Terminology

Although this term normally refers to World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, when used to describe Gibson banjos the term prewar operationally refers to banjos made prior to 1947. Production of metal banjo parts was suspended during World War II. However, small numbers of Gibson banjos continued to be constructed and shipped during the war years using stocks of metal parts remaining in factory bins. For that reason, Gibson banjos produced between 1940 and 1945 often reflect creativity of shop personnel rather than standard catalog descriptions. Production of metal banjo parts resumed in the Fall of 1946; however it is commonly believed that the metal composition of foundry

Foundry

A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...

 products delivered to Gibson after World War II was inferior to that of parts produced prior to 1940. On April 12, 1947 the Gibson Instrument Company changed their corporate logo from script lettering to use of block letters and this change occurred sufficiently close to resumption of banjo output to allow easy identification of prewar and postwar Gibson instruments.

Identifying a prewar Gibson banjo

Determining the authenticity

Provenance

Provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from", refers to the chronology of the ownership or location of an historical object. The term was originally mostly used for works of art, but is now used in similar senses in a wide range of fields, including science and computing...

 of a prewar Gibson banjo can be a real challenge, for a variety of reasons:

• The Gibson company produced a fairly wide variety of styles.
• Prewar Gibson banjos frequently failed to conform to the standard catalog specifications, by dint of cost-saving measures to diminish inventories of excess or less-than-desirable components, thus casting doubt on the deviant banjo's authenticity.
• The actual number of authentic banjos is relatively small, so the experience of examining and playing them is limited to comparatively few individuals.
• Demand for these instruments is high, which has led to significant efforts toward reproducing them, with varying degrees of success.
• The majority of these banjos has been modified in some way by their owners over the years, due to the adjustability of the components, changes in playing style, etc.

External links

• Greg Earnest's site contains an overview of the various Gibson banjo styles, with many detailed photographs of vintage Gibson banjos.
• Dan Foy's site has an extensive reference list of pre-war Gibson banjo serial numbers.