56:
20:
109:. David L. Day, who had been the chief acoustical designer at Fairbanks, became general manager of the Vega stringed instrument division and continued to develop innovative and successful banjo designs. For example, the Vega Tu-ba-Phone, which first appeared in 1909, featured a perforated metal tone ring—a ring-shaped, square-sectioned metal tube that lay between the instrument's wooden rim and calfskin head. The Tu-ba-Phone tone ring provided a volume and tone still admired by many banjo players.
139:. In 1909, Vega purchased the Standard Band Instrument Company of Boston incorporating their line of horns. This company had previously operated under names including Quinby Brothers, Hall & Quinby, Hall Quinby Wright Company, and others. It had been founded in 1861 by David Hall, a band leader, bugle player and instrument maker. The name Wright came from E.G. Wright whose E.G Wright and Company merged with other investors to create the
76:
158:
purchased Vega in the hope of capitalizing on the popularity of Vega's banjos among folk musicians. Under the Vega name, Martin produced guitars with the Vega logo on their headstocks in a
Netherlands guitar factory (and probably others), usually with a label referencing "C.F. Martin Organization."
146:
Vega also produced high quality guitars. In the 1930s, the company built archtop guitars with backs and tops carved in the manner of violins. These became especially popular with jazz musicians. Eventually they produced electrified versions of these guitars. They also produced a guitar with a
185:, they enjoyed a comfortable niche in the professional market. However, producing handcrafted professional horns without keeping an eye to increasing demand for student instruments, and with aging artisans retiring, the company dropped horn production to concentrate on stringed instruments.
35:, in 1881. The company began under Swedish-born Julius Nelson, his brother Carl, and a group of associates that included John Pahn and John Swenson. The founders had previously worked for a guitar shop run by Pehr Anderberg that made instruments for John C. Haynes, another
180:
Vega trumpets and cornets were on par with the highest quality brass horns of their time. Popular with jazz artists as well as later big bands and solo artists such as Miles Davis, who performed on the Vega Power Model before he endorsed the
147:
longitudinal bulge along its back, like the company's cylinder-back mandolins, and a similar longitudinal bulge along its top. The top bulge is reminiscent of the design used on Howe-Orme instruments—from another Boston firm, the
46:
Company, which made bowl-back mandolins, guitars, and several types of banjos. The emphasis remained true to Vega's origins, however, with about 60% of business centered on stringed instruments and 40% on brass.
257:
39:. Nelson had served as foreman of guitar and mandolin manufacturing at Anderberg's shop. Subsequently, Julius and Carl Nelson bought out the other founding associates and established the Vega company.
42:
In 1904, Vega acquired the instrument manufacturing firm (primarily building banjos) previously operated by A. C. Fairbanks. Vega also acquired the plectrum instrument division of Boston's
151:. Vega also produced two successful lines of Hawaiian, or lap steel, guitars: The Vega Commander, and its top-of-the-line Triumphal which featured a lap as well as a console version.
154:
As the 1940s and 1950s unfolded, the quality of Vega instruments declined and it became clear that the company's most innovative and productive years had passed. In the 1970s, the
143:
in 1869. Wright was briefly a partner in the company between 1870 and his death. Vega built brass instruments under the Vega and
Standard names well into the 20th century.
267:
173:
Martin also used the Vega name for a line of strings. The Vega name was subsequently licensed to a number of
American and international companies. In 1989, the
159:
These instruments were produced during most of the 1970s. The "netherlands factory" was the Egmond factory which Martin had an agreement with at the time.
252:
177:
purchased the Vega name. They currently produce Vega banjos reminiscent of the instruments Vega made during the 1960s folk revival.
140:
55:
36:
97:. Vega continued to build and sell A.C. Fairbanks banjos after it acquired that company. Vega initially labeled these instruments
162:
Perhaps the most visible Vega instrument in the 1950s and 60s was the long neck 5-string banjo designed and used by folk singer
262:
19:
155:
113:
222:
174:
66:
32:
43:
81:
The bulge on the instrument's back side is visible in this photo of a Vega cylinder-back mandolin.
148:
167:
182:
136:
196:
Contribution to the art of music in
America by the music industries of Boston 1640- 1936.
246:
94:
90:
75:
163:
125:
129:
117:
62:
121:
61:
A Vega ‘’Vegaphone Deluxe’’ banjo (1931) is exhibited in a case of
18:
89:
The Vega
Company is best known today for its banjos, such as the
31:
was a musical instrument manufacturer that started operations in
234:
16:
Former musical instrument manufacturer in Boston, Massachusetts
258:
Musical instrument manufacturing companies based in Boston
203:
America's instrument: The banjo in the nineteenth century.
223:
Horn-u-copia
Internet Forum Catalog of user's instruments
23:
Advertisement for Vega Co., Columbus Avenue, Boston, 1919
205:
Chapel Hill, NC: University of North
Carolina Press.
93:
model they co-developed with famous plectrum player
233:Tom Turner, History of Vega and Standard cornets,
112:Another noteworthy Vega instrument line was the
8:
201:Gura, P. F., & Bollman, J. F. (1999).
166:, and later by several folk groups like
215:
141:Boston Musical Instrument Manufactury
7:
268:1881 establishments in Massachusetts
14:
37:Boston musical instrument company
74:
54:
103:Fairbanks banjo by the Vega Co.
1:
253:Banjo manufacturing companies
135:Vega also produced a line of
235:http://www.trumpetmaster.com
198:New York: H. W. Wilson Co.
284:
105:, then eventually to just
132:and acoustic guitars.
128:, and a small number of
116:family. This included
263:20th century in Boston
194:Ayars, C. M. (1937).
114:cylinder-back mandolin
24:
175:Deering Banjo Company
67:American Banjo Museum
33:Boston, Massachusetts
22:
170:and The Limeliters.
156:C. F. Martin Company
44:Thompson & Odell
101:, then switched to
149:Elias Howe Company
25:
168:The Kingston Trio
137:brass instruments
275:
237:
231:
225:
220:
183:Martin Committee
78:
58:
283:
282:
278:
277:
276:
274:
273:
272:
243:
242:
241:
240:
232:
228:
221:
217:
212:
191:
99:A. C. Fairbanks
88:
86:
85:
84:
83:
82:
79:
71:
70:
59:
17:
12:
11:
5:
281:
279:
271:
270:
265:
260:
255:
245:
244:
239:
238:
226:
214:
213:
211:
208:
207:
206:
199:
190:
187:
80:
73:
72:
65:banjos at the
60:
53:
52:
51:
50:
49:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
280:
269:
266:
264:
261:
259:
256:
254:
251:
250:
248:
236:
230:
227:
224:
219:
216:
209:
204:
200:
197:
193:
192:
188:
186:
184:
178:
176:
171:
169:
165:
160:
157:
152:
150:
144:
142:
138:
133:
131:
127:
123:
119:
115:
110:
108:
104:
100:
96:
95:Eddie Peabody
92:
77:
68:
64:
57:
48:
45:
40:
38:
34:
30:
21:
229:
218:
202:
195:
179:
172:
161:
153:
145:
134:
111:
106:
102:
98:
87:
41:
29:Vega Company
28:
26:
164:Pete Seeger
130:mandobasses
126:mandocellos
247:Categories
189:References
118:mandolins
122:mandolas
63:Jazz Age
91:Vegavox
210:Notes
107:Vega
27:The
249::
124:,
120:,
69:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
