy thumpy tone just in my taste.

Details

It has the resonator with three concentric circles.
It is supposed to be a TB250 but I have not found any serial. Maybe the pot is replaced. But I donīt mind itīs the sound that counts. The name Bowtie comes from the peghead and the inlays on the fretboard.
On Inside it has the Mastertone tonering with holes on the inside. It has only one coordinator rod. That was common on the Gibsons during the 60:es. So my guess is that this banjo was built in the late 50:ies or mid 60:ies
So Now I have two banjos from the 50-60:ies one from year 2002 and three from the 20:es.

Oettinger style 4 finger tailpiece

Materstone on the fretboard. And the bowtie inlay.

And Kluson tuners. Very clewer ones. The are reversed on the C and G strings side so you always turns them the same direction.