Banjo
Gibson RB-250
Price: 33 EUR – 2.644 EUR
Price history
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Most expensive seen
Availability: 6/10 (Common)
A working-musician's Mastertone built from 1954 until Gibson's Nashville flood destroyed its banjo shop in 2010: mahogany neck with bowtie inlays, maple rim, and a flathead tone ring for classic Gibson snap.
About the Gibson RB-250
The RB-250 was essentially Gibson's RB-3 (a Mastertone model with wreath fingerboard inlay) minus the fancier wreath pattern, using bowtie inlays on an ebony fingerboard instead - a cosmetic downgrade from the flagship model rather than a difference in tonal engineering. A 5/8-inch maple rim carries a factory-installed Kulesh flathead tone ring, the flat-topped tone-ring style associated with the bright, cutting "Gibson snap" bluegrass players prize, as opposed to the mellower archtop tone rings on other makers' instruments.
Construction includes an 11-inch head with 24 lugs on a nickel tension hoop, nickel arm rest and tailpiece, and a one-piece flange. Through the 1980s, Gibson standardized the flathead tone ring plus a one-piece zinc flange and Presto tailpiece across the RB-3, RB-250 and Earl Scruggs models, making later production years closer replicas of the vintage pre-war originals than earlier post-war examples had been.
Where to buy
Platforms
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Reverb 1966 Gibson Guitars Color Promotional Ad Framed RB-800, RB-250 & RB 100 5 String Banjos Original 33 EUR Best price View details
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Reverb 1984 Gibson Banjos Dealer Promotional Ad Framed Standard Models JD Crowe, Granada, RB-250, RB-3 & 4 39 EUR View details
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Reverb Vintage Gibson RB-250 Mastertone 5-String Banjo with Pickup & Capo w/ Case 1.863 EUR View details
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eBay Gibson RB-250 Mastertone 5-Saiter Banjo 1974-75 2.164 EUR View details
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eBay Gibson RB-250 (Nr261019) 2.276 EUR View details
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eBay Gibson RB-250 Mastertone 1981 5-Saiter Banjo 2.520 EUR View details
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eBay Gibson RB-250 Mastertone 5-Saiter Banjo 1981 mit OHSC USA Vintage 2.644 EUR View details
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eBay Gibson RB-250 Mastertone 1981 5-String Banjo Original Case USA 2.644 EUR View details
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Source: https://reverb.com/item/97165258-1979-gibson-mastertone-rb-250
Sound character of the Gibson RB-250
The RB-250 carries Gibson's Kulesh flathead tone ring, the flat-topped bronze-alloy ring design (as opposed to an arch-top ring) that came to define the classic Mastertone bluegrass sound - slightly rounder and warmer than an arch-top ring while still highly resonant and loud. Its mahogany neck adds a touch of midrange warmth against the bright ring and maple rim.
Technical data for the Gibson RB-250
| Rim | 5/8" maple |
|---|---|
| Tone ring | Kulesh flathead |
| Neck | Mahogany |
| Fretboard | Ebony, bowtie inlays |
| Head | 11", 24 lugs |
| Produced | 1954-2010 |
Price history for the Gibson RB-250
Cheapest seen: 33 EUR · Most expensive seen: 2.644 EUR
Cheapest seen
Most expensive seen
The history of the Gibson RB-250
Gibson built the RB-250 continuously from 1954 (with roots back to 1949) until the 2010 Nashville flood destroyed the company's banjo manufacturing facility, making it one of the longest-running Mastertone models and the standard working banjo for professional bluegrass players who didn't own an actual pre-war flathead original.
