1967 RB-500 (FON 806883)
1967 RB-500 (FON 806883)

1967 RB-500 (FON 806883)

1967

Out of stock

SKU: FON 806883 Categories: , Tags: , , , , , ,

Description

1967 Gibson RB-500 5-string banjo.  FON 806883.  Banjo can be found on the incredible Gibson banjo website by Greg Earnest: http://earnestbanjo.com/wp/rb-500-mastertone-806883/67

This one is all original, except for two nickel/steel coordinator rod washers, which I replaced with Pruchagold-plated washers.  I have substituted a used gold plated Waverly tailpiece for the rusted original.  I am most pleased with the lovely, and rare, ‘light tobacco’ stain.  It’s much like a few of the old Lloyd Loarmandolins.  In a few of the photos at a distance, the dark brown portion of the burst looks black, like the traditional black/orange RB-250 stain.  Close ups show that the darkest brown areas really ARE brown, not black.   The varnish is THICK, and quite yellowed.

Resonator and neck are maple, with visible curl.  Ebony fingerboard.  Style 800 marquetry on fingerboard and resonator.

The good old 9/16″ thick three-ply rim.  The neck is a bit unusual being three-ply – with black center stripe, rather then the five-piece maple laminated neck most often seen on 800s.

Twenty-hole flat head tone ring.  I don’t know if that makes it a Faulkner or what – I never got deeply into 1960s flat head origins.

Kluson box/stairstep tuners.  Grover Perma Tension style fifth peg.  Black composite (?) fifth pip.

VERY nice engraving with a little gold plate wear on the armrest.  It’s a floral pattern that showed up on a lot of 1970s/80s Asian imports.  This is not etched nor roll-engraved, it’s hand engraved with mostly ‘wiggle’ style but several strokes of straight cut (‘bright cut’?) also.  There is some gold plate wear on some top surfaces of the tension hoop.

The single most unusual feature of this banjo is the fit of the tone ring, rim and neck heel, viewed from the side.  The little bit of wood rim below the tone ring skirt is perhaps 1/10″ larger diameter than the tone ring!  All the way around, that little bit of wood rim visibly sticks out, and it’s easy to see and feel.  I tried to get a photograph.  It’s no accident though; the neck heel cut EXACTLY mirrors this little extra ‘jog’ to get a tight fit against both the tone ring AND the wood rim.  I’ve never seen another Mastertone pot like this!

Banjo was in good looking condition when I bought it.  Action was terrible, about 3/8″.  Coordinatror rods couldn’t correct it, because tightening the rods caused the neck heel lag bolts to back right out of the heel!!!!   So I took the lag bolts out and glued them back in with wood glue.  They are now nice and secure.  Rather than crank the coordinator rods again, I used some little brass shims to set the neck to 1/8″ action. The banjo is sounding quite good now with the Remo head tightened to almost an ‘A’ note.

Factory order number is 806883.  I’m told that means 1967 – personally, I’m no authority on that.

Photos courtesy of an anonymous owner.

Additional information

Model

RB-500

FON

806883

Flange

One piece

Plating

Gold and engraved