UPDATED 02/28/07

Folk of the Wood presents
The Deering John Hartford
5-String Banjo

Call for Deering Custom Shop Banjos

email: info@folkofthewood.com

Deering John Hartford Standard

The John Hartford model has two very special advantages. First -- it is lighter weight than most other bluegrass banjos, and secondly it has an amazing tone. It sounds like a vintage pre-war banjo. But the unusual thing is that as it ages, it "plays-in" like a violin and gains in volume and presence the more it is played. We've seen it out-do even the best bronze tone-ring banjos in jam sessions.

The Hartford is made of flamed maple and stained to a warm brown. It has the look of a vintage instrument, not glossy, but hand rubbed to create a smooth, fast feel. The "steamboat gothic" inlay pattern reflects John's enthusiasm for steamboats.

Greg's years of experience with various woods combined with John's research into the design of vintage banjos culminated in the idea of using a "Granadillo tone-ring" made from a wood used on marimbas. This unique tone-ring is mounted on a three-ply maple rim with a zinc flange to create a wood-rim, lighter weight (8 lbs instead of 11 or 12) banjo a very good choice for bluegrass as well as other styles!

With the custom option of a pop-on resonator, and assembling the banjo with a light weight tube for open-back playing, you can have a banjo which is easily convertible from open-back to bluegrass style, weighing 6 lbs with the resonator and only 5 lbs without -- the same as a guitar!

More expensive to produce than a bell bronze tone-ring, the Hartford tone-ring comes standard on the John Hartford model and can be ordered as a custom option on other models from the Sierra on up the line.

The Hartford has the most surprisingly wonderful tone. You can listen to it on John Hartford's "Down the River" and "Hartford & Hartford" albums. Other models featuring the Hartford tone ring can be heard on recent albums by David Holt, John McCutcheon, Tom Chapin, Elmer Bird, and The Kingston Trio.

Deering John Hartford 24 Fret Model

We have continued to develop new ideas with John Hartford and Dave Dick and are producing a Hartford design that is new in banjos. John's new albums and performances feature what looks like the regular Hartford model but with two new features.

We added two extra frets at the 23rd and 24th position which only add about 1/2" in length to the neck so it still fits into a regular banjo case. And the delightful thing is that it moves the placement of the bridge closer to the center of the head and brings out the full sound of the banjo. With this improvement in the design of his banjo John is now able to play two complete octaves up the neck.

The second new feature is a 20 hold bell bronze tone-ring (like the Golden Era) and maple rim construction on this new Hartford banjo. To order, simply specify the "24-fret Hartford" banjo. You can hear John's new banjo on his albums "Going Back to Dixie" and "The Walls We Bounce Off Of" and in concert. You've got to hear it to believe it! It's truly astounding.

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