Banjos

A Vintage brown all wood plectrum banjo that projects a warm round note, the Classic Goodtime 2 Plectrum banjo is great for guitar players who want an easy crossover banjo. It can be tuned like the last 4 strings on a guitar, D,G,B,E and played with the same fingering. Also, for traditional plectrum banjo players who want a lighter instrument this fits the bill with a vibrant tone that will satisfy most any musician. For fun and relaxation, this is a wonderful light weight banjo. Learn More

Special means it has our 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. If you’re looking for a banjo with good volume, tone, and prefer to keep the cost as low as possible, but you want a banjo that will perform well in a jam session or band setting, feel comfortable, fret correctly, then this is your banjo. If you prefer to play clawhammer or frailing style and want that openback sound but still want a louder voice the Goodtime Special Openback is the banjo for you. You get a very affordable quality American made banjo when you choose a Goodtime and you can do just that, play it and have a really good time. Learn More

Irish Tenor, Vintage stained with the patent pending Special tone ring, the Classic Goodtime Special Open Back 17-fret Tenor banjo is bright, loud and snappy. Great for the musician who plays in a band and wants a good traveling banjo of medium weight. Mandolin and violin players will find this banjo fun to play because it is tuned in fifths and chords the same. A pickup can be installed as an optional upgrade. Learn More

Vintage Style with a Special steel patent pending tone ring, the Classic Goodtime Special Plectrum banjo is versatile, played generally with a flat pick, for traditional jazz or Dixieland music. Vintage warm brown stain, planetary tuners and white inlays, it's the kind of banjo you can play in the streets of the French Quarter because it is the right weight to carry easily but heavy enough with the Special tone ring to create a vibrant musical sound. Comfortable and easy to finger, this is a quality banjo you can relax and enjoy playing. Learn More

The Patent Pending Goodtime Special Tone Ring is a new feature released in 2010 on the Goodtime Special banjo. Designed by Deering, the new Goodtime Special tone ring produces a louder, sweeter bell tone, a considerable step up in tone from the original tone ring that was featured on our Goodtime Special banjos. The volume of tone is a wonderful surprise to players who pick up this unassuming Goodtime Special banjo to find a real prize. If you're looking for a banjo with good volume and tone, and prefer to keep the cost as low as possible, then this is the banjo for you. This banjo will perform well in a jam session or band setting, feel comfortable, fret correctly, and be a stable instrument you can play for years to come. Learn More

A Jazz banjo for traveling and having fun, great for kids to learn on as well, the 19-fret tenor Goodtime Special has that bright punchy tone needed for jazz. It is the normal traditional Tenor Size that is commonly played in Dixieland and Traditional Jazz bands. The simple look reflects the fact that all our attention went into the quality design and materials and playability while keeping the cost down and making this instrument in America. This is a louder banjo with the Special Tonering that is built to last, an instrument you can enjoy playing right out of the box and that will hold up for years to come.

The Goodtime Special weighs around 8 lbs as compared with our Deering models which rangea from 9 lbs for a Boston to 11 lbs for a model with a quality Deering bronze tone-ring. With the patent pending Goodtime Special Steel tone ring and you have a banjo with power, sustain, and ring. It's a great sounding tone ring that is made in America with efficiency and economy. The sound is clear, with the Goodtime banjo sweetness and yet, it has a bell-like tone. It can be played very soft and fairly hard and has good balance so you can be heard loud and clear in band.

Learn More

Great for playing melodic jazz leads with our patent pending Special tone ring, this fun Goodtime Special Plectrum banjo has a great voice. You can strum it with a pick, tuned like a guitar D,G,B,E or play it in plectrum tuning C,G,B,D for traditional jazz or Dixieland. Although the plectrum is most commonly used in jazz, it can be played any style. The Kingston Trio featured a plectrum tuned in guitar tuning on their famous song, "Desert Pete" played by Bob Shane. If you are a guitar player this is an easy transition. It all depends on your creativity, anything goes, so have fun with it. Learn More

The Goodtime 2 Zombie Killer Banjo.  Blonde maple neck with engraved hardwood inlays with Zombie killing themes.  The maple resonator is finished to look blood splattered and worn.  

Learn More

The vintage look and vibrant tone of the patent pending Special tone ring set this banjo apart, The Classic Goodtime Special has the look of an older banjo with the rich brown stain, Deering fiddle shaped peghead and planetary banjo tuners. The Classic Special can be heard with a sweet voice amongst all the instruments in a band. Tuned in a G Chord, with the spikes already installed, you can easily play in the keys of A, B or C.

The Classic Goodtime Special is an achievement not only in making a quality banjo but in keeping the cost down and providing an instrument that will stay in tune and perform reliably because it is made out of stable woods by skilled people who know how to make banjos that play right. Made with the best economy at our factory in San Diego area of California, this is a comfortably playable banjo with a wonderfully bright tone.

Learn More