Gibson TB-4 Archtop 5-String Conversion 1930 Mastertone #9554-45 – All Original Hardware
$ 9,999.99
1930 Gibson TB-4 Mastertone archtop conversion with all original hardware. Serial #9554-45 places this squarely in Gibson’s golden era of Mastertone production. Original rim, one-piece flange, original archtop tone ring, flying eagle inlays. Professional 5-string neck. Includes hardshell case.
In stock
Serial number 9554-45 places this squarely in Gibson‘s golden era of Mastertone production. This TB-4 came off the line in Kalamazoo in 1930.
This is a tenor-to-5-string conversion, and whoever did the neck work knew exactly what they were doing. The neck is a high-quality replacement that plays beautifully, with flying eagle inlays running up a rosewood fingerboard and a Mastertone block at the 22nd fret. The peghead retains that classic Gibson fiddle shape.
Here’s what matters: all the original hardware is intact. Original rim. One-piece flange. Original archtop tone ring. Chrome-plated armrest, tailpiece, and tension hoop. The resonator is walnut with those gorgeous multi-ply decorative binding rings. Inside you’ll find the original Gibson Mastertone Guarantee label from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the serial number stamped on the rim and chalk-written inside the resonator back—exactly as it left the factory 95 years ago.
The condition is excellent for its age. There’s some wear on the resonator from decades of being played and loved, but that’s exactly what you want to see on an instrument like this. It’s been a working musician’s banjo, not a wall hanger.
The archtop tone ring gives this one a distinctive voice—warm, round, with that pre-war complexity that modern banjos chase but rarely catch. If you’re looking for that classic 1930s sound without the flathead price tag, this is your banjo.
Comes with a modern, high-quality hardshell case.
Don’t let this one get away.
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