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Add to Compare2010 Deering 35th Anniversary, Maple
Of course Deering would pull out all the stops for this its 35th Anniversary Model! #2 of an extremely exclusive two, this 2010 Deering 35th is bedecked in rhinestone and extensive MOP/Abalone inlays, features their Eagle Flange, and boasts a powerfully figured Maple resonator and neck.
Other keywords: billy presnell, bluegrass, 1000211002
$4,635 Add to cartScale Length 26.25 in Nut Width 1.25 in String Spacing 1.688 in Woods Frosted Banjo Head, Maple - Flamed 
Add to CompareBrand New R.M. Anderson #2 Fairbanks Electric/Whyte Laydie
R.M. Anderson’s latest #2 5-string is in! Curly Maple neck, and the Fairbanks Electric/Whyte Laydie pot features a Maple rim and Goatskin head. Rickard hardware throughout. Hand-etched and inlaid diamonds and stars along the fretboard, and a gryphon head at the headplate pointing towards a final star. The inlay and etching work is in a category all of its own: we don’t know anyone else who’s working at this level in the banjo world than Bob Anderson.
Other keywords: lutherie, old time, old tyme, 5-string, 5 string, open back, mop, abalone, pearl
SOLD Read moreScale Length 26.125 in Nut Width 1.313 in String Spacing 1.5 in Woods Skin - Goat, Maple 
Add to CompareBrand New R.M. Anderson 12″ Dobson-Style Fretless Banjo
Bob Anderson is a one-of-a-kind maker. His banjos are works of art, every one, and this handsome fretless 5-string is no exception. 12” Dobson style pot with goatskin head, Maple rim, and Cherry neck. Rickard hardware throughout. Then there’s the etched inlay art. Oh, boy, there’s that. The fretboard features incredibly intricate Pearl and Sea Snail shell inlays, all hand etched by Robert. At the headplate and backplate Bob rendered statues he saw on a recent trip he took to Japan—it’s easy to lose track of time tracing the minute details of his painstaking etching work as it brings them to life.
Other keywords: lutherie, old time, old tyme, 5-string, 5 string, open back, dobson-style, snail abalone, fret less
SOLD Read moreScale Length 26.25 in Nut Width 1.25 in String Spacing 1.625 in Woods Skin - Goat, Maple 
Add to CompareNew R.M. Anderson Vega #1 Custom Banjo
Our latest banjo from Weaverville native Bob Anderson is a gorgeous example of vintage tone with modern feel. Bob pulled a vintage Tubaphone pot from his extensive collection and paired it with a fresh Maple neck he carved with a smooth V profile and dyed a dark, cherry red. Snail inlays along the fretboard are hand etched in painstaking detail by Bob, and you’ll find an intricate star inlaid into the headstock with the same level of precision. 5 Star tuners, Guardian hardshell case, and a fresh head with Ebony-and-Maple bridge dialed in for an easy playing setup—what more could you ask for?
Other keywords: lutherie, old time, old tyme, tuba phone, 5-string, 5 string, open back
SOLD Read moreScale Length 26.25 in Nut Width 1.375 in String Spacing 1.75 in Woods Skin - Fiber, Maple 
Add to CompareBrand New RM Anderson #3 Plus Banjo
Master engraver and banjo builder Bob (RM) Anderson swung by the other day to drop off his two latest creations. This is his #3 Plus model, brand new Curly Maple neck and hardware on a Tubaphone pot with calf skin head. Gotoh Planetary-style tuners, fossilized Walrus Ivory nut, and Bob’s signature shell inlays painstakingly engraved. A mixture of Snail and Abalone sprawls from the headstock down to the final, 24th fret. Up close, you can see Bob’s incredible attention to every infinitesimal detail. Each inlay is hand engraved in a variety of geometric shapes; some of the shading is so subtle you can’t even tell it’s individual hatch marks until you’re right up against it. Add to that an intricately carved neck heel, and the picture of a bespoke old time banjo is complete.
Bob Anderson’s banjos are works of art equally for the eyes and the ears.Other keywords: R.M. Anderson, RM Anderson, old-time
Add to CompareNew R.M. Anderson Banjo, 1930s Vega Tubaphone
Local banjo savant Bob Anderson has been restoring and building banjos for more years than we can count. Along the way he’s mastered the unforgiving art of engraving and inlay: take a look at the attention to detail on this fretboard and headstock. Hand-engraved Abalone and Shell executed as organic and flowing as brush strokes. While the neck is a brand new creation from 2018, the Vega Tubaphone pot is a great deal older from the 1930s. The open-back tone is warm and round, and cuts through the mix without any harshness. Considering the painstaking quality of Bob’s work and the warm voice, this R.M. Anderson Tubaphone is an incredible deal.
common misspellings: rm, rm anderson, andersen, rm andersen, r.m. andersen, viga, tubephone, tubaphono
Add to CompareNew R.M. Anderson Banjeaurine Vega White Laydie Pot/Fiber
R.M. Anderson is many things to us at Dream Guitars: a neighbor, a friend, and an excellent inlay artist and maker of banjos. The Banjeaurine we have here is brand new, hot off the workbench, and is absolutely teeming with gorgeous Mother-of-Pearl inlay. Anderson based the various designs off of inlay work from Cole and Fairbanks, when they were still partnered, and executed them in excruciating detail. Images range from floral patterns, geometric shapes, and butterflies, to a moon-and-star headstock inlay that, according to Bob, was popularized by banjo makers in the late 1800’s in celebration of Halley’s Comet, the only short-term comet that is visible to the naked human eye, which flashed across the skies in 1835, and later in 1910. Bound in Grained Ivoroid and featuring a vintage Vega “White Laydie” pot, this short-scale banjo is pure magic for both the eyes and the ear.
Add to Compare1930 Bacon & Day Style A Super Banjo Maple/
Banjo players are in for a real treat here: we’ve got a 1930 Bacon & Day Model A 5-string banjo in excellent condition just waiting to be played. Owned by David Holt, this banjo comes with a resonator back and has an incredibly clear and expressive voice. Outfitted with a new bridge, this banjo has a smooth setup and gorgeous MOP inlay across the Ebony headplate and Ebony fretboard. The Maple neck has a low profile that is easy on the hands.
Add to Compare2003 Ball Custom Banjo Maple, Internal Resonator
It is very clear that Dave Ball is a banjo player who makes banjos. Only a player could build an instrument that is so musical, easy to play and inspiring. This one is also completely custom with features that include his Internal Resonator Rim with a Phenolic back, Grenadillo tone ring, Contoured Neck shape, Boat Heel, Scooped Fingerboard, Carbon Fiber reinforced neck, French Polish Finish. Dave Ball also adorned this one with his full Fish Inlay theme on the entire fingerboard, it’s is gorgeous. We particularly like the Internal Resonator design, it makes for a mellower, more woody tone that is very compelling.
Add to Compare2009-2011 Bishline CF-5, Walnut
Traditional feel pairs with a modern voice–this Bishline CF-5 is a work of art. Rob Bishline tells us these are exceptionally difficult to build, and it’s such a joy to have #002 in the shop. Walnut resonator plsu neck, Abalone trim, and then there’s the extensive carbon fiber work at the tailpiece, flange, and hoop. Add to that a tunneled 5th string and the fifth tuner at the center of the headstock. The resonator is X braced! You very much feel it while playing. Built between 2009 and 2011, this Bishline is in premium shape.
Other keywords: billy presnell, bluegrass,
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.625 in Nut Width 1.313 in String Spacing 1.688 in Woods Frosted Banjo Head, Walnut 
Add to Compare2012 Deering, Tenbrooks Saratoga Star, Maple
The Deering Tenbrooks Saratoga Star excels on all fronts. This is a 2012 example in very clean shape, featuring a frosted head and Maple resonator plus neck, upgraded with a Kruger tone ring, and dressed up with perfectly executed Abalone positon markers comprised of modern flower-and-vines.
Other keywords: billy presnell, bluegrass, 07170070161
SOLD Sale! Read moreScale Length 26.25 in Nut Width 1.281 in String Spacing 1.688 in Woods Frosted Banjo Head, Maple - Flamed 
Add to Compare2011 Deering Greg Deering Limited, Burl Walnut
The Deering GDL Gred Deering Limited maximizes playability and tone for the price point–this 2011 model is a powerhouse in Burl Walnut. Curvaceous MOP position markers, tapered resonator, nickel hardware.
Other keywords: billy presnell, bluegrass, 0231609m813
SOLD Read moreScale Length 26.25 in Nut Width 1.25 in String Spacing 1.688 in Woods Frosted Banjo Head, Walnut - Burl 
Add to Compare2013 Deering Gabriella, Curly Maple
At the tip top of the top shelf you’ll find the rare Gabriella model from Deering. This work of art comes to us from 2013 with tight Curly Maple neck and resonator, as much Pearl and Abalone as can be fit on a banjo fingerboard and headstock, plus 24K gold plated hardware, engraved throughout, and carved heel.
Here’s an additional demo with Allen Shadd playing this beautiful Deering Gabriella: https://youtu.be/81likAtTShQ
Other keywords: billy presnell, bluegrass, 07001613r594
SOLD Read moreScale Length 26.25 in Nut Width 1.25 in String Spacing 2.719 in Woods Frosted Banjo Head, Maple - Figured 
Add to Compare1995 Deering Gabriella 5-String Banjo, Brazilian Rosewood
It’s fitting that a shop like ours, which deals with Somogyis and McConnells, and Traugotts all day, would come across a banjo worthy enough to pass muster among the guitar world’s greatest builders. Enter: our 1995 Deering Gabriella, owned by banjo maestro and “banjoholic” Mary Z Cox. This model is the pinnacle (read: to date, only 15 ever made) of Deering’s catalog, and this example from 1995 goes one step further than even its rarified siblings in that it features a Brazilian Rosewood resonator and neck. Gold hardware abounds, right down to the tuners and tailpiece, and both the resonator and neck are trimmed out in both Abalone and Ivoroid. The fingerboard is wrapped in Mother-of-Pearl, with vine-and-leaf inlays across frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, and 21. The headstock is also inlaid with MOP, a tangle of vines surrounding the Deering logo and the (you guessed it: MOP) truss rod cover. The back of the resonator features a wreath of raised MOP-and-Maple vines, and just above that you’ll find an intricately carved heel with yet more twisting leaves and vines.
The sheer number of hours that went into this Deering Gabriella baffles the mind. It feels like holding a craftperson’s entire career in your hands when you play it. A banjo for the record books.Check out this demo with our own Billy Presnell: https://youtu.be/VFhcOVRpAiE
If you’d like to hear Mary’s recording of “Ponce de Leon” on her Florida Banjo record with the Gabriella, check it out here: https://www.maryzcox.com/florida_banjo/
Here’s a demo with Mary in our recording studio and this Gabriella: https://youtu.be/EXvtuJa-M0I
Want a taste of local banjo phenom Derek Vaden at the helm of this Gabriella? Check it out: https://youtu.be/-F2Q1zx583A
Here’s an additional demo with our very own Allen Shadd at the wheel! https://youtu.be/N1KplaB25ao
Other keywords: Mary Z Cox, bluegrass, banjo inlay, Deering banjo, Gabriella banjo, craft, craftsmanship
SOLD Read moreScale Length 26.125 in Nut Width 1.281 in String Spacing 1.6875 in Woods Skin - Fiber, Rosewood - Brazilian 
Add to Compare2014 Doc Huff Soprano Wenge, Padouk, Bilinga, Bubinga/Dyed Skin
For years, Patrick “Doc” Huff has been blazing the trail of innovation with his banjos. Number 227 is a Soprano Banjo, named “Georgina” by Doc’s daughter, and comes fully loaded with everything that makes Doc’s banjos unique. The scalloped and compound radiused fretboard (with bronze frets) gives the player ultimate control over their style: one can at once play “Georgina” like a regular fretted banjo, or play by sliding along the fretboard like a fretless banjo, which results in a smooth, gliding change in pitch. Add to that two of Doc’s other specialties–the “Frailer’s Tension Hoop” (which has a relief notched in the hoop to allow easy frailing) and his “Frailing Platform” (which allows the player to comfortably frail to their heart’s content)–and you find yourself in the presence of a banjo unlike any other. Not one to rest on his laurels, Doc has also built the neck and pot out of a combination of exotic tonewoods: Wenge, Padouk, Bilinga, Bubinga. The resultant tone is warm and full with great sustain for such a small banjo. Lastly, Doc handcarves the heels on each banjo, and this one features his trademark scalloping, which looks organic, like curving roots or a rockface. This banjo comes with an Access softshell case.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24 in Nut Width 1.38 in String Spacing 1.69 in Woods Skin - Dyed, Wenge/Padouk/Bilinga