The UB (ukulele banjo) style 1 was designated as having a 6″ rim and the styles UB-2 and UB-3 were designated as having an 8″ rim, and all other banjos (except for the 14″ CBs) were to have 11″ rims only (previously, some models had 10-1/2″ rims).ġ926: A February 1926 listing showed that plectrum banjos (PB) were also made available in styles -1, Granada, and -5.ġ927: The Bella Voce and Florentine models were added to the line in August 1927. this year also brought the first indication of diamond-shaped openings in resonator plates. was deleted from the listings (replaced by the style -0). The first announcement of the Granada appeared in this year. The style -0 was made available for MB and TB models. The first announcement of the Mastertone name as a style designation appeared in the July 1925 price list (prior to that time, the name was used in catalogs as a product title). In December of that year, the UB (ukulele banjo) was added to the line in one version only (no style number).ġ925: The full-resonator (with back and sides), spring-loaded ball bearing tone chamber was announced in February 1925. The CB and GB were only available in style -4, and the MB was not available in style -1 or style -5.ġ924: The plectrum banjo (PB) and the regular banjo (RB, 5-string) were added to the line in January 1924, and only available in styles -Jr., -3 and -4. Patent No 1,402,876 on January 10, 1922, for a banjo rim and neck attachment design.ġ923: The styles -Jr., -3, -4, and -5 were added to the line in May 1923. Style-2 was still only available on MB and TB models.

Lloyd Loar joins Gibson.ġ919: A price list issued in September 1919 indicated that five banjo models were available: TB, GB (guitar banjo), MB (mandolin banjo), and CB (cello banjo).ġ920: The first announcement of a style-2 designation appeared in a November 1920 listing, an option available only for the MB and TB models.ġ922: All banjos sold in 1922 were supplied with a Tone Projector (resonator-like backing), armrest, and finger-rest. No other members of the banjo family were listed. It was listed as a TB (tenor banjo) with no style number designation. Several events and model announcements occurred during a period I refer to as “the 20 Golden Years,” developments that have been documented by factory records, historical papers, early catalogs, and dated price lists:ġ918: The first announcement of a Gibson banjo appeared in October of that year.

Gibson banjo serial numbers