Gibson announces commemorative Scruggs banjo
Gibson is debuting a new, limited edition banjo model this year, marking the 5oth anniversary of the original release of Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs’ classic recording, Foggy Mountain Jamboree. Though they had been releasing singles on a regular basis since 1951, Foggy Mountain Jamboree was their first long playing album, which some music historians say was the first bluegrass LP by any artist.
Included on that 1957 LP was Flint Hill Special, a Scruggs instrumental originally recorded in 1952 that, along with Earl’s Breakdown, Foggy Mountain Chimes and Randy Lynn Rag (all three also featured on that album), introduced the bluegrass world to what came to be known as the Scruggs tuner, a device that allowed Earl to quickly detune and retune a string.
Gibson has long marketed a banjo known as the Earl Scruggs Flint Hill Special (the name of both the song and the banjo taken from Scruggs’ birthplace in North Carolina), and their new 2008 commemorative banjo is a special edition of that model.
Only 20 Commemorative Limited Edition Earl Scruggs Flint Hill Special banjos will be made, and purchasers will receive a number of pieces of Earl Scruggs memorabilia as well.
The banjo will be made of figured maple (neck, and resonator overlay) with an ebony fingerboard inlaid with Gibson’s Hearts & Flowers pattern. The neck and resonator are bound with white/black/white trim and the peghead with mother of pearl. The heel cap is also mother of pearl, and the banjo is engraved and gold plated. Each will ship in an Earl Scruggs signature model red line case, with the head signed by the man himself, an autographed copy of Earl’s banjo book and a CD copy of Foggy Mountain Jamboree.
The first five purchasers will also get Earl’s signature on the back of the peghead, plus a signed and framed Flint Hill Special tablature from the Scruggs book.
Gibson has not responded to our requests for more details about the selling price, but similar limited edition models have carried retail prices close to $50,000. When we hear from them with a price (and availability/ordering info), we’ll update this post. (See update below)
The Gibson folks also included this classic YouTube clip in their press release about the new Scruggs banjo. Nice!
UPDATE 4/2: A commenter indicated that the suggested retail prices were $18,499 for the first five and $11,999 for the remaining production run. We also reached Janet Davis of Janet Davis Music, a large and prominent dealer for Gibson Banjos, who told us that they are offering them for $16,665 (1-5) and $10799 (6-20).
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Here's a brief update to our post from last week about Gibson's new limited edition Earl Scruggs Flint Hill Special banjo model.
In our previous post, we mentioned that no pricing information was found on the Gibson site, and that our efforts to reach someone there for details were unsuccessful.
A...
There are six short videos up on Gibson's web site that feature banjo legend Earl Scruggs discussing his life and career in bluegrass and acoustic music. It seems that they were all recorded earlier this year.
Each of the links below go to one of the individual video clips, each focusing on a specific...
Tom Thomas, the President of the Flatt and Scruggs Preservation Society, has announced the creation of a blog that will naturally focus on matters relating to Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.
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"(It) will display any new information concerning upcoming appearances of Earl...
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Our industrious British correspondent, Richard F. Thompson, is back with an expanded overview of a story Brance posted last month.
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs will be among this year's five new inductees into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. announced...
We found a link on Pete Wernick's web site that points to the audio from a recent edition of Etown, the weekly radio show hosted by former Hot Rize bass man Nick Forster. The show included one of the occasional reunion performances by Hot Rize, plus an appearance by Earl Scruggs.
Scruggs' segment...
Last month, we reported on the planned attempt for a Guinness Book record in the Largest Musical Ensemble with banjo players during an Atlanta Braves baseball game on September 13. The event is spearheaded by the folks at Banjo.com, and will take place at Turner Field prior to the 9/13 game, with nearly...
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Marty Stuart inducted Flatt & Scruggs, recalling how he joined Lester Flatt & The...
Earl Scruggs will be celebrating the release of volumes 1 & 2 of the Flatt & Scruggs TV show DVDs we told you about here, by signing copies in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum store on March 23, 2007 at 4 PM.
The signing will be limited to the first 150 guests. The line forms beginning...
Our UK correspondent, Richard F Thompson, couples the news of this long-overdue recognition with a brief recap of Earl Scruggs' distinguished career in bluegrass.
Bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs, who celebrated his 84th birthday on Sunday, will receive a 2008 Grammy Award for lifetime achievement from...
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First Quality lists the MSRP of the banjos to be $18,499 (#1-5) and $11,999 (#6-20)
[...] pet adoption in this new public service announcement. “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” is turning 50, so Gibson is building a new, limited edition Earl Scruggs banjo, with the first five signed by the man [...]
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