Featuring Midnight Maple Fingerboard and Vintage Artisan inspired inlays! The Goodtime Blackgrass Special has a pure black stain and black head, the same as the Goodtime Blackgrass, but this model features a tone ring to give it a brighter, richer tone. Built exclusively by Deering Banjo Co, the Blackgrass is built in the same San Diego factory as all other Deering models and has a familiar Goodtime vibe that echoes some of the aesthetics as the new Goodtime Artisan line. The Midnight Maple fingerboard is inlaid with Artisan style Pearloid inlays and the banjo still features the ever-present 3-ply violin grade maple for optimum tone and resonance. The Blackgrass also features spikes at 7, 9, and 10. The use of spikes enables you to expand your playing from the key of G to easily play in the keys of A, B, and C. All of the maple wood is accented with matte black hardware and a black head which combine to put a dark twist on an otherwise traditional instrument. Specifications Specs Neck Neck Wood: Rock Maple Neck Shape: Slender “D” Shape Stain: Black Finish: Satin Nut Width: 1 1/4″ Nut Material: Lexan Polycarbonate Tuners: Goodtime Planetary Tuners 5th String Tuner: Goodtime Geared 5th String Tuner Frets: 22 Pressed In Nickel Silver Frets Inlays: Vintage Artisan Style Inlays Specs Pot Rim: 3-Ply Violin Grade Maple Rim Diameter: 11″ Tone Ring: Patented Goodtime Special Steel Tone Ring Head: 11″ Black High Crown Tension Hoop: Beveled Steel Tension Hoop Hooks & Nuts: 16 Flat J-Hooks and 9/32″ Hex Nuts Flange: Two Piece Goodtime Series Flange Armrest: Goodtime Armrest Hardware Plating: Durable Matte Black Powder Finish Bridge: 5/8″ Goodtime Smile Bridge Tailpiece: Patented Goodtime Tailpiece Finish: Hand Finished Satin Polyurethane Specs Resonator Resonator Wood: 3-Ply Poplar/Poplar/Maple Resonator Finish: Satin Resonator Sidewalls: Straight Resonator Diameter: 13 7/8″ Resonator Stain: Black Specs Dimensions Neck Width at the Nut: 1 1/4″ Scale Length Nut to Bridge: 26 1/4″ Rim Diameter: 11″ Overall Instrument Length: 38″ Weight Approx.: 6 lbs Specs Warranty The trust and pride we share in our product gives us the confidence to grant every owner of a Goodtime banjo a Six Year Warranty ensuring the quality of our materials and workmanship. Click below for more information. Click Here Specs Strings, Tuning, Etc. Comes strung with Deering Light Gauge Strings String gauges: 10, 11, 13, 21w, 10 Comes tuned: G, D, G, B, D Can easily be tuned in other tunings as well. Hardshell case included This banjo does not come with a gig bag or case but Banjo Warehouse will include a Carrion C-2901 Black Hardshell 5-String Resonator Banjo Case for free. Why A Goodtime Banjo The Pot 1. DEERING GOODTIME SMILE BRIDGE The responsive sensitivity of the maple, with the hard, dense ebony top contributes to the Goodtime banjos clear, resonant responsiveness. 2. QUIET TAILPIECE Specially selected metal is used to prevent the tailpiece from making “its own sound” and muddying up the banjo’s tone. The violin maple rim is supposed to sing, not your tailpiece. 3. STABILITY ENHANCING J-HOOKS The proprietary Deering J-hooks are wider at the top to prevent twisting off the tension hoop when tightening the banjo head. 4. QUIET COORDINATOR ROD Made of special alloy that is strong and does not interfere with the singing resonance of the violin maple rim. 5. 3-PLY VIOLIN GRADE MAPLE RIM The maple in the Goodtime rim is the exact wood used in the finest violins in the world. Only Deering puts this professional grade 3-ply maple rim in a banjo in this price range. The Neck 6. SEALED GEARED TUNERS Five high quality geared tuning machines make tuning the Goodtime banjo easy, accurate and fun. Too many student banjos are cursed with poor quality tuners, so the students blame themselves for an out of tune banjo when it’s the tuner that is at fault. 7. ROCK MAPLE NECK This fine grained, dense, extremely hard, wood creates a stable neck, and imparts a bright, crisp quality to the Goodtime banjo tone. Deering Banjos Deering Banjo Company epitomizes excellence in banjo craftsmanship, producing instruments of exceptional quality across a wide spectrum. Discover an extensive array of banjo styles from Deering, including Bluegrass and 4-string banjos, open back and clawhammer banjos, electric banjos, banjitars, mini travel banjos, and a distinctive 5-string spruce-top Banjola. Keep in mind that we nearly always have various banjos in stock that haven’t yet made it to our website listings. Give us a call at 404-218-8580. Contact Call the Banjo Warehouse’s Geoff Hohwald for an in-hand description (or to talk about banjos): 404-218-8580 Email: [email protected] Follow us on Facebook Find us on Reverb Find us on eBay Watch us on Youtube To learn about our latest deals, subscribe to our periodic email newsletter. Call Geoff to schedule an appointment to visit our Yellow Springs, OH (near Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton) location (serious inquiries only). Geoff also teaches lessons based on his best-selling beginning Banjo book, The Banjo Primer. He has also published several other banjo books. Buy yourself a copy today or call Geoff to schedule in-person or virtual lessons! ABOUT: Geoff Hohwald has been playing banjo since the 1960’s. He became active in the thriving bluegrass community in Ohio as a teenager while studying at Ohio State University. He has played professionally as a guitarist and banjo player with several bluegrass bands ever since.  Geoff moved to Atlanta after college and co-founded the Watch and Learn publishing company. They now publish a full line of musical instrument instruction books and digital modules.  He also owned several music stores in Atlanta from the 1980s through the mid-2000s and is still an active participant in the musical instrument re-sale community in the southeast. Banjo Warehouse is a family business resulting from 50 years of experience in music and 40 years of experience in musical instrument retail sales and education. Our focus is on the 5-string flathead banjo, but we also occasionally have a good selection of guitars and mandolins (and other folk instruments).