A. C. Fairbanks (by Vega) Tubaphone #9, 5-string banjo Circa 1911, S/N 27062
The Tubaphone banjo, introduced by Vega in 1909 under the Fairbanks label, proved to be one of the most popular designs of all time for open-backed banjos. This Tubaphone #9, next to the top-of-the-line, is a bit unusual in that it has a Whyte Laydie #7 style neck with the griffin on the back of the headstock and a slightly unusual fingerboard inlay pattern.