Birdseye Maple Style 9 Tubaphone

/ / Published in Banjos

This Tubaphone started it’s life as a 1924 Vega Style X Tubaphone Tenor Banjo. Originally planning to copy the original mother of pearl engraved inlays we instead decided to go a different direction and use a contrasting wood that had some interesting figure. I happened to have quite a unique piece of Birdseye Maple that was perfect even for the small pieces needed for the inlays. It features a lightly figured Mahogany neck with an African Blackwood fingerboard, heelcap, peghead overlay and volute overlay with a Curly Maple fretboard binding and Birdseye Maple inlays. The combination of the shorter scale with the wide 11-13/16″ Tubaphone rim turned out to be an excellent sounding banjo.

This banjo also features a thumb scoop in between the 17th and 21st frets giving you the perfect amount of room to catch your thumb while playing over the fingerboard.

  • Original Vega Style X 11-13/16″ Tubaphone Pot
  • Three Piece Figured Mahogany Neck
  • African Blackwood Fingerboard, Peghead, Rear Peghead/Volute Overlay and Heelcap
  • Highly Figured Birdseye Maple Inlays
  • 1-3/8″ Nut Width
  • 25.5″ Scale Length
  • EVO Fretwire
  • Curly Maple Fingerboard Binding
  • Oettinger Style Tailpiece
  • Vega Tubaphone No. 9 Style InlaysPointed Volute
  • Pointed Volute
  • Thumb Scoop 17th to 21st Frets