This longneck openback RB-175 Gibson banjo is from the late 1960s or early 1970s. It has three extra frets which allow banjoists and singers to play in open E. These longneck models were popularized in the 50s and 60s during the folk music boom. Pete Seeger played a banjo like this one.
This RB-175 is in wonderful shape. It has 24 brackets, nickel hardware, and the original 5th string peg. The banjo also features a mahogany neck, Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, and frets that show little to no wear. We haven’t had one of these in the shop in four years so grab it while you can.
As the quality standard, Gibson banjos were played historically by nearly all the top players, including Earl Scruggs, JD Crowe, Ralph Stanley, Sonny Osborne, Bill Emerson, and many others. Recent top banjoists who play Gibson banjos include Bela Fleck, Noam Pikelney, Jim Mills, Bill Evans, and Kristin Scott Benson.
The Banjo Warehouse stocks a wide range of Gibson banjos, including pre-war, vintage, and relatively recent styles, through the last Gibson banjos produced in 2010. Remember that we nearly always have several Gibson banjos in stock that haven’t yet made it to our website listings.Â
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ABOUT:
Geoff Hohwald has been playing banjo since the 1960’s. He became active in the thriving bluegrass community in Ohio as a teenager while studying at Ohio State University. He has played professionally as a guitarist and banjo player with several bluegrass bands ever since. Geoff moved to Atlanta after college and co-founded the Watch and Learn publishing company. They now publish a full line of musical instrument instruction books and digital modules. He also owned several music stores in Atlanta from the 1980s through the mid-2000s and is still an active participant in the musical instrument re-sale community in the southeast.
Banjo Warehouse is a family business resulting from 50 years of experience in music and 40 years of experience in musical instrument retail sales and education. Our focus is on the 5-string flathead banjo, but we also occasionally have a good selection of guitars and mandolins (and other folk instruments).
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