This is a list of builders of 5-string banjos, both resonator and open back models. Also see guitar builders.
At its peak, this list had 71 companies. As of May 2018, there are 48 (or 47 if Gibson is ignored). This is surely a disturbing trend. Many of the defunct listings were for old-time, open-back banjos and most of these were from one-man shops, so perhaps it means that competition in this segment was severe and the loss of companies represents a thinning of the herd. If you know of any builders not on this list, please let me know.
Want to get on this list? Have a problem with this list? Find an error?
Click the bar to view more details about the maker. Click the blue globe to visit the maker's Web site.
American Made Banjo Co.
Kel Kroydon banjos.
P.O. Box 8190
North Port, FL USA 34290
+1 (339) 219-3047
www.americanmadebanjo.comMade in USA
Ballard Banjers
Bart Reiter Banjos
Bart Reiter
9777 Missaukee Lane
Haslett, MI USA 48840
+1 (517) 339-3505
www.reiterbanjos.com
Made in USA
Bishline Banjos
Rob Bishline
1739 South Sheridan Rd.
Tulsa, OK USA 74112
+1 (918) 551-6419
www.bishlinebanjos.com
Made in USA
Bob Flesher's Custom Banjos
Elaborate, ornate custom banjos.
Moreno Valley, CA USA 92552
+1 (951) 486-1456
www.flesherbanjos.com
Made in USA
Brooks Banjos
Custom open back 5-string banjos for traditional old-time music.
Brooks Masten
Portland, OR USA
+1 (503) 568-3044
www.brooksbanjos.com
Made in USA
Buckeye Banjos
Four year waiting list, ordering suspended. Change in focus due in 2017.
Greg Galbreath
P.O. Box 132
Eggleston, VA USA 24086
+1 (540) 230-0085
www.buckeyebanjos.com
Made in USA
Capek Bluegrass & Jazz Instruments
Rostislav ?apek
Zubat?ho 9, 150 00
PRAGUE, 5 Czech Republic
+420-603-868120
www.capekinstruments.com
Made in Czech Republic
CB Guitars
Unusual among small luthiers for building both banjos and guitars.
Chris Bozung
7151 New Hope Road
Fairview, TN USA
+1 (615) 799-9217
www.cbguitars.com
Made in USA
Cedar Creek Luthiers
Custom open back banjos.
Mike Dawson, Luthier
18124 Bull Rapids Road
Spencerville, IN USA 46788
+1 (260) 657-5486
www.cedarcreekluthiers.com
Made in USA
Cedar Mountain Banjos
Founded by Lo Gordon, now in the hands of his son.
Tim Gardner
Mills River, NC USA
+1 (828) 226-2286
www.cedarmtnbanjos.com
Made in USA
Chuck Lee
Chuck Lee Banjo Company, Inc.
112 Silverwood Drive
Ovilla, TX USA 75154
+1 (972) 617-5576
www.chuckleebanjos.com
Made in USA
Clareen Banjos
As might be expected from the location, the majority of the business is in 4-string banjos. Some 5-strings are made each year.
Tom & Fintan Cussen
Clarinbridge, Galway IRL
+353 91 796156
www.banjo.ie
Made in Ireland
Cloverlick Banjos
Oldtime openback banjos.
Jeffrey P. Kramer
249 South Kane Street
Burlington, WI USA 53105
+1 (262) 492-9883
www.cloverlickbanjoshop.com
Made in USA
Deanocraft Custom Banjos
Unique custom banjos from a luthier just getting started.
Dean O. Robinson
Chamblee, GA USA
+1 (770) 723-1475
www.deanocraft.com
Made in USA
Deering
Home of Tenbrooks, Vega, and the ubiquitous Goodtime models. An impressive list of artists.
3733 Kenora Drive
Spring Valley, CA USA 91977
+1 (619) 464-8252
www.deeringbanjos.com
Made in USA
Desert Rose
Scott also heads the Recording King custom shop in Japan.
Scott Zimmerman
Hirata- Nishi 1-2-16 1F
Matsumoto, Nagano Japan 399-0015
+81-090-9358-2965
www.desertrosebanjo.comMade in Japan
DP Hopkins
Two brands, DP Hopkins and Louzee, from the same builders.
DP Hopkins, Inc.
3563 Highway 231 North
Shelbyville, TN USA 37160
+1 (931) 580-5742
dphopkinsbanjos.com
Made in USA
Epiphone
A division of Gibson. The MB-250, the only reasonable banjo in the line, is no longer in production. What's left is low-end junk; look elsewhere. A sad condition for a past great name in instruments. I owned an Epiphone long-neck in the '60s and it was an excellent banjo. I'm not sure where these are made now.
309 Plus Park Boulevard
Nashville, TN USA 37217
+1 (800) 444-2766
www.epiphone.com
Made in Japan?
George Banjos
Handcrafted, custom banjos for over 30 years. Christian has been with Tommy since 2007 and has another shop in Memphis.
Tommy George and Christian Stanfield
301 Church Street
Somerville, TN USA 38068
+1 (901) 517-5867
www.georgebanjos.comMade in USA
Gibson Banjos
What is arguably the most famous banjo brand in the world is no longer manufactured following Nashville's 2010 flood. Astonishing.
Editorial Note: At some point I will remove this listing, but I just can't bring myself to do it yet. How can the brand that defined the instrument just vanish overnight? It's not that there aren't truly excellent alternatives - there are less expensive instruments that are better than the run-of-the-mill Gibsons made in 2012. But what of the tradition, the history? Sad. Tragic.
309 Plus Park Boulevard
Nashville, TN USA 37217
+1 (800) 444-2766
www2.gibson.com
Made in USA
Gold Star
Solid banjos from the company that gave us the legendary Gold Stars of the '70s & '80s.
Saga Musical Instruments
137 Utah Avenue
South San Francisco, CA USA 94080
+1 (650) 588-5558
www.sagamusic.comMade in China
Gold Tone
One of the most comprehensive lines of banjos of all types from any company.
3656 Hopkins Avenue
Titusville, FL USA 32780
+1 (321) 264-1970
www.goldtone.com
Made in USA, parts from Korea
Grundy Banjos
Moved from Australia to Missouri!
Laurie Grundy
Eminence, MS USA
+1 (417) 839-5951
www.grundybanjos.com
Made in USA
Hatfield
Arthur Hatfield
791 Burton Ridge Road
Glasgow, KY USA 42141
+1 (270) 646-5219
www.hatfieldbanjos.com
Made in USA
Heartland Banjo & Guitar Co.
Rob Smith
152 Akers Trail
Gallatin, TN USA 37066
+1 (615) 461-7686
www.heartlandbanjo.com
Made in USA
Hendricks Banjos
Hoyt Banjos
Open back banjos and other folk instruments built in Orwell, NY.
Zachary Hoyt
136 Wart Road
Lacona, NY USA 13083
hoytbanjos.com
Made in USA
Huber
Huss and Dalton
J. Romero Banjos
Lovely banjos, beautifully crafted.
Box 124
Horsefly, BC CAN V0L 1L0
+1 (250) 620-0592
www.romerobanjos.com
Made in Canada
LeVan Banjos
Openback and bluegrass banjos, entirely hand made; Standard “New Vintage” and custom.
Ken LeVan
Shunk, PA USA
+1 (570) 924-4080
www.levanbanjos.com
Made in USA
Louzee
Two brands, DP Hopkins and Louzee, from the same builders.
DP Hopkins, Inc.
3563 Highway 231 North
Shelbyville, TN USA 37160
+1 (931) 580-5742
www.louzee.com
Made in USA
McKinley
I have absolutely no information for this brand at all other than having seen several McKinley banjos, which impressed me. Know anything?
Made in USA
Morgan Monroe
Also see the SHS online store at www.shop-shs.com and the SHS main site at www.shsint.net.
SHS International
1922 West Banta Road
Indianapolis, IN USA 46217
+1 (317) 780-0454
www.morganmonroe.com
Made in China
Neat Custom Banjos
Legendary neck maker.
Frank Neat
84 Womack Street
Russell Springs, KY USA 42642
+1 (270) 866-4515
www.frankneat.com
Made in USA
Nechville
Unique. An entirely different approach to pot construction.
9700 Humboldt Avenue South
Bloomington, MN USA 55431
+1 (747) 222-6567
www.nechville.comMade in USA
Ome
By the inimitable Chuck Ogsbury.
5680 Valmont Road
Boulder, CO USA 80301
+1 (303) 449-0041
www.omebanjos.com
Made in USA
Phillips Banjos
Pisgah Banjo Company
Open-back banjos, hand-made in the Appalachian mountains with native hardwoods.
Patrick Heavner & Topher Stephens
Asheville, NC USA
(828) 768-3488
pisgahbanjos.com
Made in USA
Prucha Bluegrass Banjos
Recording King
Saga Musical Instruments
A comprehensive lineup including Gold Star, Flinthill, Saga and Rover models. No direct sales; through dealers only. Don't buy the DIY banjo kits; you'll never get satisfaction if something is wrong.
137 Utah Avenue
South San Francisco, CA USA 94080
+1 (650) 588-5558
www.sagamusic.comMade in China
Seeders Instruments
Mostly open-back models. Began building full time in 2014.
William Seeders Mosheim
23 Goodwood Lane, PO Box 442
Dorset, VT USA 5251
802-829-7317
www.seedersinstruments.com
Made in USA
Sloan Banjos
Formerly J. A. Sloan & Son. Founded in 1959 by John Sloan, continued by Peter Sloan, and in 2012 acquired by the Allisons.
Philip Allison
League City, TX USA 77573
www.sloanbanjos.com
Made in USA
Stealth
Stelling Banjo Works
Sullivan Banjo Company
From the Sullivans of First Quality Music fame.
However, I'm not sure what's going on with the business, as the site seems static since 2012.
Louisville, KY USA
www.sullivanbanjo.comMade in USA
Tranjo
The ultimate travel banjo by Sam Farris. Unique, clever, a must-see. Gold Tone has licensed one model.
Farris Travel Banjo Company
409 Benton Lane
Franklin, TN USA
+1 (615) 456-5486
www.tranjo.com
Made in USA
Washburn Guitars
A division of U.S. Music.
1000 Corporate Grove Drive
Buffalo Grove, IL USA 60089
+1 (800) 877-6863
www.washburn.comWildwood
Wyatt Fawley
Many thanks to the builders above who have graciously provided headstock images.
How to Get On This List
The following are my criteria for inclusion in this list.
- The banjos must be available for sale in the United States.
- The builder must make and sell at least twelve (12) banjos per year or have a history of having done so.
- The builder must have a Web site. Folks come here for research purposes and without a site, there is less value in the listing.
I will maintain a listing as long as:
- The builder's Web site exists.
- There is some kind of legacy Web site for the instruments if the builder has retired or ceased manufacturing.
- I deem an exception to my rules worthy.
No compensation or gratuity is accepted for inclusion on this list.
Please use my contact form to get in touch.