In the 10 years since its release, the Americana has cemented itself as a firm favorite for players looking for a warmer, deeper tone, thanks to its wider 12" rim.
Think of the rim as a speaker cone. Bass speakers tend to be wider, for lower frequencies, whereas mid and high-frequency speakers tend to be smaller. The bano head works in a similar way, giving the Americana a stronger bass response and a much fuller and warmer tone.
This is further enhanced by the addition of a 12” renaissance head which beautifully complements the banjo both visually and sonically while offering a warmer tonal color to the more common white frosted top heads.
Made in America and built around the long standing Goodtime Principles, the Americana is a superb option for clawhammer players and beginners alike.
The Goodtime Americana Deco retains the distinctive natural blonde Goodtime aesthetics and features 14:1 guitar style tuners, and a rock maple neck, but now features US Bronze powder finished hardware, and new Art Deco inspired hardwood inlays.
Played with an old time style technique, the 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.
The wonderfully laid back sound of the Americana lends itself perfectly for musicians looking to use the banjo to back up a vocalist or another instrument, instead of playing the lead instrument role.
Neck Wood: Rock Maple
Neck Shape: Comfortable "D" Shape
Stain: Natural Maple
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
Inlays: Hardwood Art Deco Inspired Inlays
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 with 9/32″ Nuts
Armrest: US Bronze Powder Finished Goodtime Armrest
Hardware Plating: US Bronze Powder Finish
Bridge: 5/8" Goodtime Smile Bridge
Tailpiece: Deering Patented Goodtime Tailpiece
Finish: Hand Rubbed Polyurethane with Carnuba Wax Finish
Neck Width at the Nut: 1 1/4"
Scale Length Nut to Bridge: 26 1/4"
Rim Diameter: 12"
Overall Instrument Length: 37 1/2"
Weight Approx.: 4.5 lbs
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.
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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.
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.
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.