About Banjo Warehouse
Banjo Warehouse is a specialty banjo dealer in Yellow Springs, Ohio, serving players worldwide since 1980. We’re a small shop that does one thing well: we find great banjos, set them up right, and put them in the hands of people who will play them. Every instrument in our inventory is personally evaluated by owner Geoff Hohwald and professionally set up by our banjo tech Tara before it ships. If you’ve ever received an instrument that needed work before it was playable, you know what that’s worth.
We carry new banjos from Gold Tone and Deering as authorized dealers, professional-grade instruments from Gibson, Huber, Stelling, Bishline, Davis, Nechville, Yates, and other respected builders, and a rotating inventory of vintage and used banjos that reflects Geoff’s 60+ years of expertise. We ship free anywhere in the United States, and every banjo arrives ready to play.
Call us at (404) 218-8580 or email thebanjowarehouse@gmail.com. We love to talk banjos.
Geoff — Owner
Geoff Hohwald has been playing banjo since 1963 and has been buying, selling, and studying banjos for over 60 years. He started in Columbus, Ohio, which was a hotbed of bluegrass at the time, studying banjo under John Hickman and Robby Robinson. In Columbus, Geoff played with some of the most important musicians in bluegrass history, including Bill Monroe’s last two guitar players Tom Ewing and Wayne Lewis, along with Red Allen, Sandy Rothman, Sid Campbell, Dave Evans, Frank Wakefield, Hylo Brown, Buddy Thomas, The Fields Brothers, Landon Messer, Earl Taylor, and Brian Aldridge.
Geoff lived in the Atlanta area for 50 years where he played with Bear Creek in Underground Atlanta, performed at the Alliance Theatre for The Robber Bridegroom, played with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, and is one of the founding members of the Greater Atlanta Bluegrass Band. He founded his first music store in 1980 and has been a full-time banjo dealer and teacher ever since.
Geoff is the author of The Banjo Primer, which has sold over 200,000 copies and remains the #1-rated beginner banjo method on Amazon. He’s also written Intro to Banjo Rhythm & Backup, Banjo Backup Licks & Rolls, Classic Banjo Backup, and a series of improvisation books that are used by banjo teachers worldwide.
He has taught at the Frank Hamilton School, Georgia Pick and Bow in Dahlonega, Georgia, and founded the Scruggs-style banjo clinic at the John C. Campbell Folk School. He now teaches lessons from his home in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
His relationships in the industry run deep. Geoff collaborated with Gold Tone founder Wayne Rogers on the design of the OB-12 Top Tension banjo (alongside Greg Rich) and the OB-Standard. He has known Greg and Janet Deering for over 45 years and once served as Deering’s largest distributor nationally. He has owned dozens of original five-string prewar flathead Gibson banjos.
When you call Banjo Warehouse, you’re talking to someone who can tell you exactly how a 1932 Gibson flathead compares to a modern Huber, and why that matters for the music you want to play. That’s not something you get from a big-box retailer.
Chris — Digital Marketing
Chris is Geoff’s nephew and is married to our banjo tech Tara. He manages digital marketing for Banjo Warehouse, including the website, email, social media, marketplace listings, SEO, and advertising. Chris is an award-winning journalist and podcaster, contributing to NPR, This American Life, MSNBC, USA Today, ESPN, CNN, and other outlets. He was selected to participate in the 2026 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses cohort on behalf of Banjo Warehouse.
Chris plays upright bass and sings. His primary instrument is a 1950s Kay bass that belonged to his cousin Andy. He grew up around bluegrass music through his uncle Geoff and brings that same attention to detail and authenticity to the way Banjo Warehouse communicates with players around the world. When he’s not working on Banjo Warehouse, he’s probably on a disc golf course.
Tara — Banjo Tech
Tara is our banjo tech and Chris’s wife. Every banjo that leaves Banjo Warehouse goes through Tara’s hands first. She provides a professional setup on every instrument, installs spikes at your preferred fret positions at no extra charge, and makes sure your banjo arrives ready to play.
Tara trained at the Huber Banjo factory in Hendersonville, Tennessee under Steve Huber and Bennie Boling. That means the person setting up your banjo at Banjo Warehouse learned directly from the people who build some of the most respected professional-grade banjos in the world. She has been with Banjo Warehouse since 2023.
Tara is also a licensed social worker and a banjo player. Her go-to banjo at home is a Recording King RK-OT25BR, but during the week she’s usually playing whatever just came through the shop. She studied dance in college and is an intermediate-level clogger, which means she understands rhythm from both sides of the stage. It’s a good gig.
Jake — Data Engineer
Jake is Geoff’s nephew and serves as the Banjo Warehouse Data Engineer, handling the systems and technical infrastructure that keep the business running. Jake has been officially involved since December 2023, but he grew up around bluegrass and banjo music through his uncle Geoff.
When he’s not working on Banjo Warehouse, Jake is a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Arizona State University, where he’s pursuing a Ph.D. in Environmental Life Sciences. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University and works in ASU’s Marine Benthic Ecology and Ecophysiology Lab at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences. His research focuses on carbon removal, marine ecology, and ecosystem restoration. Jake is a certified scuba diver who splits his time between Tempe, Arizona and Bermuda.
Jake is a beginner-to-intermediate banjo player who learned from Geoff’s books. His primary banjo is a vintage Japanese Fender Leo, and his backup and travel banjo is a Gold Tone CC-100R.
Tiger and Shadow — Shop Dogs
No visit to Banjo Warehouse is complete without meeting Tiger and Shadow.
Tiger is a five-year-old purebred German Shepherd who is fiercely protective of his older sister but a complete doofus the rest of the time. If you visit the shop, expect Tiger to lean on you. That’s his thing. He leans on new friends until they pet him, and then he leans harder. When he’s not greeting visitors, he’s cuddling with Geoff on the couch.
Shadow is a ten-year-old German Shepherd mix who is the quieter half of the pair, at least until someone pulls into the driveway. Shadow has one eye and a slight head tilt, which only adds to her charm. She’s shy at first but has a mischievous streak once she warms up. She loves playing with her little brother Tiger in the backyard, and she has been known to get into things she shouldn’t.
Both dogs are fixtures at Banjo Warehouse. If you call and hear barking in the background, that’s Shadow letting us know you’re important.
Visit Banjo Warehouse
Banjo Warehouse is located in Yellow Springs, Ohio. We see visitors by appointment — give us a call at (404) 218-8580 with at least a day’s notice, because sometimes we’re out looking for banjos. We’re available seven days a week. When you visit, you can play everything in the shop and compare instruments side by side. Geoff will help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
We’ve had people fly in from across the country to visit the shop. They all have a ball, and most of them leave with a banjo.
Want to know when new banjos arrive?
Join the Banjo Warehouse email list for new arrival notifications, sale alerts, and free weekly banjo lessons from Geoff Hohwald.