Prewar Gibson banjo

Modern reproductions of RB-75 and RB-250. Original Gibson RB-11 banjo from 1938.
Gibson RB-1 (1933), RB-00 (1940), PB-3 (1929) banjos at the American Banjo Museum
Gibson RB-7 (1938) banjo and Gibson RB-4 (1929) "floor sweep" banjo at the American Banjo Museum

Gibson manufactured banjos in the years before World War II. They are differentiated from later Gibson banjos by their scarcity. Banjo sales plummeted during the Great Depression, for lack of buyers, and metal parts became scarce into the 1940s as factories shifted to support the war. One notable characteristic of many pre-war Gibson banjos is the flat-head tone ring (also known as a flathead ring). This component is a heavy metal ring fitted inside the rim that plays a significant role in shaping the instrument’s overall tone and sustain parts became scarce, non-standard versions came out, made from a variety of leftover parts, called floor sweep models.

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