I have a lefty Gold Tone banjo that I rarely play and couldn't recall which model it was. I took the back off and found out it was an OB 250. I noticed there was a Helix sticker on the tone ring with an additional sticker marked Omega Rose #002. Does anyone have insight on these tone rings? Do they have any value?
I also have the original tone ring but didn't think much about it when I purchased it used a decade ago. I have the hard shell case and the banjo has the sliding 5th string capo. Looking for a gauge on what to price this for as I have no real idea other than what I paid a decade ago.
Edited by - mblee on 10/18/2026 10:51:17
Was the sticker on the tone ring or the wood rim?
Larry Hill (Hangout handle "Helix") makes Helix stave rims (vertically oriented blocks). He's also a Gold Tone dealer and has written often about doing rim swaps in Gold Tone banjos.
He's in Sun City, Arizona.
Friendly correction:
I never made any vertical stave rims. I was a Recording King dealer, never was a Gold Tone dealer.
All of my rims are cut on a 45 degree bias.
You can see the angled grain clearly in the photo. Confusion comes from the wooden rim called a tone ring
The rim shown is indeed mine from red oak and it is the #002. It has a rolled brass flatbar tone ring @
1/8” x 1/2”
It’s interesting and fun to see a bulletproof rim from 2008. The Hickory with the red stripe is Alpha #002, the Oaks are the Omegas.
Edited by - Helix on 10/18/2026 17:32:24
quote:
Originally posted by HelixI never made any vertical stave rims.
I thought sure I saw that term used in connection with your rims. Obviously I misremembered.
But this is the only place I would have seen "stave rims" so it must have been in connection with someone else's design or someone else used the term to describe the concept.
A vertical stave rim is exceedingly weak and prone to splitting.
Horizontal block are what are commonly used in what I refer to as brick rims which also have intrinsic weaknesses and inherent flaws.
The old stockades sometimes were built with angled staves.
The Helix type rim is 75% solid wood and mount the neck through solid blocks.
The angled pieces that I use naturally bond the fibers tighter and allow the end grain to contact the tone ring directly. I discovered this innovation myself and have been playing them on stage since before 2007. Next year I will renew the (TM) trademark for the second time.
We all want what works, it’s nice to see one of the Oaks surface after eight years.
Thanks for chiming in! Cool to hear some details about it.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Privacy Consent (EU/GDPR Only)
Copyright 2026 Banjo Hangout. All Rights Reserved.
