Great banjo
"Beautiful instrument and fun to play."
The familiar rich dark brown stain, planetary tuning pegs and the addition of 5th string spikes at frets 7, 9, 10 for alternate tunings allows this light weight maple banjo to exceed the features customers wanted and needed. The violin-grade maple rim is made of the same wood used on the professional level Deering models and gives the Goodtime banjo a rich, full, round note distinction.
Lightweight enough to travel with, convenient enough to keep by your easy chair at home, the Goodtime Artisan is great for hours of practice with a neck that is both comfortable to play and accurate to fret. This Goodtime banjo is not only beautiful to look at but will bring you hours of musical enjoyment.
Watch the videos below!
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: 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: 11"
Tone Ring:
Head: 11" Frosted Top High Crown
Tension Hoop: Beveled Steel Tension Hoop
Hooks & Nuts: 16 Flat J-Hooks with 9/32″ 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: 11"
Overall Instrument Length: 38"
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: 4.76 / 5 from 25 reviews.
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Review highlights
Reviews
Excellent Banjo
"I got a Deering Artisan open back last year and was pleasantly surprised at the quality and playability of this instrument. I have been playing for 50 years now and I think this goodtime Artisan is an excellent instrument for the beginners, intermediates and even old pros like me. You can't go wrong with this one."
Outstanding
"Fantastic banjo. Order came ahead of expectations. Banjo was wrapped in thick bubble wrap. But more then that, as soon as I opened it up and put some fresh strings on it, the sounds was exactly what I was hoping for. Brilliant tone and resonance. So, after a few months of driving my family crazy with the sound of a cheap banjo, I can now drive them crazy with the sound of a great banjo."
First open back, sounds great,
"First open back, sounds great, excellent quality"
Excellent Banjo!
"Excellent banjo. Lightweight with a tremendous sound. Excellent banjo."
Great customer service!
"Love it!"
Goodtime Artisan Banjo, Money well spent!
"I tried learning on a cheap banjo only to be left frustrated and not being able to stay in tone. After reading reviews and doing some home work, I thought I would give it another try and went with the "Goodtime Artisan" open back. Wow! I Wish I would have bought this banjo sooner! Money well spent! Its plays as well as it looks! I cannot be happier! Thank you for making such a great Banjo Deering!!"
Perfect!
"Just what I expected. Beautiful piece of artistic work that plays great and sounds great! Well done Deering!"
Artisan Goodtime Banjo
"I received my Artisan from the factory via Fed-ex within two weeks of ordering. It arrived in good shape and after tuning I was picking away. Pleased with the tone, this being my first open back banjo. Everything about it is as described on the website. I have only been playing nine months and a fan of old time and Appalachian music and am pleased with my purchase."
A work of art
"I recently bought a new deering artisan banjo, and I FREAKING LOVE IT. It’s more beautiful than the pictures on your website give credit for, and it sounds and plays AMAZING. You guys do amazing work, and I just LOVE playing the new banjo. I had a cheaper one made by dean, and it was terrible to play on, it just didn’t seem to fit my hands and made learning a real chore. It was more frustrating that fun. Your Artisan banjo is an absolute joy to play, and it’s almost like artwork sitting waiting to be played. :o)"
Q&A
- Hello from France ! I have read that the artisan will come with a 12' rim all right, but is there an approximate date and how much would it cost to ship it over to France because I don't think Thomann.de (where I was last week-end to try their banjos - I liked the Americana one) will import them soon ? Thank you !
- You can order the Artisan openback only in 12" rim. At this time we have not put the tooling in place for the resonators and tone rings for 12" rim banjos. Just have your dealer call to order it that way or contact us at the factory. It would be $100 upcharge.
- How much would this cost to send to New Zealand?
- About $150 via USPS.
- What cost would the shipping be to Morrinsville, New Zealand in USD? Does this banjo come with spikes, if not how much extra would that be?
- This banjo does come with spikes. Shipping would be about $150 via USPS.
- What kind of material is used for fingerboard?
- This is our pressure stained Midnight Maple.
- Are the Artisan series going to available 12´´renaissance HEAD Like The Americana good Time?
- Yes, the Artisan Americana comes with the 12" rim.
- I've got a few questions. In the video he mentions these being available in the Americana style. When will those be available and do they come with the renaissance head? If so, how much would the Artisan Americana be with a scooped neck option? If ordered to be shipped internationally to Taiwan with a gig bag, would they ship in separate boxes? Waiting patiently on my next paycheck, and your response. :)
- The Artisan Americana is already available and does come with a renaissance head. The scoop is no charge at this time. The two pieces would ship in one box.
- Do these have a truss rod?
- No, the Goodtime line of banjos (of which the Artisan is the newest member) are made without truss rods. Because the neck and the Midnight maple fingerboard are both the same maple wood, the banjo neck will be stable because the wood will react the same to humidity and dryness. The action can be set on the banjo using the co-ordinator rod in the pot assembly so you you are all set for good action and playing needs. Thanks for asking.
- Are the Artisan series going to available left handed?
- Yes, the Artisans will be available left-handed. These models will be coming off the production line in late April. I have just asked them to list the left-handed option. The tooling will be available for these come the launch on the site. Thank you for asking.
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.
