"Celtic" open-back tenor banjo with 12" pot

To make this Irish banjo, we use our 19-fret tenor neck with a 12″ open-back pot and tune it, GDAE or CGDA. The longer scale of our 19-fret tenor necks allows the banjo to have a warmer tone with clearer treble than 17-fret tenors, and the 12″ pot with a simple tone ring gives a bigger and mellowerer sound with dry clarity to the notes. We set up the Irish banjo with a Renaissance head which sounds more natural and clean. Our Sweetone tailpiece is added for modest pressure to keep the strings taught and the notes clear and shrill-free.

John Carty, one of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians who tours with the re-formed super group, Patrick Street, has acquired a “Juniper” Irish tenor banjo and here is what he says about it:

John Carty and his "Juniper" Irish tenor

“Having played and believed whole heartedly in vintage banjos all my life it was with some trepidation that I tried these brand new OME banjos. I was given a hand crafted instrument to try. The instrument had a 12 inch pot and I took to it immediately. It has the depth of tone I constantly look for, coupled with an extra sustain which is a particularly great quality for Irish banjo players as this allows our music to breathe. I found I didn’t need to be quite so busy in order to highlight the essence of the tunes. The ability of the instrument to sustain and lengthen the notes has given me a new zest for playing the banjo. Another characteristic I enjoy about it is its immediate efficiency, there’s no wrestling with it like with older instruments, it stays in tune and every note is true even the low A, B and C on the G string which is such a plus. Basically it is ready to play as soon as you take it out of the case and I think it has definitely improved my playing. I am so looking forward to gigging with this instrument.” 

These are limited production banjos sold by Mulroy Music in Co. Donegal, Ireland. Here are the following specifications:

"Juniper" 12" tenor with our Standard resonator

• Available in “Celtic” and “Juniper” tenor models starting at $2325, case included
• Mahogany with Brazilian Rosewood (optional curly maple with satin finish  + $200 for open-back models and + $400 for resonator models)
• Mother-of-Pearl and Abalone inlays
• Hand-rubbed oil varnish finish
• 19 frets with a scale of 22.125″
• A graceful hand-carved neck with 1.22″ nut width
• Nickel-plated solid brass hardware (optional raw brass)
• Adjustable double rim rods
• 12″ maple rim with rolled brass tone ring (optional 11″ rim)
• Sweetone tailpiece, Renaissance head and hand-made bridge (optional wood arm rest + $75)
• Optional Full Resonator + $800

Hear Martha Stuart play The Old Pigeon On The Gate on her “Celtic” 12″ OB tenor tuned CGDA:

Ome Banjos is happy to custom build these tenors as well. For more information please email us at: info@omebanjos.com or call 303.449.0041.

(sister banjo to Sweetgrass and Bright Angel) standard peg head; 11″ Silverspun tone ring; fancier inlays; 24 brackets

"Tupelo" 12" Open-Back Banjo

In the spirit of offering another high-quality and affordable Old-Timey banjo, we present the “Tupelo”. Like the new “Minstrel” model, this banjo has a 12″ tone-rim (our wood tone ring) fitted with 14 brackets and a single wooden rod in the pot; a slightly shorter and fuller neck with a scale of 25.5″ and nut width of 1.34″; and aged brass including our new tailpiece, the “Sweetone”.

Weighing only 5 pounds, the “Tupelo” makes an earthy, round tone with nice volume, and has wonderful bounce in playability. Any player seeking to blend into an Old-Time jam will be very satisfied with the articulate yet sweet sound of this banjo.

Master Luthier Rich Sharples carefully files frets

With a case the “Tupelo” is priced at $1795 for mahogany; and $1995 for curly maple.

Here’s what Chuck Ogsbury says about this and his new line of “Old-Timey” banjos:

A look at the pot of the "Tupelo"

“…It’s been an interesting journey.  When I first started building banjos in 1960, the rage was an 11″ pot with lots of metal and an extra long neck.  Then Bluegrass came along and we added more metal, pearl, and a resonator. Then Jazz came along and we added even more pearl, lots of carving, metal and inlay engraving, and gold.  In the last few years, the pot has grown to 12″,  the scale shortened to 25.5″, the neck got wider, and we got rid of lots of metal, pearl, flash, and the resonator. We are back to where we started! And we’ve never made banjos so sweet sounding!”

Bernunzio Uptown Music, Denver Folklore Center, Elderly Instruments, Zepp Country Music, Matt Umanov and Spruce Tree Music Guitars are carrying this new model.

For more information please email info@omebanjos.com or call 303-449-0041.

"Flora" Open-Back

Ome’s new Open-Backs are finally ready to be unveiled! After much research into vintage designs and current trends, and after talking to many players, we have finally arrived at offering a new series of banjos which are “Old-Timey” in their sound and look, while retaining our trademark balanced tone, elegant feel, unique designs, lively response, high-quality craftsmanship and life-long durability.

The first thing we did was to widen the neck just enough to fill the fretting hand better and to increase ease of string work. Then we shortened the neck to bring out more warmth. And we simplified the inlays while adding a flourish in the s-shaped frailing scoop.

"North Star" with Silverspun tone ring

Inspired by the elegant simplicity of Ashborn Banjos, we also decided to replace the two brass rim rods in the 12″ pots with a single adjustable J.Romero-style wooden rod. This really brings out a “woodier” tone while connecting the neck solidly to the rim. To keep the strings nice and even sounding and to cut out some overtones, our leader, Chuck Ogsbury, designed the “Sweetone” tailpiece of heavy gauge solid brass – it’s long enough to just add some pressure to the strings, but not too much. Last but not least, and after many experiments with different methods, we decided to offer these banjos with raw brass which is antiqued in our shop by Chuck himself. (His next career might be a chemist!)

The final touches of these banjos include hand-rubbed stains and oil vanishes; new solid brass Ome ball shoes; wonderful fret-work and set-up done by yours truly Rich Sharples – our master luthier who has been with us since 1989!; hand-made bridges; and our chenille-wrapped banjo strings.

"Wizard" Open-Back - click photo

Here are the specifications:

• Mahogany, Maple or Walnut with Ebony
• Mother-of-Pearl and Abalone inlays
• Hand-rubbed oil varnish finish
• Shorter scale length of 25.5″ as opposed to 26.25″
• Wider string spacing and nut width of 1.34″ as opposed to 1.28″
• Raw brass hardware instead of nickel plated hardware
• Adjustable wooden rod instead of double rim rods
• 11″ and 12″ maple rims
• Sweetone tailpiece – we will start using nickel versions on our other open backs
• S-shaped frailing scoops
• Fretless model available in “Minstrel” and “Tupelo”

**Wooden armrest are additional +$75

Here are the model breakdowns, all with 17 frets and a s-shaped frailing scoop, hard-shell case included:

"Minstrel" Open-Back - click photo

“Minstrel” – scroll peg head; 12″ wood tone rim; dot inlays, 14 brackets – $1895, or $2095 for curly maple and select walnut

“Wizard” – (sister model to Jubilee) standard peg head; 12″ wood tone rim; star and dot inlays; 26 brackets – $1995, or $2195 for curly maple and select walnut

“Flora” – (sister model to Juniper and Celtic) standard peg head; 12″ rolled brass tone ring; flower and dot inlays; 26 brackets – $2325, or $2525 for curly maple and select walnut

“North Star” – (sister banjo to Sweetgrass and Bright Angel) standard peg head; 11″ Silverspun tone ring; fancier inlays; 24 brackets – $2650 (no up-charge for maple/walnut)

** Add $200 for curly maple hand-stained and select woods

Some of our dealers already have these new models or have them on order! They are: Spruce Tree Music, Dusty Strings, Acoustic Music Works, Acoustic Vibes Music, Artichoke Music, Bernunzio Uptown Music, Folkway Music in Guelph, Canada, Mass Street Music, Zepp Country Music, Gryphon Stringed Instruments, Music Emporium, Elderly Instruments, Banjo Netherlands, Matt Umanov Guitars and Denver Folklore Center.

And for more information please email us at info@omebanjos.com or call 303-449-0041!

"Gustavo staining resonator for Creation"

We thought now is a good time for a sneak preview of “Creation”, our one-of-kind 50th year anniversary Bluegrass banjo.

Gustavo, our finisher who started working with us in 1992, is shown here dye-coloring the carved side of the resonator.

Photos of the completed “Creation” will be posted soon!

Southern Cross HG 50 - click photo

With an eye on the rich heritage of American banjos, we have created a model inspired by the simple elegance and great tone of prewar Bluegrass banjos. We have chosen warm-sounding South American Mahogany with African Ebony and Indian Rosewood overlays to be the standard woods for this model, with optional American Walnut and Maple for those wanting a brighter, clearer tone. A radiused fingerboard can be added for those who prefer this ergonomic attribute for great playability up the neck. Our inlays are designed from diamonds of real Mother-of-Pearl accented with Abalone, and we’ve carefully hand-rubbed a dark reddish-brown stain into the Mahogany to match the color of 5-string banjos made in the 1800′s.  (All our woods are naturally dried when they arrive at our shop, and then we let them cure for another 1 to 3 years in Colorado’s dry air before we begin to build.)

In addition to the HG 50 tone ring, we elected to use a modern version of the banjo heads favored by Bluegrass players in the 1960′s, added a lighter Ome Presto tailpiece, and are setting-up the banjo with responsive hand-made bridges.

Other specs are unchanged from our standard Bluegrass banjos: 26.25″ scale length; 1.28″ nut width; our Bluegrass neck, resonator and 3-ply maple rim; Ome’s zinc die-cast flange and solid brass parts with steel hooks; hand-sanded and buffed high gloss finishes; and our chenille-wrapped medium gauge strings. All Omes are crafted by our three builders in Boulder, Colorado, and each year we make about 150 banjos.

Banjo Newsletter has published a review of the “Southern Cross HG 50″ banjo written by Mike Kropp. Contact them if you would like to receive a copy.

If you are interested in trying out one of these “Southern Cross HG 50″ banjos, visit the following dealers: Mass Street Music, Artichoke Music, Music Villa, Acoustic Vibes Music, Tejon Street Music, Turtle Hill Banjo Co., Gryphon Stringed Instruments, Dusty Strings and Acoustic Music Works.

"Celtic Star 50" open-back banjo

This year marks Chuck Ogsbury’s 50th year in the banjo business! To commemorate the occasion, we have been building a few very special banjos.

The first of these is the “Celtic Star 50″ which we are offering in a limited edition series – 20 Open-Back banjos, 20 Bluegrass banjos and 10 Tenor and Plectrum banjos. These feature our new “Celtic Star” Mother-of-Pearl and Abalone inlays including “50″ inlaid into the peg head and hand-engraved into the armrest. Options include gold plating, metal engraving and dye-colored wood carvings. Prices start at $3995 for Open-Back banjos, $4995 for Bluegrass, and $5995 for Tenor and Plectrum banjos.

As an Open-Back banjo, the “Celtic Star 50″ features our 11″ Silverspun tone ring with Harp tailpiece and other Ome hardware combined with our 22-fret curly maple neck and capped rim with double-rod construction. This banjo gives a wonderful bell-like tone with nice warmth and excellent response, ideal for Melodic Clawhammer players and those who enjoy the “ring” of a banjo. Currently our dealers Andy’s Guitars, Elderly Instruments and Mountain Music are stocking this model.

Gold "Celtic Star 50" Bluegrass - click photo

We are also building 20 “Celtic Star 50″ Bluegrass banjos with options such as gold plating and metal engraving as shown here. This Bluegrass banjo has our popular Megatone 200 tone ring with curly maple neck, resonator and 3-ply rim, as well as our Harp tailpiece, Ludwig frosted head and Snuffy Smith bridge. The tone is smooth and balanced with wonderful volume and playability up the neck. We are offering shaded amber and sunburst high-gloss finishes. Our dealer Turtle Hill Banjo Co is stocking this banjo.

The “Mogul 50″ is being offered to Tenor and Plectrum players. Our “Hummingbird with Blooms” is inlaid and hand-engraved in the peg head, and “50″ is inlaid into either one of the finger board’s Jazzy block inlays or the peg head. So far we have made a Tenor, Plectrum and Tenor/Plectrum in our “Standard Jazz” style which gives wonderful sustain with nice rich tone and strong volume. These Jazz banjos are being offered through Ome Banjos so call us if you are interested, 303-449-0041.

"Mogul 50" Standard Jazz plectrum - click photo

Carved and Dye-Colored wood with natural finish - click photo