(Based on the Banjo Pages Serial Number Listings as of July 2000)
Gibson Banjo Production 1925 - 1941The absence of actual production records has been a problem for those who
admire, play and collect Gibson banjos from the pre-war period. After all,
there are those of us who want to know just how many original five-string,
flathead, one piece flange Granada's are out there! For the first time, Tom
Biggs serial number list puts us in a position to make an informed estimate.Serial Number System
The serial number system used on Gibson banjos between 1925 and 1941 was
simple and straightfoward. It consisted of a lot number followed by a bin
number (i.e. 9556-13.) With rare exception, all Gibson banjos with the
same lot number are of the same style. From examination of the serial
number list we can see that any banjo with a lot number of 9556 should be a
style Granada. The second number or bin number indicates what position the
instrument occupied in the lot. For example, an instrument bearing the
serial number 9556-13 would be the 13th banjo manufactured in lot 9556. The
inception of this system coincided with the introduction of the "Mastertone"
banjo in 1925 . The first lot number was "8000." At some point in 1935
the lot numbers reached a value of "9999." At that point the factory
started over again with a lot number value of "1."Total Production
The Tom Biggs serial number list enumerates over 1,100 individual pre-war
Gibson banjos. A rough estimate of total banjo production can be obtained
by a simple process of locating the highest bin number for every unique lot
number, then adding up the results. Using this method results in an
estimated total production figure of 12,000 banjos between 1925 and 1941.
Of this total approximately 7,300 were "Mastertone" banjos. Divided over
16 years and assuming a 5 day work week, this becomes an easily believable 3
banjos per day. Of course, banjo production was not constant and the
serial number lists show that it varied widely. Gibson produced the most
banjos between 1925 and 1929 (estimated 8,200.) During the period of
1930-1931 it would appear that very little of anything was built.
Production resumed at a slower pace in 1932-36 with an estimated 3,300
banjos constructed. After 1937 production crawled to a standstill with
slightly less than 500 units.How Many Original Five String Banjos?
Before World War II Gibson did not build many five string or "regular"
banjos. The majority of those constructed were of the most plain and basic
styles. The Biggs serial number list shows no original five-string any
fancier than style 6. The majority of pre-war five string instruments were
style 3. The serial number list suggests that during 1925-1926 about 150
five string instruments were made. All of these appear to be of Mastertone
construction with the tube and plate flange, and "ball-bearing" tone ring.
During the next 3 years an estimated 165 more five strings were produced.
These were mostly style 3 or 4 with an occasional Granada. Again, all of
those surveyed were of Mastertone construction featuring the archtop tone
ring and, tube and plate flange. Surprisingly it was during the depression
years 1930 - 1941 that Gibson built the most five string banjos. Prior to
this period production of five string instruments never reached 5%. But
after 1930 the serial number list suggests that 10% of all Gibson banjo
production was in five string instruments. Roughly 300 regular banjos were
produced. However, not all of these were of Mastertone construction. About
50 about these were of the cheaper type. The remaining 250 were of the
coveted one piece flange, Mastertone design, 80% with flat head tone rings.
Roughly 16 original five string Granada's were produced, followed by 22
style 4 and more than 200 style 3. Top tension models were introduced in
1937. Between that point and the onset of World War II in 1941 perhaps an
additional 100 original five strings were produced. About half of these
were non-mastertone models. Of the 50 remaining, about 7 were Top-Tension
five strings and the balanceof about 40 being style 75 (formerly known as
style 3.) In summary, the Biggs serial number list indicates that Gibson
built approximately 700 five string banjos before World War II, an average
of 6% of total production.How Many Original Flat Head Banjos?
The flat head tone ring was first introduced in 1929 and went through
several design changes. The combination of the one piece flange, flat head
tone ring is the most sought after by players and collectors. These were
produced from 1930 onwards. The Biggs serial number list currently shows
that 20% of Mastertone banjos produced during this period had flat head
rings. This translates to about 360 flat head, one piece flange banjos.
About 200 of these were five string instruments, 130 had plectrum necks, and
perhaps 30 were tenor necked.The Most Common Pre-War Gibson Banjo
The most common pre-war Gibson banjo is a style 3, Mastertone tenor. The
Biggs serial number list suggests that over 3,200 of these were produced.
The most common of the style 3 would be the two-piece flange, archtop tone
ring model, with approximately 1,200 leaving the factory. Second in line
would be the style 1, non-mastertone tenor banjo. Over 1,700 of these were
built. This makes perfect sense, the tenor was the most popular banjo of
the day and the style 1 was the entry level instrument. For those who
wanted to "step-up" a style 3 was the cheapest of the Mastertone models.
Therefore we see that Gibson banjo production was dedicated to the most
likely items to be sold.The Rarest Pre-War Gibson Production-line Banjo
In the manner of the current-day "custom shop," Gibson would build almost
anything to order. For the purposes of this paper we will discount these
"one-off" instruments and limit our scope only to catalog advertised,
production-line banjos. The winner of this award is easily the
All-American tenor banjo. The Biggs serial number list shows 7 and total
production probably did not exceed 10.How Many Original Five String, Pre-War, Flathead Granada Mastertones?
Want a banjo "just like Earl's?" The Biggs serial number list shows 9 of
these and suggests that only 12 were made. Where are the other 3?Joe Spann