As to the question of whether George played the commemorative banjo to help market the set, I'd probably have to say no. I think the main factor in any of those commemorative instruments being used on stage was that they are darned fine instruments. I've never played one of the tenors, but I've played several of the D-28's, and they were all gems, with only one exception. One fellow brought his to have it played in the show and we had to do quite a bit of work on the saddle to get it to play right. One of a kind. Before the long neck George played (and still does occasionally) a Gibson RB-???. (I'm not good with model numbers). It's gold plated, loud and heavy! It's a wonderful bluegrass banjo, but I really prefer an open back for the stuff we did. The only thing we ever did with the open-tuned long neck was "Long Black Veil," as Vance mentioned below. I have no idea why Dave ever went for the long neck - I don't recall ever seeing him play it open. I think he just enjoyed bashing Shane in the face with it. As to the question of the tuners - I don't know. Personally I prefer the back-mounted tuners to the side-mounted ones. I've always associated the side tuners with cheap banjos. All my Vegas have had the traditional back-side tuners, so I associate those with quality. Go figger! As for my limited banjo performances with The Trio, when I first joined the group I used to play my "Down Yonder" medley occasionally during my solo slot. It's a plectrum show-piece that includes "Down Yonder", "Waitin' For The Robert E. Lee", "Alabamy Bound", "Camptown Races" and "Dixie". I think it's recorded on a Brothers Four album - can't think which one. I also recorded it on one of my Banjo King albums. I later started playing banjo on "To Morrow", "New York Girls" and "Worried Man" - the infamous 3-banjo version. When I could, I enjoyed having my 1928 Vega Tub-a-fone Plectrum with me, but it wasn't often practical to travel with it. Especially after the airlines started cracking down on carrying instruments on board - that's one I would never trust to the baggage handlers! Thanks for your comments about my site! Keep visiting - I enjoy sharing what I can and it's great to keep in touch with all the wonderful folks I've met during my travels!
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