Banjos

Boston was once the center of American banjo manufacturing. Vega, Fairbanks, and the shops around them defined what the instrument sounded like for a generation, and that legacy is still the reason a serious banjo player will drive here. We have been carrying it forward for nearly 60 years.

What we stock reflects one basic decision. Open-back banjos are lighter, warmer, and quicker to answer, which is why clawhammer and old-time players live on them. Resonator banjos put a wooden back on the pot and throw the sound forward with the volume and cut bluegrass demands. Neither is a better instrument. They are different tools, and if you are not sure which one your playing wants, that is exactly the conversation we like having.