| Gold Star Banjos : GF-100W "
Wreath " |
| Starting in the late '70s, Saga introduced
its Gold Star line of banjos. At the time, the major American
manufacturer (who shall remain unnamed!) was going through some serious
quality issues in their banjo line while Gold Star was actually improving
on the traditional designs of the elusive 'Pre-War originals'!
The Gold Star flange and tension hoop alloys were upgraded to avoid the
impurities and metal fatigue of the originals and their vintage style 20
hole flathead tone ring was the envy of the industry!
After a ten year hiatus, Saga has
resumed manufacturing of the Gold Star line of banjos. Once
again they have used the flathead banjos built in the 1930's as a template
for their high quality instruments. Gold Star has captured
the sound that drew players such as J.D. Crowe, Earl Scruggs and
Sonny Osborne to this classic design!
After extensive research by the University
of California metallurgy laboratories, Gold Star has replicated the
exact formula of copper-rich bell bronze used by the most prized vintage
banjos in the world. This tone ring is then precision fit to a 3-ply
rock maple rim to create that classic pre-war sound!!!
|
| Gold Star Banjos : the GF-100FE Flying
Eagle |
The turn of the twentieth
century until around WWII is considered by many to be the 'Golden Era'
of 5-string Bluegrass style banjos. Gold Star by Saga Instruments
has gone to great lengths to replicate the best features of banjos from
this period including the one-piece flange, double coordinator rod,
3-ply rock maple rim, 20 hole flathead tone ring and classic inlay
patterns. The Gold Star GF-100FE banjo features the timeless
' Flying Eagle ' fingerboard motifs and exhibits the same attention
to detail that has given Gold Star banjos their reputation for fine quality
at an affordable price.
.
Just for fun, we recorded one of our younger
customers, right on the sales floor, when she was choosing
her new banjo. Hey ... she's a great little player! Here's
the note she sent us and a link to the audio file.
"My name is Kendra. I'm twelve years old. I've been taking
banjo lessons for three years now. I just bought a new Gold Star
GF-100 Flying Eagle that you can hear me playing on this audio file.
I hope you enjoy it. A special thanks to all the great staff at the
Twelfth Fret.
|
|
.
| Gold Star Banjos : GF-100HF Hearts
& Flowers |
| Most banjo players agree that
the ideal bluegrass banjo was the flathead built in very limited quantities
during the 1930's. To meet this demand and to offer it at a price any player
could afford, Saga Musical Instruments introduced the original GF-100 banjo
in the early 1970's. Ever since these banjos were discontinued in the late
1980's due to costly manufacturing methods in Japan, they have continued
to be topics of discussion for their legendary sound and value. It's 2005
and the new Gold Star GF-100HF (Hearts and Flowers) is back and better
than ever before. With close to 25 years to improve these already legendary
instruments, we are sure you will agree that these banjos are the best
value available on the market today! |
Specifications:
Gold Star GF-100 Series Banjos
* 1 3/16" wide nut
* bound ebony fingerboard
* adjustable truss rod
* mahogany neck
* bound mahogany resonator
* cast bell bronze tone ring
* deluxe 3-ply rock maple rim
* double coordinator rods
* single piece die-cast flange
* Presto tailpiece
* triple nickel plated hardware
* deluxe reissue Gold Star hardshell case
GF-100W : ' Wreath ' inlay pattern
GF-100FE : ' Flying Eagle ' inlay pattern
GF-100HF : ' Hearts & Flowers ' inlay pattern
|
| Gold Star Banjos
: GF-200 |
| Introducing the newest member of
the Gold Star family of professional quality banjos ... the GF-200 Flamed
Maple Sunburst! This instrument represents the culmination of years
of development involving the re-issue of the legendary Gold Star banjos
of the late 1970's and 1980's. This instrument is essentially a replica
of the legendary Gibson RB-4 Mastertone banjo ... all the flamed maple
is hand-selected, and the parts have been upgraded to assure that this
instrument not only sounds amazing but looks incredible too. So if
you are looking for that true pre-war sound in a banjo that is sure to
attract a lot of attention, the GF-200 is the instrument for you! |
Specifications
Gold Star GF-200 Banjo
* 1 3/16" wide nut
* bound Brazilian rosewood fingerboard
* adjustable truss rod
* traditional Hearts & Flowers inlays
* flamed maple neck
* pre-war style bound flamed maple
tapered wall deep resonator
* pre-war alloy cast bell bronze tone ring
* deluxe 3-ply rock maple rim
* double coordinator rods
* single piece die-cast flange
* Presto tailpiece
* triple nickel plated hardware
* deluxe reissue Gold Star hardshell case
|
|
