1920s Supertone "Dixie Wonder" Banjo
Added 2020-12-11 17:01:01 +0000 UTCThis 1920s Supertone "Dixie Wonder" banjo was made by Rettburg & Lange, and distributed by Sears & Roebuck. Dock Boggs is said to have used one of these when he was recorded in New York City during 1927 and '28.
Good, cheap banjos like this one always give me a thrill. Working people's hopes and dreams were invested in these old instruments.
Comments
Chubby Parker died in 1940, I think, but I don't know anything about his name being used as a banjo head brand. He was pretty famous by 1925, so that head may well be original.
Clifton Hicks
2020-12-13 12:35:10 +0000 UTCHey Clifton, really enjoyed this post. Due to inspiration from watching your posts, I had my grandpa’s DixieWonder 514 put back in service after 50 years of dormancy with vinyl strings and new planetary tuners. Having a blast learning to play from your lessons. One question, it has a stamped signature of Chubby Parker on the head. Does that give any clue of what year it was made? It looks almost identical to the 414 in your post.
Jeff Blevins
2020-12-13 04:01:29 +0000 UTCMy new pick up not me playing. https://youtu.be/hksZ47kJwWU
Dave
2020-12-12 13:44:42 +0000 UTC
