Just an observation on some of the newer Gold Tone banjos I've checked out recently.
I've noticed some are arriving with thick finish under the tone ring on the rim sidewall and, even worse, one had most 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. I hope Gold Tone remedies this situation and goes back to fitting the rim and ring properly like they used to.
Edited by - banjoez on 08/18/2026 06:47:01
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
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