If you are interested in a vintage Vega Tuba-Phone tenor banjo, this instrument will be hard to beat. Made in 1923, it has been in the same family, since I acquired a few months ago. So it is essentially a one-owner instrument. It is in excellent condition with no serious scratches or even wear. The case is also in excellent condition for 103 years old. I replaced the broken handle with a nice, leather one. In the case you’ll find a tuner, a banjo capo, the original bridge stamped “Vega”, and a metal thumb pick- all of which appear to date from the 1920s. I had the local banjo guru look over the instrument. He put on new strings, added leather washers to better hold tuning, and proclaimed it an excellent specimen. The attached recording demonstrates how well the banjo holds tuning now. If I were keeping the banjo I would replace the friction tuners with geared pegs. (The banjo expert says the instrument is a perfect candidate for a 5-string conversion.) I am not a banjo player, but the video I made will show what a big tubaphone sound this instrument makes. I hope someone can give it a good home for the next 103 years.

• 12-inch pot with the famous Vega Tu-Ba-Phone tone-ring.

• Vega-stamped maple “pie plate” resonator

• Matching serial numbers.

• 30 brackets, 17 frets

• Engraved pearl fingerboard inlays, including star and floral designs.

•Original case