Submitted by DGriffinEvans (see all reviews from this person) on 6/24/2025

Where Purchased: Willow Guitars (via Reverb)

Year Purchased: 2025
Price Paid: 850 ($US) (bought USED)

Sound

The Gold Tone HM-100 (High Moon) has a 12-inch Renaissance head and rolled brass tone ring. It projects a very nice clawhammer sound. The brass tone ring makes it brighter than wood tone ring, but it is not twangy. After setting it up the sound is well balanced and projects well.

Sound Rating: 10

Setup

I bought the HM-100 used, so I don’t blame Gold Tone or the seller, however, the setup needed some work. The head tension varied between 80 and 90 on the drum dial. The action was much higher than I prefer (about 5 mm at the twelfth fret), with too much relief on the neck. (Fortunately, the truss rod adjustment is in the headstock.) The intonation required a few hours of futzing around - new strings, adjusting head tension, and a new moon-shaped bridge - I was able to set it up just the way I prefer with good intonation. The fret work is very good; frets are well rounded at the edges with no overhang at all. It has a “zero glide nut.”

Setup Rating: 8

Appearance

The High Moon is a very attractive banjo, with some nice details. The crescent moon inlays on the headstock and twelfth fret are a nice touch. It has a bound fretboard (maple binding), a feature that is uncommon in this price range. There are 14 tension hooks, which adds to an old-time appearance. It comes with a maple arm rest.

Appearance Rating: 10

Reliability

This is a solid, well-built instrument that I expect to last for decades.

Reliability Rating: 10

Customer Service

The staff at Willow Guitars were great! I have not interacted with Gold Tone staff, but they have a good reputation.

Customer Service: 10

Components

Gotoh tuning machines are solid. The tension hook nuts do not fit either my 5/16” or 1/4” wrenches, but the banjo did come with a wrench that fits. I ran into a problem with the “Zero Glide Nut” because I put on heavier strings that did not fit into the slots that were cut into the nut. I have nut files, so I widened the string slots, but had to temporarily remove the zero fret to avoid marring it. I like the concept of a zero fret and zero-glide nut is a nice compromise between that and a traditional nut.

Components Rating: 9

Overall Comments

The HM-100 is a very good banjo when setup properly. I paid $850 for a used instrument in excellent condition that just required some patience to setup. I am very happy with the banjo at that price! It is a well-made, attractive, good sounding clawhammer banjo.

Overall Rating: 10