Vega Tubaphone Guitar Banjo 1923

Here’s an elusive and desirable instrument from Vega’s most prolific year,1923. This Vega Tubaphone has an 11-3/4” rim and a maple neck with worn finish in the cowboy chord position. The ebony fingerboard has a 25-3/16” scale length. 

A few minor things are not original. It has Golden Age three on a side tuners as I acquired the instrument with really bad three on a side tuners already installed. It’s had the first fret replaced. The bridge is a 1/2” Snuffy Smith and the armrest is a modern replacement. One hook and nut set is missing. It has a skin head but I don’t believe it to be original to the instrument. 

Comes in a very nice but slightly too large case from the fifties that I believe was made by Lifton. 

I decided to list this instrument to feel less guilty about an electric guitar I impulsively bought, but after playing it a while just now and listening to friends play it, it’s a conflicting one to let go. When doing finger style runs on the bottom strings, it sounds like a tuba. I like it a lot and if you play country blues style finger style, you will too. 

Thanks for looking and feel free to reach out with any questions.