Just an observation on some of the newer Gold Tone banjos.
Let me start by saying that I've been impressed with the tone of these banjos since they were released considering their price point but lately I've noticed some of the newer ones lacking some of that "sparkle" the earlier ones had.
Curious, I took several recent ones apart just to see what's going on and immediately noticed they are leaving finish under the tone ring causing sticking to the rim and, surprisingly, one had much of the sidewall wood removed except for a thin strip at the top (see pic). I can only guess this is a factory shortcut so they don't have to take the time to properly slip fit the rim to the ring. This showed up on a brand new $3400 Grandee Flying Eagle. This negatively affects the tone IMO as does leaving a thick finish under the tone ring. Just to verify, I removed the finish under the ring on one of the OB-Standards and it was like a whole different banjo in a good way.
I hope Gold Tone remedies this situation and goes back to fitting the rim and ring properly.
Edited by - banjoez on 08/19/2026 10:03:16
I’d contact Gold Tone and tell them your experiences.
What if it is intentional? If the tone ring is centered to the right location, maybe they want no contact to the inside of the skirt?
How does it sound?
quote:
Originally posted by randybartlettWhat if it is intentional? If the tone ring is centered to the right location, maybe they want no contact to the inside of the skirt?
How does it sound?
I gave that a thought but I've had two new Grandees and two new OB-Standards come through recently with ill-fitted rims and all four were not up to GT's usual tone standards once everything else was tweaked. I had another Grandee come through fitted correctly and it is spectacular. Yes, it makes a big difference from my experience.
Edited by - banjoez on 08/16/2026 13:41:08
quote:
Originally posted by RDPI’d contact Gold Tone and tell them your experiences.
I did. They agreed it wasn't right and would take a look under warranty but never heard back. I ended up sending back to the GT dealer(s) they were purchased from instead for refunds.
Hoo boy...
You get what you pay for..
I've been a fan of GT in the past when they were offering good sounding banjos at affordable prices and you could overlook a few things but now that they are charging close to what premium builders charge that's no longer acceptable.
Yeah, that kind of stuff is why I stepped up and have a Yates, but I understand the value thing with gold tone. Hopefully they’ll remedy that.
Hopefully it's just growing pains. They have the right formula, they just need to be consistent.
quote:
Originally posted by lazyarcherYou get what you pay for..
Some times true but in most cases an old piece of "wisdom" that biz people have exploited to their advantage for centuries.
I've been so leery about investigating the pros and cons about Gold Tone, most have been positive, but this clears up some questions I've had concerning build quality.
With Mr.Rich on board, I'm sure any quality control stuff will be corrected. He's kinda particular about that stuff...
quote:
Originally posted by lazyarcherWith Mr.Rich on board, I'm sure any quality control stuff will be corrected. He's kinda particular about that stuff...
I sure hope so. I was rather shocked to see these rim/ring fitment/finish issues in this day and age as the rest of the banjos are done really, really well with much better attention to detail than they used to.
Edited by - banjoez on 08/18/2026 06:30:56
Just an update. I had a rather unpleasant conversation recently with the folks at Gold Tone when I tried to follow up on these rim/ring fitment issues to see where things stood. They were rude and rather dismissive which doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling of where they are going with their imported line of banjos. It's one thing when they are a fraction of the cost of a domestic made instrument to find anomalies in construction but expectations should be higher when you're talking banjos that cost $3k and more.
That’s a shame, I tried a Gold tone recently (I think it was an OB 150) and it sounded great, even with my rickety playing.
Perhaps the accountants have poked their noses into production…that’s usuall the death knell when it comes to quality!
quote:
Originally posted by banjoezJust an update. I had a rather unpleasant conversation recently with the folks at Gold Tone when I tried to follow up on these rim/ring fitment issues to see where things stood. They were rude and rather dismissive which doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling of where they are going with their imported line of banjos. It's one thing when they are a fraction of the cost of a domestic made instrument to find anomalies in construction but expectations should be higher when you're talking banjos that cost $3k and more.
You are fortunate to even have a convo with GT. On a number of occasions they just have refused to answer my quiries when I ask a question via email. I think if you want to place a large order for instrumens would the deign to respond!
Edited by - banjonz on 10/06/2026 14:12:47
quote:
Originally posted by banjoezJust an update. I had a rather unpleasant conversation recently with the folks at Gold Tone when I tried to follow up on these rim/ring fitment issues to see where things stood. They were rude and rather dismissive which doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling of where they are going with their imported line of banjos. It's one thing when they are a fraction of the cost of a domestic made instrument to find anomalies in construction but expectations should be higher when you're talking banjos that cost $3k and more.
That is so unfortunate, Joe. Their phone system down there is set up oddly, which doesn't really say a lot about their customer service. I would be glad to play one of their instruments given the chance, but I hate to see things like that happen to good people like you. I've had my suspicions for some time about Gold Tone.
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