This is an early re-issue, and has the same tone ring used in the GF-100 series of banjos. It's been upgraded with a Kershner tailpiece. Has 5th string capo spikes installed, and will come set-up with an 11/16" Sullivan roasted maple bridge. Some minor wear showing on the first few frets, but nothing that hinders play-ability. Normal tarnish on the armrest. Has a new Remo USA head and GHS PF-150 strings.
In the late 1970s Saga Musical Instruments made banjo history with the introduction of the Gold Star Banjo. These instruments were the first production banjos since the 1930s to be manufactured with the lethal combination of a three-ply maple rim and a single piece flange! As a result, Gold Star banjos became collector’s items for the current crop of pickers during the 1980s and 1990s and are still the object of many a collector’s desire. The GF-85 easily lives up to its reputation as a banjo in which the sound quality and value far exceeds anything at twice the price. Produced with the same attention to detail as the original models and under the watchful eye of our skilled makers, these reissue Gold Stars come from an almost clean slate and are made the old-fashioned way, replicating ’30s era banjos with a few modern touches like a geared 5th. Just one look and you will know that the GF-85 is every bit a Gold Star and carries on the name proudly.
Traditional bound mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard pre-war style, deep-arch tapered-wall bound resonator Deluxe 3-ply rock maple rim 20-hole sand cast flathead tone ring Triple nickel-plated hardware Traditional Style-3 inlays on the peghead and fingerboard Planetary tuners with white ABS buttons Mastertone-style bell-shape truss rod cover Superior hardshell case with padded plush interior
