Description
The American-made Goodtime banjo features a slender, rock maple neck, 3-ply maple rim, sealed geared tuners, and an adjustable tailpiece. The natural, blond maple is finished in elegant satin and the metal parts are nickel plated. The single coordinator rod makes adjustments easy and positive. The maple and ebony bridge sits on an easy to adjust 11 inch, top-frosted head.
The Deering Goodtime is a great banjo at a competitive price, constructed in the U.S. The Goodtime is an open-back banjo, weighing in at just four pounds, so it's ideal for traveling, camping, hiking, or taking to the beach. It provides a vibrant, singing banjo tone, and makes a great "starter" banjo, since it's well-fretted and plays easily.
The Goodtime banjos have a slender, low-profile neck that is easy to finger and comfortable for large and small hands. The fret work is accurate and precise to ensure correct intonation over the entire fingerboard. You can adjust the action (string height) on the Goodtime banjo by adjusting the single coordinator rod in the pot easily and effectively adjusts the playability so that the strings are close to the fingerboard and are easy to press down.
The Rim is the round wood drum part of the banjo: In 2009 Greg Deering finished new tooling to make all Goodtime rims in the higher grade 3-ply maple design. Prior to that they were laminated birch and maple rims. This standard 11-inch diameter rim provides a top quality sound that out performs all other banjos available in this price range. Thanks to this new upgrade, Goodtime banjos sound like they should cost far more they do.
The patented Goodtime tailpiece is extremely strong and easily adjustable to maximize tone by raising or lowering it.The standard 11" diameter rim is a 3-ply violin grade maple rim provides a top quality sound that outperforms many banjos available in this price range. The 16 brackets and standard rim diameter make head adjustments easy and replacement heads are readily available since the heads are the same size as most modern banjos (11" high crown).
Deering Goodtime Banjo Features
- Deering manufactures the Goodtime Banjo in America at the Deering Banjo Company in Spring Valley, California.
- Neck: Blond Slender Rock Maple
- Frets: 22 Pressed In Nickel Silver
- Inlays: Hardwood Bow Tie
- Tuners: Sealed Geared (Incl. 5th String)
- Neck Finish: Satin
- Peghead: Satin Deering Fiddle Shaped
- Rim: Blond 3-ply Violin Grade Maple
- Tension Hoop: Steel
- Head: 11-Inch Frosted Top High Crown
- Bridge: 5/8-Inch Maple/Ebony Goodtime
- Tailpiece: Deering Patented Goodtime
- Finish: Satin
- Back Style: Openback
- Neck Width at Nut: 1 1/4 Inches
- Scale: 26 1/4 Inches
- Rim Diameter: 12 Inches
- Overall Instrument Length: 37 1/2 Inches
- Weight: Approximately 4 lbs.
- Warranty: 6 Years
Banjo Q&A
What is a banjo resonator and what does it accomplish?
A resonator is the back, bowl-shaped part of a banjo that helps to reflect the sound out to your audience, thus making the banjo sound louder and brighter. This is in contrast to an open-back banjo, which does not have a resonator.
What is the difference in sound between a resonator banjo and an open-back banjo?
Resonator banjos project the sound toward the audience with more ringing (resonation). Open-back banjos have a more mellow and softer sound, but are sometimes preferred by banjo players of different play styles. Open-back banjos are preferred by old-time clawhammer banjo players, while newer bluegrass players sometimes prefer the louder ringing sound of a resonator banjo.
What banjo should a beginner buy?
We always recommend beginners pick up an instrument that they will proudly play and learn on. For this reason, we recommend banjos which provide a good value, without being cost prohibitive. Fortunately, some big names in banjos have continued to manufacture impeccable, affordable banjos which are perfect for beginners. We recommend beginners look at purchasing the following banjos:
What is the most common type of banjo
The most common type of banjo, especially in the US, is the 5-string banjo. The 5th string of the 5-string banjo is called the "thumb string" or "drone string" because of the clawhammer technique of thumb-picking the 5th string in syncopation with the other 4 strings.
How is a standard 5-string banjo tuned?
5-string banjos are most commonly tuned in "Open G" tuning. Starting from the 5th string to the 1st string, the notes are tuned G, D, G, B, D.
As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions or would like recommendations. We can be easily reached by using our Contact Form or emailing us directly at info@pinevillemusic.com.
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2 Reviews
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DEERING GOODTIME 5-STRING OPENBACK BANJO
High-quality, American made, no-frills banjo.
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Deering Goodtime banjo
Want to know what a great value this banjo is? This is the second one I’ve purchased! One for home and one for the road...
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