OB-300

This gold plated beauty has all of the elegant features found on banjos well into the $10,000 range. A curly maple neck and matching curly maple/abalone binding combine for a most decorative 5 string. The sand cast bronze tone ring is used in only the best of banjos and provides a loud and penetrating tone. A unique abalone/pearl truss rod cover matches the exquisite inlay throughout the banjo. With a detailed setup at the Gold Tone Facroty, this banjo will play and sound worlds above the price you would actually pay for it.

Submitter	Thom Canning, Nampa, Idaho
Where Purchased	Gold Tone (Titusville,Fla.)
Year Purchased	9/28/06
Price Paid	2145.00 ($US) Rated on a scale from 1 to 10
Sound	I bought this banjo new and had Wayne install one of his graphite necks w/ hearts and flowers inlay. I believe this is the first OB-300 built by GOLDTONE w/ a graphite neck. This instrument plays beautifully up and down the neck with a loud, bright, rich tone. For the money, this banjo is as nice as any I've seen or played that costs $5000.00 or more. I'm extremely happy with my choice.
Sound Rating	10
Setup	The OB-300 was set up well at the store, however they forgot to install the 5th string spikes. Having a graphite neck, this instrument is incredibly stable, stays in tune, and plays fast and easy. They also put a graphite bridge on and the sound is crisp with great clarity. I'm a tooling engineer, detail oriented and very picky. I wouldn't change a thing. I had my instrument shipped from Fla. to Idaho by UPS, and it arrived on time in perfect condition.
Setup Rating	10
Appearance	All of the wood work is first rate, finish and inlay, beautiful. Wayne called to tell me my Banjo was ready for delivery and said that mine was one of the finest instruments they had produced to date. The inlay was installed perfectly and the finish is flawless.
Appearance Rating	10
Reliability	This OB-300 is built and set up to play for along time under any conditions. Because of the graphite neck my Banjo isn't effected by moisture, or weather changes and stays in tune. I know this sounds crazy but she is a beautiful work horse, with great sound up and down the neck. I have other banjos that aren't being played since the purchase of this one.
Reliability Rating	10
Customer Service	Customer service is great, Wayne and his crew aim to please the most discerning customer and produce an instrument that is first class with a price tag that is less than half that of any thing comparable. My OB-300 has a lifetime warranty. I have been described by others as a perfectionist and quite critical at times of products and services of companies I've dealt with. Wayne Rogers and his crew at GOLDTONE are professionals and provide great customer service.
Customer Service	10
Components	The gold plate on the hardware is heavy, bright and polished and the inlay is truly a beautiful work of art. The graphite neck is polished and flawless w/ the Hearts and Flowers design,radiused and plays fast. Once again the GoldTone OB-300 is a great value and the price is about half of anything comparable.
Components Rating	10
Overall Comments	As anyone can tell, I'm more than satisfied with my OB-300, and recommend Wayne Rogers and GOLDTONE all the time. I've owned several nice banjos and other than a mastertone copy built by Frank Ford at GRYPHON Inst. in Palo Alto, Ca., 40 years ago, which also has been fitted w/ a graphite neck from GOLDTONE, and my OB-300, are my two favorite banjos. They make beautiful music, play well, are sturdy and require very little maintenance. I LOVE BLUEGRASS MUSIC AND FOR ONCE I'M A HAPPY CAMPER! .....Thanks to Wayne and the Crew at GOLDTONE!
Overall Rating	10+

- Thom Canning
Nampa