FOR SALE: 1977 Gibson Mastertone RB 250
$1900 (shipping included)
I am reluctantly putting one of my gibby’s up for sale. It’s got good clarity and volume. It’s a player, not a case queen and it’s gonna be a great banjo for a long time to come. The rim is in very good condition. The shinny bits are patinated but could be refinished or left alone. The binding on the resonator shows age (it’s yellowed, it’s cracked but that doesn’t affect play/tone and like mama said, true beauty isn’t skin deep!).
There are 2 necks in this sale:
The Right handed neck is the original. It plays great! It shows wear on the back from play. There is some fret wear but not much as they were replaced about 3 years ago (2019) and I’ve played my other banjos (they show very little wear). The fingerboard is in good condition. It does have a crack behind the 5th string tuning machine, but it is stable and if I hadn’t mentioned it, you probably wouldn’t have noticed it! (I believe in integrity).
The Left handed neck is a custom neck made for this era banjo. You can see it here:
Lefty Neck For Sale - Swap shop - Forum - Banjo Ben Clark
While it was apart, I cleaned it as best i could and put a new Remo head (low crown) and D’Addario strings (light) in it. The bridge is a Snuffy Smith (5/8th’s Crowe spacing). It’s currently sporting a Nechville arm rest. No strap though. Other than that, she’s ready to play!
Interesting:
Katy Lou Clark and Russ Carson have both played this banjo (if that adds any value… haha).
If you’re interested, lets talk.
832.704.2104 Shoot me a text