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View Full Version : 1928 Vega Little Wonder, just arrived today



darylcrisp
Apr-12-2016, 8:14pm
I will take some pictures in a day or two, picked this up from Bob Smakula, and its a dandy.

W Fawley neck, original pot/hardware/dowel rod.

Really sweet, full of tone, and plays very well all the way up the neck(rings on notes, no thuds). Bob did a neck reset and has low action dialed in.

I have a soundclip(LauralBranch) i will try to load.

http://smakula.com/images/Banjos/VegaLW85910/
from the Smakula site:
1928 Vega Little Wonder Rim with W. Fawley 5 string neck. So, when we received this banjo on a trade in, the finish was funky and the neck was not attached quite right, but we saw the potential for this banjo to be a gem. With a proper neck reset and a new French polish finish, this banjo now has the look of a classic Fairbanks-Vega Regent. The bound ebony fretboard has a 26" scale with dot position markers and a traditional star at the fifth fret that complements the one inlaid in the peghead. The blond maple neck (matching the rim) has some subtle figure for eye candy. New Gotoh planet tuners with a matching fifth make tuning precise. The 10-15/16" diameter rim retains it's original hardware with the exception of the tailpiece and the neck tensioning hardware. Quality reproductions take the place of the factory originals. Set up with a Remo Fiberskyn head, the tone is smooth and mellow. Perfect for solo playing or with a small ensemble.

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Tobin
Apr-13-2016, 6:37am
It's a beauty! Looking forward to the sound clip.

And on the subject of sound clips, I saw your videos you posted in the thread about banjos being heavy (Needlecase and WV Girls). Outstanding playing there, and I love the tone of that Reiter A-flat scale. IMHO, that's what clawhammer banjo should sound like. I worked up both of those tunes last night based on your versions. Just good stuff all around, and I look forward to more of your playing. :)

darylcrisp
Apr-13-2016, 12:04pm
It's a beauty! Looking forward to the sound clip.

And on the subject of sound clips, I saw your videos you posted in the thread about banjos being heavy (Needlecase and WV Girls). Outstanding playing there, and I love the tone of that Reiter A-flat scale. IMHO, that's what clawhammer banjo should sound like. I worked up both of those tunes last night based on your versions. Just good stuff all around, and I look forward to more of your playing. :)

Mike
I wish I could lay claim to the skill and rhythm contained in those videos I linked to the reply, but that is not me. That young mans name is RW Jones and has been on a steady improvement climb for a couple years. He enjoys a lot of Dwight Diller music and if you like his style/sound, I recommend checking into Dwight Diller.

RW hangs out on the BHO, but I'm sending him a note to come over and join us here.

take care
d

pastorharry
May-06-2016, 3:52am
Sweet ! I love Wyatt's necks.