Starr Limited Edition 11" Tubaphone Tone Ring 5-String Openback Banjo with Scoop #075

Banjo Studio is proud to be an authorized Starr Banjos dealer. You are viewing the actual banjo that you'll be purchasing.

This Starr Limited Edition 11" openback pairs a Vega-style tubaphone tone ring with a few touches you won't find on the other Starr model. It was built by Chuck Ogsbury in Gold Hill, Colorado, with a hand-carved curly maple neck and a curly maple rim, both finished in a golden-brown stain that brings out the figure.

What makes this banjo different

Scooped fingerboard. The fingerboard is cut away where the neck meets the pot, right where a clawhammer player's hand strikes. That gives you room to brush the strings without catching the end of the board, and it lets you play over the sweet spot of the head, where the tone is round and full.

Ome Juniper inlay pattern. Instead of the usual abalone dots, the fingerboard carries the ornate scroll and flower inlays from Chuck's Ome Juniper, set into an ebony fingerboard under the abalone Starr peghead star.

Ome Sweetgrass tailpiece. This one swaps the standard no-knot tailpiece for an Ome Sweetgrass tailpiece in aged brass. It matches the hardware, anchors the strings firmly, and its chenille-wrapped string ends keep overtones in check.

Tubaphone tone ring on an 11" pot. The tubaphone design was originated by the Vega Company at the turn of the 20th century. A square brass tube drilled with small holes lets sound pass into the pot, and a rolled brass rod on top contacts the head. Together they give a clear, bell-like tone with long, round sustain.

The sound

On an 11" rim, the tubaphone ring gives a warm voice with strong low end and clear, bell-like notes that ring on. The smaller pot keeps it focused and punchy, so it holds its own with a fiddle, while the scoop lets you dig in over the head for that round clawhammer thump.

Chuck has been building banjos since the early 60's and is known for his other popular banjo companies, Ode and Ome Banjos. If you purchase a Starr Banjo, you are getting a banjo made with the experience and dedication of a great builder of instruments.

Every banjo is professionally set up and checked by Banjo Studio before it leaves our shop, so it plays great right out of the box. Comes with a padded Starr gig bag. Shipping is free to the lower 48 states.

Specifications

11″ Curly Maple STARR Tubaphone Tone-Ring Body with Faux Tortoise Binding

Precision machined, Aged Brass Hardware with 28 Brackets & Heavy Notched Brass Tension Hoop

Renaissance Head, Chenille Wrapped D’Addario Strings & Dotson Hand-made Maple-ebony Bridge

Hardwood Armrest & Brass Trimmed Round Rim Rod. Ome Sweetgrass Tailpiece

Select Curly Maple neck, 26-1/4″ Scale, 1-3/8″ Nut Width, Grain-enhancing Golden-brown Stain

Scooped Fingerboard (frailing scoop where the neck meets the pot)

Genuine Ebony Fingerboard

Rosewood Peghead Overlay & Heel Cap

K & H Planetary Tuners with Amber Knobs

Genuine Abalone Shell Peghead Star & Ome Juniper Pattern Fingerboard Inlays

Heavy Padded Faux-Leather Gig Bag

Serial: 075