5-String Open Back Banjos

This most likely previously four-string tenor has had a conversion to 5-string banjo by way of some ecumenical counseling and also the addition of a newer 5-string neck by Providence Guitar & Banjo.  If one is seeking access to the induplicable sound of a prewar Vega Tubaphone No. 3 but without having to spend the nearly four thousand dollars required to gain entrance to the emporium of ecstasy-effulgent 5-string euphoria, this would unquestionably be the banjo of choice.

South American mahogany neck
Brazilian rosewood or ebony fingerboard and peghead
Simulated tortoise bound open-back rim
Abalone and mother-of-pearl star/moon inlays
Victorian or Scroll peghead shape
Scooped fingerboard
Tung-oil finish
Nickel plated OME metal parts
Hard-shell Case

The Mike Ramsey hand-made “Fairbanks Electric” is modeled after the Albert Conan Fairbanks (the original Conan to achieve vast popularity) late-1800s design. Mike has utilized the Whyte Laydie style tone ring as well as an ebonized wood rim with a standard brown stain wood dowel running through the center.  Said dowel bears the classy, metal “Mike Ramsey, Maker, Pittsboro, N. Carolina” brass plaque.

Paraphrased loosely from the Vega web site with only a small amount of added sarcasm (sorry, can’t help it): The Vega Tu-Ba-Phone tone ring (introduced in 1909) five-string is unquestionably one of the most important musical achievements of the last hundred or so years. Touted by some as the ultimate open-back banjo sound, although Whyte Laydie lovers do take umbrage, it is prized for its full, round and yet sparkling tone and for its depth, responsiveness and power.

Simple lines complement the look of this superb open-back banjo.   Equally simple dowel stick construction with a 12” rim and frailing scoop make this a perfect choice for old time or round peak traditional styles.   This version has the famous Tubaphone tone ring that was invented by the Vega Banjo Company and first utilized in a production instrument back in 1909.   One of the first, and most successful, tone rings of its time the Tubaphone, originally spelled Tu-Ba-Phone predates the Gibson Mastertone tone ring by at least 16 years.  This was $1,747 but is NOW ON SALE.

The Deering website says: Pick it in the parlor, in the park, or any where you go…Deering’s new GoodTime Parlor banjo is light weight and made with a shorter scale to meet a variety of needs for today’s banjo players! Introduced at the industry’s major show in Anaheim recently, the model was very well received by dealers, artists, and other attendees. 

Dowel stick construction without tone ring Cooperman 12" 3-ply Maple rim 25.4" scale length/bone nut/1-5/16" nut width Indian Rosewood cap on bottom of rim/dowel stick/heel cap Ebony 17-fret fingerboard with frailing scoop Mahogany neck w/traditional small peghead shape Nickel plated grooved tension hoop leaf inlay on peghead/Elite Amber head 5-Star Planet tuners/2-way adjustable truss rod brown stain and matte finish overall Tweed hard-shell case.  Our Discount Price is $2,083.00 and Our Cash Discount Price is $2,020.00.

All Exotic Wood Series banjos are naturally colorful- no color staining needed. The rich hues of dark chocolate browns with black grain, the purples, the auburn reddish browns all make these banjos incredibly beautiful. Neck and rim bindings are hand made from the contrasting colorful woods adding an elegant look. The fingerboard inlays are simple cut diamonds in abalone, combined with the peghead inlays of the Balladeer. 

This old time banjo has a walnut neck with a 12" walnut pot, a radiused fingerboard with Saturn and Stars inlay, hand rubbed oil finish, a thumb scoop, removable dowel stick, Renaissance head, exotic wood cap tone ring, a Nechville tailpiece, including a heavy duty hard shell case.

This is the standard description beginner model from Deering, sans tone ring, with a bit of a neck bow, but good sounding and a good banjo to learn on if a person who likes to embrace pain wants to limit the purchase price.  There is no better bargain in an American-made 5-string beginner banjo as this.  All natural maple finish, black dotmarkers, and simple appointments; it is light in weight and functional.   Was $369.  Make us an offer!

Although the Fairbanks and Cole Company predated the solo flight of A. C. himself by 10 years, and in that time the prior partnership built around 15,700 instruments, Mr. Albert Conan Fairbanks went out on his own in 1890. The Whyte Laydie model was introduced in 1901 and then something really bad happened – in March of 1904 the Fairbanks factory had a ferocious fire (factually, a fearsome conflagration). NOW ON SALE!!!  WAS $5213 BUT NOW: 

Mr. Bart Reiter of Hazlett, MI makes professional quality banjos in the prewar tradition. This “Special” model features a rolled brass tone ring, an ebony fingerboard and unusually thick and beautifully carved peghead veneer, a hard maple neck, 9 dotmarker position markers plus a large star at the fifth

Per the Wunderlich website:  William E. Boucher Jr. Of Baltimore, MD was one of the most prolific banjo makers of the mid-19th century. His unique design which involves a vaguely Fender-shaped headstock design and having a skin head on both the front and the back, became the icon of the American banjo in the decades before the American Civil War.

Behold an actualVega Pete Seeger model from the mid to late 1960s, but with no long yellow rectangular paper label inside the rim, which printed and hand-written label contained the serial number and model name. This is a shame, but name or not it is in every way the bona fide famous Pete Seeger model.

What a great sounding traditional banjo! The Classic Goodtime Special Openback is louder than the original Goodtime model because it has the patent pending Goodtime Tone Ring and is great for players who like to jam and want to be heard amongst a crowd. The rich brown stain, planetary tuners, and Deering peghead shape gives the traditional, classic look of a vintage banjo.

The Deering website says: Pick it in the parlor, in the park, or any where you go…Deering’s new GoodTime Parlor banjo is light weight and made with a shorter scale to meet a variety of needs for today’s banjo players! Introduced at the industry’s major show in Anaheim recently, the model was very well received by dealers, artists, and other attendees. 

Special means it has the Deering Patent Pending Goodtime Special Tone Ring - The Goodtime Special Openback banjo produces a louder sweet bell tone than the lowest priced Goodtime Openback because it has a tone ring. Perfect for clawhammer or frailing styles of playing, the volume of tone is a wonderful surprise to players who pick up this unassuming openback banjo to find a real prize.

Deering (new) GoodTime open-back 5-string banjo, satin finish, with a slender, low-profile rock maple neck with a multi-ply birch and maple rim, standard 11” diameter, single coordinator rod and geared tuners, with zipper gigbag. These banjos are the best deal we know of in an entry level instrument. They are made in the USA near San Diego by one of America’s most proficient banjo companies. The Deering List Price for the banjo alone is $499 plus $57 List for the case.

This version of the quintessential prewar original 5-string open back Vega bears the “Fairbanks by” stamp on the dowel that Vega used from 1910 to 1925. There is extensive heel carving, a gryphon, star & acorn inlaid headplate;  the head diameter is 10 15/16” and the scale length is 27 1/8”. This banjo sounds incredibly good – full of acoustic warmth, lush sonority and the magical melodiousness of the Roaring ‘20s.  WAS $4943 BUT NOW ON SALE FOR: