Prewar Gibson Banjo - Terminology

Terminology

Although this term normally refers to World War II, when used to describe Gibson banjos the term prewar operationally refers to banjos made prior to 1947. Production of metal banjo parts was suspended during World War II. However, small numbers of Gibson banjos continued to be constructed and shipped during the war years using stocks of metal parts remaining in factory bins. For that reason, Gibson banjos produced between 1940 and 1945 often reflect creativity of shop personnel rather than standard catalog descriptions. Production of metal banjo parts resumed in the Fall of 1946; however it is commonly believed that the metal composition of foundry products delivered to Gibson after World War II was inferior to that of parts produced prior to 1940. On April 12, 1947 the Gibson Instrument Company changed their corporate logo from script lettering to use of block letters and this change occurred sufficiently close to resumption of banjo output to allow easy identification of prewar and postwar Gibson instruments.