Joe the banjo guy - Posted - 05/23/2026:  04:26:38

Greetings hangout, it's been awhile since I've spent time here!



My main gigging instrument (gold star) is getting to the point where it either needs some tlc from a luthier or I need to invest in a new one.



I don't even really know what the options are anymore. Did i hear RK went caput? I know Ome got sold off to gold tone, and Arthur Hatfield passed away. Who is still making pro level reso banjos? l know gold tone, deering, bishline, i assume saga still makes gold star...are huber and yates still in the game (not that i could afford one)? Any other makers or companies I should check out?

Edited by - Joe the banjo guy on 05/23/2026 04:27:25

jonc - Posted - 05/23/2026:  05:17:18

Sullivan also

localhost - Posted - 05/23/2026:  05:22:55

Nechville

martyjoe - Posted - 05/23/2026:  05:24:26

Hunter Lemon.

Will Frady - Posted - 05/23/2026:  05:30:10

Frank and Ricky Neat in Russell Springs Kentucky!!!!

asmcsgac - Posted - 05/23/2026:  06:42:21

Tim Davis

Brian Murphy - Posted - 05/23/2026:  07:50:50

Your dollar will go a lot further buying used. There are good deals here in the Classifieds. Do you have a budget or range? In terms of tuneups, there are plenty of people who do this well. You could reach out to Richie Dotson, who can tell you what all would be involved.  He does excellent work.

The Old Timer - Posted - 05/23/2026:  08:56:54

Ceres is making nice American Masterclones too.

localhost - Posted - 05/23/2026:  09:37:31

Capek

pinenut - Posted - 05/23/2026:  09:45:02

quote:

---

Originally posted by Brian Murphy

Your dollar will go a lot further buying used. There are good deals here in the Classifieds. Do you have a budget or range? In terms of tuneups, there are plenty of people who do this well. You could reach out to Richie Dotson, who can tell you what all would be involved.  He does excellent work.

---

+1

The bulk of 'used' banjos are 'closet queens' with very little actual use time.  Throw a rock at most-any top tier modern 'used' banjo and get it for a price similar to a mid-level new banjo. 

Edited by - pinenut on 05/23/2026 09:48:55

Old Hickory - Posted - 05/23/2026:  09:50:28

quote:

---

Originally posted by Joe the banjo guy

Did i hear RK went caput? 

---

Can't say what you heard. But that's not exactly what happened.

Who went kaput was The Music Link, the previous distributor for Recording King.  St. Louis Music then acquired distribution rights.  Some online retailers show new Recording King banjos in stock. If these were made after August 2025 or are old new stock, I don't know. The Recording King webiste, however, no longer exists.

Some reporting on the transition to St Louis Music included discussion of quality control issues with Recording King instruments in the months (or year?) leading up to that. It was also rumored that the first shipment of guitars after the transition was rejected. 

You're probably aware that Greg Rich, US-based designer of Recording King banjos, left Recording King and became a consultant to Gold Tone. He's involved in banjo design for them and even personally doing some engraving. In the past year, Gold Tone has really upped their game. Everything released since the OB-150, OB-3 "Twanger," and OB-Bela "Bluegrass Heart" banjos looks so much better than the previous OB-250. They now have several other models of flathead banjos in the OB line, including a walnut top tension. I think they have too many different models, but what do I know. So something there might be worth considering.

Anyway, others here have listed just about everyone that's making banjos today. I think Prucha and Capek in the Czech Republic haven't been mentioned yet. Alison Brown plays at least one Prucha and Ned Luberecki plays a Capek. They even have a "Nedski" model.

So your ultimate choice comes down to what you're looking for and how much you'd like to spend.

Along those lines, Brian's suggestion to look at used instruments is worth considering. I think now that the pandemic wave of new and used instrument sales is over (fueled by buyers taking up music while quarantining), we're back to a healthy buyer's market with good supply and mostly reasonable asking prices.

So do scroll through the Hangout Classifieds to get an idea of what's out there. Also check Reverb, where a lot of bricks-and-mortar music shops maintain their online presence.

And most of all, have fun shopping.

Edited to update: Capek was mentioned in the time I was offline writing this.

Edited by - Old Hickory on 05/23/2026 09:52:03

RDP - Posted - 05/23/2026:  13:26:58

The last actual new banjo I bought was a Gibson Earl Scruggs with D tuners. So that been around 26 years ago. However that said my favorite banjo to play is a gold star GF-85. It’s got that cutting sound that I looked for. I say a gold star is hard to beat for value and playing around with.

Edited by - RDP on 05/23/2026 13:28:21

GeoffHohwaldBanjoWarehouse - Posted - 05/23/2026:  14:49:03

St. Louis Music hasn't released anything under the "Recording King" name since they purchased it. All of the "new" Recording King stock is really new-old stock from March 2025 forward. We still have around a dozen Recording King pieces in stock from our last order and some of them do indeed have quality control issues which has made selling them challenging. 

quote:Originally posted by Old Hickoryquote:Originally posted by Joe the banjo guyDid i hear RK went caput? Can't say what you heard. But that's not exactly what happened.



Who went kaput was The Music Link, the previous distributor for Recording King. St. Louis Music then acquired distribution rights. Some online retailers show new Recording King banjos in stock. If these were made after August 2025 or are old new stock, I don't know. The Recording King webiste, however, no longer exists.



Some reporting on the transition to St Louis Music included discussion of quality control issues with Recording King instruments in the months (or year?) leading up to that. It was also rumored that the first shipment of guitars after the transition was rejected.



You're probably aware that Greg Rich, US-based designer of Recording King banjos, left Recording King and became a consultant to Gold Tone. He's involved in banjo design for them and even personally doing some engraving. In the past year, Gold Tone has really upped their game. Everything released since the OB-150, OB-3 "Twanger," and OB-Bela "Bluegrass Heart" banjos looks so much better than the previous OB-250. They now have several other models of flathead banjos in the OB line, including a walnut top tension. I think they have too many different models, but what do I know. So something there might be worth considering.



Anyway, others here have listed just about everyone that's making banjos today. I think Prucha and Capek in the Czech Republic haven't been mentioned yet. Alison Brown plays at least one Prucha and Ned Luberecki plays a Capek. They even have a "Nedski" model.



So your ultimate choice comes down to what you're looking for and how much you'd like to spend.



Along those lines, Brian's suggestion to look at used instruments is worth considering. I think now that the pandemic wave of new and used instrument sales is over (fueled by buyers taking up music while quarantining), we're back to a healthy buyer's market with good supply and mostly reasonable asking prices.



So do scroll through the Hangout Classifieds to get an idea of what's out there. Also check Reverb, where a lot of bricks-and-mortar music shops maintain their online presence.



And most of all, have fun shopping.







Edited to update: Capek was mentioned in the time I was offline writing this.

 

hkeesy - Posted - 05/23/2026:  16:19:31

Really hated to learn about Arthur Hatfield.

lazyarcher - Posted - 05/24/2026:  08:12:07

If you're looking for a top tier quality banjo with fit and finish that is some of the best Ive seen, buy a Tim Davis banjo. Not only is the quality and construction outstanding, but the tone of these instruments blew me away...and they're made in North America!!!!

J.Albert - Posted - 05/24/2026:  13:34:20

What's specifically wrong with your Gold Star that needs fixin' ???

(inquiring minds want to know...)

Frankie5 - Posted - 05/24/2026:  17:43:53

Here’s a vote for Bishline Banjos made in Tulsa. Rob Bishline is a great guy and makes outstanding banjos.