hi Joe Kingston Trio came in the late 50s Pete was playing with the Weavers in the 40s. No Pete was the one who developed the idea, actually heres the story as taken from my website section on the History Of Banjo Players ------------------------------------ Pete plays in a unique style, an up picking method which sounds like a mixture of clawhammer some 3 finger and some plectrum. Early on he played a Standard Orpheum #2, and a standard length old Vega Tubaphone. He had the Orpheum neck "converted" to a long neck, by Marty Cohen in the 50's. It was Marty's idea to add 3 frets instead of just 2 extra. The neck was not very stable. Pete handcarved a neck out of solid lignum vitae and after screwing up the fret scale had John D'Angelico refret it correctly. On the Tubaphone rim, the one Pete usually plays, it has "This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender" written on the head. A quote taken from Woody Guthrie's guitar which had "fascists" instead of "hate".

*The Vega Company presented him with a custom longneck Tubaphone in the late 50's using a 20's vintage Tubaphone Deluxe rim and block inlays on the neck. He had Vega make another with simpler dot inlay and it is the one that became the "icon" for 60's folksingers. ----------------------------- You can read more about banjo players of the 20th century from my website at

There are short bios, pictures and sound clips For additional information on Long Necks you can visit Pete Currys website, theres a link to his page on my links page. Pete was helpfull in correcting a myth concerning Peggy Seegers banjo.

good pickin to you Michael