Modern Banjo vs. Pre-War Legend: Sullivan Vintage 35 VS 1934 Gibson RB-3

In this video, we dive into an in-depth comparison of a new built, vintage style banjo and a real iconic banjo: the Sullivan Vintage 35 and Sonny Osborne's 1934 Gibson RB-3. We'll break down the specs and differences between these exceptional instruments and provide back-to-back tone samples so you can determine how much banjos have changed over time. Whether you're a banjo enthusiast or a seasoned player, this review offers valuable insights into these remarkable instruments.

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00:00 - Intro
01:21 - Specs
03:41 - History of Sonny's banjo
06:59 - Modern vs Vintage
10:57 - Back to Back Tone Samples
12:12 - Our Conclusions
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[FunsongsMusicByPeterRahill]

"A blind test so that you can see..." Priceless. Preferred the brightness and pop of Banjo B.

[coltknight]

I like Banjo A better, but they both sound fantastic.

[luvbgrass]

Both sound good. But I had no problem picking out the 34". I have been a banjo nerd for a long, long time. LOL There are a lot of good builders out there today though. I've bought and sold way to many.😁😁

[NathanRobinson-cyln]

I honestly guest B. At first I could not tell when it got to higher frets B sounded more like Scruggs. I was only able to tell because I listen to Scruggs about a hour a day. The vintage 35 is by far better price wise.

[harrydeboer]

Both banjo’s are fantastic ! I cannot hear a price difference of 145.000 dollars !

[lfish.]

It’s always hard to tell on a recording. But, Sullivan for sure did an incredible job here and gets you a great sound at an ‘affordable’ price.

[robertbowden]

Without a player playing it, the banjo actually doesn’t have a sound. However, once someone with exceptional skills has learned to draw his or her individual sound from an instrument the differences between good and great instruments tends to narrow down to subtle differences that become more evident to the player than the listener.

[drewbarries]

I chose correctly but that doesn’t mean I thought the original was better, I just thought it sounded a little more dry, which for right or wrong, I equate with older. I do think the Sullivan sounded beautiful and in some ways better.

[rbfour]

Banjo B… the pre war clank is evident. The Sullivan is good, but that clank of the ‘35 RB-3… unmistakable. Love this video! ❤️🪕

[pickngrimace]

I actually liked banjo A (the Sullivan) better (sacrilege, I know) when listening with cheapo desktop monitor speakers. But with headphones, B (the prewar Gibson) sounded better, until nearing the end of the clip, both sounded more similar than they did at the beginning of the recording - or at least B didn't sound as much better than A (with headphones) as it did at the beginning of the clip.

[onlyliberty]

pricewise it is not worth buying a prewar banjo. the Sullivan will most likely sound the same like the Gibson in 10 15 years.

[BlueBanjoGrass]

Banjo B is absolutely the best! No muddy tone and clearer

[coltknight]

As a long time Sullivan fan, I'm very interested in hearing these side by side

[davidbostic]

they both sounded awesome but the guy playing them could make a home made cigar box banjo sound good

[isaiah]

Both banjos were super close on video until they went up the neck. Those pre wars just have that extra punch up the neck that just can’t be obtained by even the highest of quality new production banjos. Especially in person you can just feel the difference besides hearing it.

[Majorbanjo]

Age is some of Earl's best sound/tone came in his 1948 recordings and his banjo wasn't that old at that time....

[davidlee-vmub]

Im convinced that the "prewar sound" comes mostly from the rims/wood that Gibson used back in the 30s and 40s..and was told by a very reliable source that the rims came from trees cut in northern Michigan...and that "dissecting" a prewar tone ring is pretty much a waste of time since the metal content is different after the ring is "cooked" at the foundry, thus there is no real way to know what the specific metal content was before cooking. The tone ring is pretty much only "the icing on the cake" of the total sound anyway.

[banjosandbullets]

Sullivan got close but I could tell right away that b was the old Gibson lol

[BulldoggerJK]

First, it’s concentric rings not consecutive. lol. There’s an interesting video with Gruhn and some other banjo guy talking prewar rings at a banjo camp. A pulley company made them. Every pour would’ve been different. Rings in the same poor would’ve been different. We should be looking for those pulleys to melt down for rings. I played 6 pre wars at Gruhn’s and they were all duds. Same with some of the old mandos and guitars. Surprisingly, Gruhn said the same thing. There’s just some magic in some of them. Same with new. All that said, I liked Aaron’s better. Congrats to him for owning that banjo. Freaking awesome.

[JohnMcGlothlin-lj]

Both sound nice but I can definitely hear a difference and feel the vintage Gibson has a richer, fuller sound. The Sullivan doesn't have quite the sustain and is a bit more brittle, metallic.