The Gold Tone HM-100 “High Moon” old-time banjo was designed to satisfy the modern clawhammer banjoist’s desire for a full-featured and wonderful-sounding banjo at a most affordable price.

The HM-100 sports many of the custom touches found on some of today’s finest “boutique” banjos. These include a fingerboard scoop; a single-rod neck-angle adjuster enclosed in a machine-turned wooden dowel; just fourteen hooks mounted in spherical (or “pawn”) shoes to assure full resonance while providing even tensioning; a smooth-playing satin finish; a short and lightweight old-time style tailpiece that provides just enough down-pressure on the strings for balanced tone, and high-quality Gotoh machine heads.

One major departure from modern practice stands out: the truss rod adjustment is on the peghead! While some players might prefer the look of a smooth headstock, a truss rod that adjusts from a socket in the face of the neck heel that faces the pot is impractical and inconvenient. If one must remove the banjo’s neck in order to adjust the truss rod for seasonal changes in neck relief, how does one know how much of an adjustment to make? Placing the adjuster on the peghead allows easy adjustment with the strings tuned to pitch, assuring accuracy.

The full, woody tone of the High Moon rim is accented by a rolled flat brass tone ring. The twelve-inch Remo Renaissance head burnishes the sound, making it smooth but well-defined; each note is clear but mellow. Gold Tone’s patented Zero Glide string nut assures better intonation and open-string tone that matches the fretted-string tone. The light carry weight of just six and a half pounds eliminates “festival fatigue” and makes for a lively and richly resonant banjo.

Specifications

Headstock

• Buttons: Cream
• Nut Width: 1-3/8″ ZeroGlide Nut
• Tuners: GT Master Planetary

Neck

• Fingerboard: Ebony
• Frets: 19
• Inlay: Dot & Moon
• Material: Mahogany
• Truss Rod: Two-Way Adjustable

Body

• Armrest: Little Mountain Maple
• Binding: Maple
• Brackets: 14 Pawn Lugs
• Bridge: Maple w/ Ebony Cap
• Coordinator Rods: Single Rod w/Dowel
• Finish: Mahogany Satin
• Hardware: Nickel Plated
• Head: 12″ Remo HC Renaissance
• Rim: 12″ 3-Ply Maple w/ Faux Dowel
• Tailpiece: Crescent Tailpiece
• Tension Hoop: 12″ Notched 14 Bracket
• Tone Ring: 12″ Rolled Brass Flat Bar

Dimensions

• Scale Length: 26-3/16″
• Weight: 6.5 lbs.

Other

• Case: Included
• String Gauge: .010, .024w, .015, .012, .010
• Tuning: GDGBD