About this banjo The Goodtime Special, renowned for its tone ring and resonator, debuts a revamped aesthetic drawn from the iconic American Art Deco era of the 1920s. This is evident in its unique inlay pattern and meticulous peghead carvings. The hardware proudly dons a striking US Bronze powder finish, which besides being hypoallergenic, remains untarnished. With its steel Goodtime tone ring and resonator, this banjo exudes a sound that’s bright, clear, and resonant – a perfect fit for bluegrass melodies. True to our commitment, this banjo is handcrafted in the U.S.A. by artisans with a deep passion for banjo-making. Whenever you see the word “Special” on the peghead of a Goodtime banjo, it means that the banjo has a Patented “Goodtime Special” tone ring under the hood! The Goodtime Special Tone Ring, all of which are rolled and finished in-house at our San Diego factory, produces a powerfully crisp, bright, sparkling tone. The volume of tone is a wonderful surprise to players who hear each note ring out beautifully, and project forward thanks to the combination of the tone ring and the 3-ply maple resonator, cutting through the mix. In keeping with the Goodtime Blonde Series, the Goodtime Special features a natural blonde maple finish, 14:1 guitar-style tuners, hardwood inlays quiet metal, and US Bronze powder finished hardware. If you’re looking for a professional-grade banjo with serious volume and tone, and you are looking to keep the cost as low as possible, then this is the banjo for you. The Goodtime Special banjo will perform well in a jam session, band setting, or in a recording studio. It will feel comfortable, fret correctly, and be a stable instrument you can play for years to come. This is a fantastic banjo for bluegrass banjo playing. Banjo Specifications NECK: Neck Wood: Rock Maple Neck Shape: Comfortable “D” Shape Stain: None Finish: Satin Nut Width: 1 1/4″ Nut Material: Lexan Polycarbonate Tuners: Sealed Geared Tuners 5th String Tuner: Goodtime Geared 5th String Tuner Frets: 22 Pressed In Nickel Silver Frets POT: Rim: 3-Ply Violin Grade Maple Rim Diameter: 11″ Tone Ring: Patented Goodtime Special Steel Tone Ring Head: 11″ Top Frosted High Crown Tension Hoop: Beveled Steel Tension Hoop Hooks & Nuts: 16 Flat J-Hooks and 9/32″ Hex Nuts Flange: Two Piece Goodtime Series Flange Armrest: Goodtime Armrest Hardware Plating: US Bronze Powder Finish Tailpiece: Deering Patented Goodtime Tailpiece Finish: Hand Rubbed Polyurethane with Carnuba Wax Finish DIMENSIONS Neck Width at the Nut: 1 1/4″ Scale Length Nut to Bridge: 26 1/4″ Rim Diameter: 11″ Overall Instrument Length: 38″ Weight Approx.: 5.5 lbs RESONATOR Resonator Wood: 3-Ply Poplar/Poplar/Maple Resonator Finish: Satin Resonator Sidewalls: Straight Resonator Diameter: 13 7/8″ Resonator Stain: None STRINGS Comes strung with Deering Light Gauge Strings String gauges: 10, 11, 13, 21w, 10 TUNED: Comes tuned: G, D, G, B, D Can easily be tuned in other tunings as well. CASE: Gig bags and hardshell cases available for purchase. WARRANTY: The trust and pride we share in our product gives us the confidence to grant every owner of a Goodtime banjo a Six Year Warranty ensuring the quality of our materials and workmanship. Free Shipping We offer free shipping on orders over $199 that are shipped to an address in the Continental United States. Competitive worldwide rates. Banjo Experts We are banjo experts and more importantly banjo players too! We are ready to answer your pre-purchase questions and support you beyond your purchase. Easy Returns We offer a 30-day return policy and 60-day exchange policy. More details are available on our customer service page. Extras when you buy from Banjo.com FREE PROFESSIONAL SETUP Every banjo is carefully setup before shipping saving you from the "some assembly required" hassle. FREE RAILROAD SPIKES Also know as the 5th string capo, we recommend installing spikes on the 7th & 9th frets. This is a free service we include for all 5-string banjo purchases. Click to read more. WARRANTY Used banjos: Lifetime structural warranty for the original purchaser (excludes heads, bridges, strings, and fret wear). Receipt required.New banjos: Manufacturer’s warranty applies. Not sure where to begin? We covered the basics in this short guide to buying your first banjo. Still not sure? Send us a note or give us a call and we'll help you make the best decision. Free Download Email Address* First Name* I would recommend them to anyone and everyone Fantastic banjos sold by fantastic people. I have bought two banjos from Banjo.com and about to buy my third from them. These guys are just great people to go business with; knowledge, banjo players themselves, and just super nice. I do business with them because they are not just looking to sell my any banjo. They provide great input based upon what I want and need; not just what cost the most. I would recommend them to anyone and everyone interested in getting a banjo. Eric Reese Highly recommend them to others Barry at Banjo.com helped me make a great choice on purchasing a new banjo. He answered my emails and phone calls promptly. After a few conversations I went with his newly designed Bish Line Coal Dust. I ordered it and he kept me updated on its progress. It arrived in perfect condition and it's even nicer than he described. I will keep Banjo.com at the top of my list for any future purchases and would highly recommend them to others. Thank you again to Barry and his staff. Tim Coyne I couldn't be more pleased with this lovely instrument and the customer service I recently purchased a Deering Sierra mahogany open back banjo from Banjo.com. Since I live in north Georgia, only two and one-half hours from the home of Banjo.com, I was able to visit the Banjo Barn where Barry give me the opportunity to "test drive" several banjos and he assisted me in narrowing down to my final choice. I must say, I couldn't be more pleased with this lovely instrument and the customer service I received from Barry and Banjo.com. Thank you! Sam Gullion READ MORE REVIEWS Barry Waldrep Owner, Banjo.com The owner of Banjo.com is professional musician Barry Waldrep. Barry has toured professionally for the past 30 years. Raised on traditional Bluegrass, and a forerunner on the Jam Band circuit. He has toured and recorded with many artists such as The Zac Brown Band, Randy Travis, Joey & Rory and also has performed with bluegrass greats like John Cowan, Tony Trischka, Scott Vestal & Tony Rice. Read more. Have a question about an instrument? Name Phone Email —Please choose an option—Check status of banjo order, general inquiriesBanjo sales, repairs, & consignmentParts & Accessories order status and sales How can we help? Ex: Order number, Banjo model, etc. Please send us a few details 0% Financing We offer financing through Affirm and PayPal with rates as low as 0%. Terms and conditions are determined by the financing institution, not Banjo.com. Major Credit & Debit Cards We accept all major credit and debit cards. We never store your payment information, all transactions are securely processed. PayPal Use available funds funds in your PayPal account or choose to use PayPal financing. The web's most trusted payment option. Railroad Spikes We can add these as a free service when you purchase a banjo from us. When you add this banjo to your cart just select that you want the capos. What is this? When you use a standard capo on your banjo fretboard, fretting strings 1 through 4, you’ll need to capo the 5th string separately. The 5th string starts at the 5th fret. If your standard capo is on the 2nd fret, you also need to capo the 5th string two frets higher, at the 7th fret. We recommend installing railroad spike capos on frets 7 and 9 (A and B). We install them on the fretboard just under the 5th string, an idea that was developed and used by Earl Scruggs himself. We use them, and so do most of the professional players we know. When you’re playing, you don’t really notice the spikes because they’re out of the way, but they’re always there when you need them. Simply slide the 5th string under the spike. When you’re done, slide it out.
