1920 Fairbanks by Vega Little Wonder Octave Mandolin-Banjo
1920 Fairbanks by Vega Little Wonder Octave Mandolin-Banjo. Though technically a Little Wonder, this is definitely the biggest banjo we have in the shop. With a 14” rim, 27” scale, and 38-1/2” overall length, André The Giant would have been the perfect customer for this instrument, if playing banjo was among his many talents. The materials list and construction details are like all the Vega Little Wonder banjos of the 1910’s and 1920’s. Neck and rim are both maple. The neck has a 27” scale bound ebony fretboard, with a nut width of 1-9/16”. Peghead overlay, Peghead back strap, and heel cap are ebonized maple and in good condition. The heel cap does have one minor crack. The 14” maple rim has a Little Wonder tonering, 30 brackets, and a modern Fiberskyn head. The original tailpiece was missing. As there is no current manufacturer of mandolin banjo tailpieces, we modified a mandolin tailpiece expertly crafted from stainless steel and brass in Portugal. It works exceptionally well on this instrument. (https://www.ebay.com/itm/123819628449). The wood of the rim was refinished on the outside, original finish inside. Most of the original metal parts on the rim (shoes, nuts, hooks, & tension hoop) were chrome plated. The tailpiece screw was relocated closer to the head for a neck reset. That job included a filler piece in the rim at the mortise for the dowelstick. Interesting that the banjo was set up from the factory with 7 strings. The first, second, and third strings are in pairs, but the 4th is single and no slot in the nut for an 8th string. The set-up is currently with octave mandolin tuning, G D A E, and it growl’s. A fun banjo to play, and even more fun if you happen to be a 7-foot, 4 inch professional wrestler with a hankering for banjo music. $1,500 is the price of this giant Little Wonder and we include a gig bag to take it to your Madison Square Garden professional wrestling matches.