"Came in without any issues very happy with the shipping time and quality of the packing. Very good instrument!"
Played with an old time style technique, the Goodtime Artisan Americana is reminiscent of banjos from a period when larger rims were more prevalent which makes the 12” a great setup for playing old time music. A traditional 11” banjo with a frosted top head has a far brighter sound and will “cut” more. Since the combination of the Grand 12” rim and the Renaissance head makes for a wonderfully laid back sound in comparison, the Americana lends itself perfectly for musicians looking to use the banjo to back up a vocalist or another instrument, instead of playing the a lead instrument role.
The stunning new Artisan Goodtime banjos embodies Greg Deering’s lifelong vision for the Deering Banjo Company – to make the best sounding, best playing, best looking, and best value U.S.A. made banjo that he possibly could. It is a never ending quest that Deering pursues every single day.
Specifications
Specifications
Specs
Neck
Neck Wood: Rock Maple
Neck Shape: Comfortable "D" Shape
Stain: Dark Red Mahogany
Finish: Satin
Nut Width: 1 1/4"
Nut Material: Lexan Polycarbonate
Tuners: Goodtime Planetary Tuners
5th String Tuner: Goodtime Geared 5th String Tuner
Frets: 22 Pressed In Nickel Silver Frets
Inlays: Vintage Artisan Style Inlays
Specs
Pot
Rim: 3-Ply Violin Grade Maple
Rim Diameter: 12"
Tone Ring:
Head: 12″ Renaissance Medium Crown
Tension Hoop: Beveled Steel Tension Hoop
Hooks & Nuts: 16 Flat J-Hooks and 9/32" Hex Nuts
Armrest: Goodtime Armrest
Hardware Plating: Nickel
Bridge: 5/8" Goodtime Smile Bridge
Tailpiece: Deering Patented Goodtime Tailpiece
Finish: Hand Finished Satin Polyurethane
Specs
Dimensions
Neck Width at the Nut: 1 1/4"
Scale Length Nut to Bridge: 26 1/4"
Rim Diameter: 12"
Overall Instrument Length: 37 3/4"
Weight Approx.: 4.5 lbs
Specs
Warranty
The trust and pride we share in our product gives us the confidence to grant every owner of a Goodtime banjo an Eight Year Warranty ensuring the quality of our materials and workmanship.
Click below for more information.
Specs
Strings, Tuning, Etc.
Comes strung with Deering Light Gauge Strings
String gauges: 10, 11, 13, 21w, 10
Comes tuned: G, D, G, B, D
Can easily be tuned in other tunings as well.
Gig bags and hardshell cases available below.
Overall rating: 4.6551723 / 5 from 29 reviews.
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Review highlights
Reviews
Awesome! Quality instrument, fantastic customer
"Awesome! Quality instrument, fantastic customer service. Love it!!"
Trials
"I, too, like Bill S. thought medium gauge strings would work well. However the factory recommends light gauge as there is only 1 truss rod. I've been playing mine for a couple of months & I love it like I love my dog Robb! I finger pick and I can play without picks on this banjo, no problem. A hard bluegrass banjo it's not. It is gentle, sweet and responsive and worth every penny. Get the hardshell case. It's worthy. I'm going to be in California in a couple of months and I plan to book a tour at Deering. Can't wait!"
New open-back Artisan
"Excellent quality. Love the “looks”, the only thing is I might change the light strings it came with to medium because I prefer the feel and sound the medium strings produce."
"Exactly what I wanted, better than ecpected"
Seasoned Banjo Player
"I just ordered the Americana and I can't hardly wait till I get it. I'm frequently checking my email to find when it's shipped. It seems many players frail or drop claw hammer with this banjo. I learnt to pick Scrugg's style with finger picks around 1977. I have what I call a concert banjo with a resonator and also an open back beginners banjo. Over a couple of years I drifted into primarily playing the open back without picks. I was wanting a Hartford banjo, and I could afford it, but I realized that after all these years an open back played without picks is my principle banjo. I won't lie, I've thought since about 1977 that I should have my own signature banjo. I can't believe how blind and arrogant I've been. Like the man said, "it ain't braggin if you can do it. " At this stage, if I ain't done it, I might as well just enjoy the h-e- double-hockysticks out of it while I am still able, and just play what I feel on this banjo which I know is going to be a fantastic life changer. I saw John Hartford with Steve Goodman shortly before Steve died when they performed at the college in Ft. Collins. That was life changing. I regret that I kind of heckled John, unintendedly. SORRY! I was, in part, drawn to learn more about Deering banjos when I found out John had a signature Deering banjo."
Wish I hadn’t bought it.
"First, this was an impulse buy at the IBMA show in September 2024 in Raleigh, NC. I already had a Goodtime II of an early design, i.e, Gumby headstock but wanted a 12” open back. The price was right, and the Deering sales associate was very kind. When I came home with the Americana, I quickly realized what I couldn’t hear over the din of the IBMA convention hall: The banjo was tinny and unpleasant sounding, particularly in the treble. I’ve tried tightening and loosening the strings, replacing the strings, stuffing the pot, but still not much improvement. The tuners don’t hold pitch very well, so the banjo goes out of tune quickly. The railroad spikes are too close to the soundboard and hard to get the fifth string under. All in all, it’s a mediocre sounding instrument, not comfortable to play, but attractive to the eye. Though older, my Goodtime II is better constructed and better playing. I should have passed on the Americana."
I am truly impressed!
"I wanted to learn to play old-time, two-finger banjo, and as a lefty, there aren't many choices for left-handed banjos. So I ordered one from a well-respected builder, and when it arrived, I was quite disappointed. It seems like the builder doesn't have much experience building lefty banjos, there were a number of build quality issues, so I returned it. I ordered a lefty Americana; I didn't expect a "custom" built banjo, but when it arrived, I was shocked at how much better this "factory-built" banjo was than the custom-built one. The fit and finish are flawless. Everything was set up perfectly, and I couldn't be happier. I made some upgrades to it, i.e., raw brass grooved tension hoop, Gotoh tuners, and other cosmetic changes, but I feel that at the price point of the Goodtime Americana, there isn't a banjo made in the US that can come even close to the quality of my Deering. Hats off to the team at Deering; you have a customer for life!"
Even Better
"I really liked this banjo's balanced tone when I first got it.Thanks to a quick Deering modification, I think it now sounds closer to a banjo twice it's cost. I swapped the Goodtime Tailpiece for a Deering Knotless Tailpiece, switched to a heavy crescent compensated bridge, and use a light set of strings with a thicker bronze fourth string. These changes amplified the volume of the 12" pot and further deepened the tone range into the warmer, lower pitches.By the way, did anyone notice that Americana Music Award Winner Allison Russell plays this banjo?"
Awesome Deering Banjo!!!
"Great!! Always a pleasure to work with Janet. Awesome to buy an American made banjo of great quality!! Nothing compares to the quality of a Deering Banjo!! I wouldn't be caught behind a foreign made banjo. All around Great experience buying from Deering Banjo Company."
Q&A
- Does this banjo have a tone ring? It lists "tone ring" followed by a blank space. I'm looking for an open-back with a metal tone ring. Thank you.
- Hello, this banjo does not have a tone ring.
- Does this 12" come with spikes at 7, 9 and 10?
- Yes, the Artisan Americana comes with spikes installed at 7, 9, and 10.
- Can I use medium gage strings on this banjo? Will it hurt the neck if I do?
- No, please stay with light gauge strings as the banjo does not have a truss rod in the neck.
- Is the Artisan Americana available left-handed?
- Yes, we make them left-handed.
Why A Goodtime Banjo
Why A Goodtime Banjo
The Pot
1. DEERING GOODTIME SMILE BRIDGE
The responsive sensitivity of the maple, with the hard, dense ebony top contributes to the Goodtime banjos clear, resonant responsiveness.
2. QUIET TAILPIECE
Specially selected metal is used to prevent the tailpiece from making “its own sound” and muddying up the banjo’s tone. The violin maple rim is supposed to sing, not your tailpiece.
3. STABILITY ENHANCING J-HOOKS
The proprietary Deering J-hooks are wider at the top to prevent twisting off the tension hoop when tightening the banjo head.
4. QUIET COORDINATOR ROD
Made of special alloy that is strong and does not interfere with the singing resonance of the violin maple rim.
5. 3-PLY VIOLIN GRADE MAPLE RIM
The maple in the Goodtime rim is the exact wood used in the finest violins in the world. Only Deering puts this professional grade 3-ply maple rim in a banjo in this price range.
The Neck
6. SEALED GEARED TUNERS
Five high quality geared tuning machines make tuning the Goodtime banjo easy, accurate and fun. Too many student banjos are cursed with poor quality tuners, so the students blame themselves for an out of tune banjo when it’s the tuner that is at fault.
7. ROCK MAPLE NECK
This fine grained, dense, extremely hard, wood creates a stable neck, and imparts a bright, crisp quality to the Goodtime banjo tone.
