Artist Series

We are proud to announce the release of the Dropkick Murphys Tenor Goodtime banjo. It's an all maple banjo with a hard rock maple neck and a violin grade maple rim for an awesome tone. It's tuned in fifths G,D,A,E just like an octave mandolin so the fingering is easy for mandolin and violin players.

Only a limited run of banjos will be available in this unique Dropkick Murphys design.

"The Goodtime open back is the most affordable Tenor banjo you can get!
It's light and very easy to play which makes it perfect for beginners.

I use it for writing and rehearsal, its' light weight makes it perfect for traveling."

It's never a bad time with a Goodtime..."
Jeff DaRosa - Dropkick Murphys

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We are proud to announce the release of the Dropkick Murphys Tenor Goodtime banjo. It's an all maple banjo with a hard rock maple neck and a violin grade maple rim for an awesome tone. It's tuned in fifths G,D,A,E just like an octave mandolin so the fingering is easy for mandolin and violin players.

Only a limited run of banjos will be available in this unique Dropkick Murphys design.

" My absolute favorite Goodtime is the Goodtime tenor banjo. It's what I've used onstage with DKM. It's wicked light, easy to play and the all wood resonator gives it a sound like a banjo twice its price!"
It's never a bad time with a Goodtime...
Jeff DaRosa - Dropkick Murphys

The Dropkick Murphys Goodtime 2 is twice as loud as the openback model. The resonator on the back creates greater projection of the tone so you get a fantastic sounding banjo! Learn More

The Dropkick Murphys Banjo is a representation of the band with their shield crest of anchors, shamrocks, and leaves on the traditionally shaped banjo headstock. Beautifully inlayed into the fingerboard in Italian Pearloid are the name of the band in Old English lettering, two classic shamrocks and a banner proudly supporting “Boston” at its base. Only the highest quality of curly maple wood is used for the neck and resonator on this model. A special thing about the Dropkick Murphys Model is that it is one of the lightest professional banjos made. Its’ tone ring is made out of grenadillo wood rather than metal. This gives it a bright warm sound and most of all makes it easy to dance with on stage!

This banjo is fitted with a Kavanjo banjo pickup system which allows the banjo to be plugged in and played at screaming volumes without any feedback while still maintaining its acoustic tone.

When Jeff DaRosa, the banjo player of the band, played the very first Dropkick Murphys Deering Banjo he said, “This thing Rules!! This is the best banjo I’ve ever played!”

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John Hartford had always wanted a certain sound in a banjo.  He asked us if we would be willing to make a wood tone ring banjo. We said sure.

He cited that he had a couple of Farland banjos where the wooden rims were capped with a little ebony cap. He really liked the sound of them. Farlands were made about 1900.  So we made several maple rims and we glued one with Brazilian Rosewood, one with South American Rosewood, one with Ebony, and another with East Indian Rosewood as the tone ring. We put these banjos together and sent them to John Hartford.  He played them and evaluated them. Then we did one with Grenadillo, which is a Southern Mexican Rosewood, it comes from the jungles in Southern Mexico. It is very brittle, very hard, but it’s a very good tone wood. It is what marimbas are made out of. They also make clarinets out of it.

John instantly fell in love with the Grenadillo tone ring so that became the standard tone ring in the John Hartford model. 

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Capture the sound of Terry Baucom, nominated as the 2010 IBMA Banjo Player of the Year. Designed with Terry’s hard driving bluegrass style in mind, this incredible banjo has a slightly lighter weight -06- 20 hole Deering tone ring. Terry chose the traditional Deering neck shape because it is comfortable for the fast and accurate fretting demanded by his hard-driving playing style. Set up includes an 11/16” bridge with slightly wider string spacing and a head tuned to A. This magical banjo is loud and resonant, perfect for hard driving bluegrass music and any other style you wish to play on it! Learn More

You get two full scales on the 24 Fret John Hartford Banjo and the added length of the neck moves the bridge to the center of the head giving a more rounded full bodied tone!

The 24 Fret John Hartford model – a new sound in a full bodied banjo that gives you two full scales up the fingerboard. This Hartford has a big round tone that is full bodied with great bass and sweet highs. With the -06 tone ring and 24 frets it has a more distinct bell like ring to it, with the Grenadillo tone ring it has a more woody ringing tone.

Both choices of tone ring give that distinct round and fruity John Hartford style of sound.

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Played with a flat pick, and so called a "plectrum", The Bob Shane 50th Anniversary model celebrates the fact that the banjo music on the famous recording of the song, "Tom Dooley", was actually played by Bob Shane on a plectrum banjo that was tuned like the last four strings of a guitar! A Little known fact.

The Bob Shane Plectrum banjo is a professional grade banjo made beautifully figured natural koa wood buffed to a high gloss. It has a genuine Deering made Vega Tubaphone tone ring made of brass for outstanding quality of tone and projection. The precision Vega style 3-ply Maple Rim, hand fit with a genuine Vega Tubaphone Tone Ring, Brass Bracket Band, Frosted Top Head provides a crisp tone for all styles of music.

This is the perfect cross over banjo for guitar players who want that special banjo tone! Whether you play Kingston Trio style of popular folk music, classical, bluegrass, old fiddle tunes, blues, jazz or compose your own music with this wonderful plectrum banjo you get renowned craftsmanship, and classic tone. Learn More

Tuned in E or capoed in G, and great for deep singing voices, the Kingston Trio Long Neck celebrates the success of one of the longest living popular folk bands. If, like Greg Deering, you first found a love of the banjo from listening to the Kingston Trio, having one of these wonderful banjos makes you a part of something very special. You have a choice of color in selecting your Kingston Trio Long Neck banjo, you also get the beautiful Kingston Trio inlay in the fingerboard as a special commemorative model that celebrates their wonderful music. The curly maple of the neck can be stained according to your color preference like the Vega banjos of Kingston Trio banjoists: George Grove – Rich Brown, John Stewart – Blond, and Dave Guard- Vintage Yellow & Brown.

The Kingston Trio Long Neck is made with Deering's hand made, classic Tubaphone tone-ring. The solid brass bracket band is hand fitted to the three-ply rim. This pot design gives the Kingston Trio Long Neck Banjo a round full tone that sustains with a pure and clear sparkle.

Whether you want to re-create the folk music of the 1960's or musically travel into unexplored banjo territory or simply have a superb instrument to accompany vocals, the Vega Long Neck banjo will provide the versatile, sweet, beautiful banjo voice that has inspired generations of singers and players with its sparkling, deep and full sound; This banjo is one of the true classics of the 20th century and the new millennium. Learn More

An openback banjo with a deeper 4" rim, the depth of a minstrel banjo is what story teller and Grammy award-winner, David Holt has been playing since 1988. Requests for one like his inspired the David Holt Tree of Life model, an open-back banjo with a deeper 4" rim.

This banjo is lighter weight because it has the Grenadillo wood tone ring and no flange nor resonator and so is easy to perform with for hours standing up. The deep 3-ply violin grade maple rim and grenadillo tone ring create a warmth and richness all it's own. It’s great for singing and storytelling. Learn More