Vega Guitars Serial Numbers

My old '60s Fandel Jet has history connected to Vega Guitars. Two Vega employees, Mike Harris and Burt Fandel, left Vega and formed the Harris-Fandel company in 1937. Harris ended up with the company a few years later, and he eventually got into the musical instrument import business. Serial number search. Some documents containing personal data (e.g. Certificates) are only visible when you log in. Log in to myVEGA to see all documents relating to your instrument.

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A Fairbanks Banjo Project

This article is the result of years of research, accumulating data, and finally bringing it all together in one place. It has grown beyond the very narrow purposes of identifying certain changes in the Vega made banjo models, especially the Whyte Laydie and Tubaphone, to include when the name stamps changed. I haven't tried to match a date to the serial numbers, but that information -- although at best speculative and approximate -- is available elsewhere, including Mugwumps Online. For the collector/scholar, it is important just to know when changes occured. For the buyer, it is critical to know that an instrument being sold as 'all original' probably is. Some of the information here will help.

First, it is important to know a few facts. Virtually all the metal parts for nearly all the East coast banjo makers were supplied by one company -- Waverly Music Products of New York, NY, in business from before the turn of the century until the 1970s when they were acquired by Stewart-MacDonald of Athens, OH. I interviewed Waverly's then owner, a Mr. Lomb -- son and grandson of the founders, early in 1970 when he had put the company up for sale. He told me that Waverly, for whom he had worked since his pre-teens, had provided most of the metal parts and accessories to the banjo makers. In his workshop he showed me many patterns, cutters, tools, and dies used in making the nuts for Vega, Gibson, Bacon, Paramount and all the standard nuts we associate with the large makers. Waverly also made many, varied, stretcher bands, the simple brass hoops used for tone rings on the less expensive instruments, and some of the components that went into the more sophisticated tone rings. They also made the various shoes and hooks, from the Cobra hooks used on early Fairbanks to the modern flat and round hooks. Most of the tailpieces and many of the tuners also came from Waverly. That there were others making some hardware is indisputed, but Waverly made most of it. I don't know if they made the Whyte Laydie and Tubaphone assemblies or if some of the parts were made locally and then assembled at Vega -- the most likely scenario.

Serial Numbers Nero

It is likely that Vega did not stamp the serial number on a rim until final assembly, just before it was ready to be shipped. Since the rims were assembled separately from the necks, and since Vega made & sold a variety of styles (5 string, tenor, guitar, mandolin, plectrum, etc.) it stands to reason that the serial number wasn't afixed until the neck and rim were mated. This would explain why some rims have hardware and specifications after the time when some parts were disountinued. It seems especially true for the earlier Vega #7's and #9's which clearly sold in smaller quantities, and the assembled rims might sit around for a while. It does not explain the apparent anomolies of name stamps appearing with serial numbers earlier than expected. Two possible explanations occur to me -- there may be others. First is simply a reporting error, but I have seen some personally, and been sent photos of others. The other possible explanation might be that the banjo was returned to the factory, given a new neck with new logo stamp, but numbered with the old serial number. Your thoughts on this and any other factor relevant to this study are welcomed.

Be sure to visit the article Fairbanks & Vega Dating for more information about this project and a summary of my conclusions based on the instruments listed below.

If you have information about:

1. Any Whyte Laydie banjo with serial number lower then 20343 or
2. Any Whyte Laydie banjo with serial number between 24939 and 24945, or
3. Any Tubaphone banjo with serial number lower than 25052, or
4. A WL#7 with number above, but close to 24956, but especially around 25000
5. Instruments with serial #s between 26019 and 26023, when the switch from Fairbanks plate to F-V stamp seems to have occurred.
6. Serial #s for WL or Regent models with left (reversed) facing Gryphons all seem to be in the 24000 serial numbers.
7. Any model F-V or Vega banjo with serial #s between 52669 and 52684 (a 15 number range), when the switch from 'Fairbanks Banjo, Made by Vega' stamp to the 'Made by Vega' stamp seems to have occurred.
8. Vega serial #s between 99369 and 99686, when the switch from the Vega stamp to printed yellow labels seems to have occured.
9. Serial numbers from the 'Made by Martin' era.

Please send any information directly to me. Mike Holmes. Thanks.

Ca. 1949 Vega Tenor Guitar

Vega may have produced some superb and interesting guitars, but they never matched the popularity of the company's banjos. Although Vega built guitars throughout their history, guitars remained something of a sideline until the banjo's popularity began to wane in the 1940s. Even then, Vega was slow to respond to trends in the guitar market; they continued to focus on archtops into the 1950s while their flat-top and solidbody models were never produced in large numbers. By the time the company started to diversify its range of flat-tops in the late 1950s, it was too late to make a big dent in the market.

Any Vega flat-top acoustic is therefore relatively rare, but a tenor flat-top is particularly remarkable. The tenor guitar was developed as a crossover instrument that allowed tenor banjo players (and, vicariously, mandolin players) to double on guitar without learning a whole new tuning. It retained some degree of popularity into the 1940s as banjo players gradually acquiesced to the new reality that their instruments were rapidly falling out of favor and they sought a more popular sound. Major builders such as Epiphone,Gibson and Guild occasionally built tenor versions of popular guitar models into the 1960s, though usually on special order.

Vega built tenor versions of their catalogued models as well, but that's not what this guitar represents. As thelabel attests, this was not just a special version of an existing model – it's a totally custom instrument. It has a 17' body that appears to be formed in the same shape as an early version of the FT-J 'Jumbo' model flat-top. The exquisite spruce and maple combined with a natural finish recall a contemporary C-71, though the back appears to be laminated like the Electrovox series. The black binding and embossed rosette is also unusual on a Vega acoustic, though similar material was used on the natural-finished version of the Triumphal lap steel. The slotted headstock is an interesting throwback to an earlier time, a feature that Vega abandoned in the 1930s.

Assigning a date to the instrument is difficult; there are no catalogs to reference, and serial numbers on Vega guitars are so random as to be meaningless. The overall styling suggests that it was built in the late 1940s to the mid 1950s. [See update below.] The instrument is mostly original, though there is a hole drilled in the heel from a later strap pin [now believed to be original]. The bridge saddle is a replacement as well, designed to improve intonation; the bridge itself is original, but curiously, it's a Vega ukulele bridge rather than the conventional pin design used on most Vega flat-top guitars. Aside from a mark on the top where a sticker was applied, the guitar has normal wear and tear but no damage or repairs. Its sound is enormous despite the fairly thin body, with booming bass, clear highs and considerable volume.

Update, June 2016:

When I purchased this guitar, I thought of it as a nifty piece of Vega history. As a custom-ordered, one-of-a-kind instrument, I knew I wouldn't find it described in a Vega catalog. Much to my surprise, however, I did recently find itpictured in a Vega brochure from 1950.

Bando da Lua ('Band of the Moon' in Portuguese) was a popular Brazilian band in the 1930s through the 1950s known for their vocal harmonies. The lineup shifted over the years, but the group appears to have usually featured a tenor guitarist as well as a 6-string guitarist. The two musicians sometimes sported matching instruments, and they seem to have purchased matching custom Vegas around 1949. They also affixed matching quarter-moon marks (I'm guessing they were stickers) to the tops of these guitars, as they had done with previous instruments.

By this point, they were closely associated with singer Carmen Miranda, accompanying her in the studio and in a number of films produced in the US. A 1950 Vega brochure reproduces aphotograph of Bando da Lua with Carmen Miranda taken to promote the film Nancy Goes to Rio, released that year. In the photograph, both my tenor and its matching 6-string sibling can clearly be seen. Both guitars are alsoclearly visible in two scenes from that film as well.

Vega Guitars Serial Numbers Lookup

If you have information about:

1. Any Whyte Laydie banjo with serial number lower then 20343 or
2. Any Whyte Laydie banjo with serial number between 24939 and 24945, or
3. Any Tubaphone banjo with serial number lower than 25052, or
4. A WL#7 with number above, but close to 24956, but especially around 25000
5. Instruments with serial #s between 26019 and 26023, when the switch from Fairbanks plate to F-V stamp seems to have occurred.
6. Serial #s for WL or Regent models with left (reversed) facing Gryphons all seem to be in the 24000 serial numbers.
7. Any model F-V or Vega banjo with serial #s between 52669 and 52684 (a 15 number range), when the switch from 'Fairbanks Banjo, Made by Vega' stamp to the 'Made by Vega' stamp seems to have occurred.
8. Vega serial #s between 99369 and 99686, when the switch from the Vega stamp to printed yellow labels seems to have occured.
9. Serial numbers from the 'Made by Martin' era.

Please send any information directly to me. Mike Holmes. Thanks.

Ca. 1949 Vega Tenor Guitar

Vega may have produced some superb and interesting guitars, but they never matched the popularity of the company's banjos. Although Vega built guitars throughout their history, guitars remained something of a sideline until the banjo's popularity began to wane in the 1940s. Even then, Vega was slow to respond to trends in the guitar market; they continued to focus on archtops into the 1950s while their flat-top and solidbody models were never produced in large numbers. By the time the company started to diversify its range of flat-tops in the late 1950s, it was too late to make a big dent in the market.

Any Vega flat-top acoustic is therefore relatively rare, but a tenor flat-top is particularly remarkable. The tenor guitar was developed as a crossover instrument that allowed tenor banjo players (and, vicariously, mandolin players) to double on guitar without learning a whole new tuning. It retained some degree of popularity into the 1940s as banjo players gradually acquiesced to the new reality that their instruments were rapidly falling out of favor and they sought a more popular sound. Major builders such as Epiphone,Gibson and Guild occasionally built tenor versions of popular guitar models into the 1960s, though usually on special order.

Vega built tenor versions of their catalogued models as well, but that's not what this guitar represents. As thelabel attests, this was not just a special version of an existing model – it's a totally custom instrument. It has a 17' body that appears to be formed in the same shape as an early version of the FT-J 'Jumbo' model flat-top. The exquisite spruce and maple combined with a natural finish recall a contemporary C-71, though the back appears to be laminated like the Electrovox series. The black binding and embossed rosette is also unusual on a Vega acoustic, though similar material was used on the natural-finished version of the Triumphal lap steel. The slotted headstock is an interesting throwback to an earlier time, a feature that Vega abandoned in the 1930s.

Assigning a date to the instrument is difficult; there are no catalogs to reference, and serial numbers on Vega guitars are so random as to be meaningless. The overall styling suggests that it was built in the late 1940s to the mid 1950s. [See update below.] The instrument is mostly original, though there is a hole drilled in the heel from a later strap pin [now believed to be original]. The bridge saddle is a replacement as well, designed to improve intonation; the bridge itself is original, but curiously, it's a Vega ukulele bridge rather than the conventional pin design used on most Vega flat-top guitars. Aside from a mark on the top where a sticker was applied, the guitar has normal wear and tear but no damage or repairs. Its sound is enormous despite the fairly thin body, with booming bass, clear highs and considerable volume.

Update, June 2016:

When I purchased this guitar, I thought of it as a nifty piece of Vega history. As a custom-ordered, one-of-a-kind instrument, I knew I wouldn't find it described in a Vega catalog. Much to my surprise, however, I did recently find itpictured in a Vega brochure from 1950.

Bando da Lua ('Band of the Moon' in Portuguese) was a popular Brazilian band in the 1930s through the 1950s known for their vocal harmonies. The lineup shifted over the years, but the group appears to have usually featured a tenor guitarist as well as a 6-string guitarist. The two musicians sometimes sported matching instruments, and they seem to have purchased matching custom Vegas around 1949. They also affixed matching quarter-moon marks (I'm guessing they were stickers) to the tops of these guitars, as they had done with previous instruments.

By this point, they were closely associated with singer Carmen Miranda, accompanying her in the studio and in a number of films produced in the US. A 1950 Vega brochure reproduces aphotograph of Bando da Lua with Carmen Miranda taken to promote the film Nancy Goes to Rio, released that year. In the photograph, both my tenor and its matching 6-string sibling can clearly be seen. Both guitars are alsoclearly visible in two scenes from that film as well.

Vega Guitars Serial Numbers Lookup

Vega Trumpet Serial Numbers

So, it turns out that this guitar is a piece of Hollywood memorabilia as well as a great instrument. Someone probably removed the moon sticker years ago, but thanks to its imprint in the finish, the guitar can still be positively identified.