Deering Goodtime Openback 5-String Banjo, Left-Handed
$599.00
This is a pre-order. Our next left-handed Goodtime is due to arrive from Deering in October 2026. Your payment is fully refundable at any time before it ships.
The left-handed build of the Deering Goodtime, the banjo teachers recommend more than any other: a 3-ply violin grade maple rim, a slim rock maple neck and only 4.5 lbs. Made in Spring Valley, California. Set up by our banjo tech Tara in Yellow Springs before it ships. $599 with free shipping.
Pre-order
At a Glance
- Handedness
- Left-Handed
- Style
- Openback Banjo
- Strings
- 5
- Scale Length
- 26-1/4"
- Pickup
- No
- Made In
- USA
- Weight
- 4.5 lbs
Left-Handed Deering Goodtime Openback 5-String Banjo, Made in USA
This is a pre-order. Our next left-handed Goodtime is due to arrive from Deering in October 2026. Ordering now reserves it. It comes to our shop in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where our banjo tech Tara sets it up before it ships to you. Dates can move, so get in touch before you buy and we will tell you where it stands. Your payment is fully refundable at any time before your order ships, for any reason and with no restocking fee.
This is the left-handed Deering Goodtime: a 5-string openback banjo with a 3-ply violin grade maple rim, handcrafted in Spring Valley, California. Same banjo, same price as the right-handed Goodtime, built mirror image for left-handed players. At $599 and 4.5 lbs, it is the most recommended beginner banjo. Available to pre-order from Banjo Warehouse, an authorized Deering dealer in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
A note on the photographs: the images shown are of the right-handed Goodtime. Deering photographs the line in right-handed form. The instrument you receive is built left-handed.
Every Deering we sell receives a professional setup by our banjo tech Tara before shipping. Your banjo arrives ready to play. Free shipping anywhere in the US. 7-day money-back guarantee.
Call Geoff directly at (404) 218-8580 with any questions.
Why the Goodtime?
When the Goodtime was first released in 1996, it changed what a beginner could expect from an affordable banjo. Almost 30 years later, it is still the banjo teachers recommend most, and Deering builds the left-handed version in the same shop, with the same parts, at the same price.
The heart of the Goodtime is its 3-ply violin grade maple rim, which gives it a clear, ringing voice. Deering puts this rim in a banjo at a price most beginners can manage.
The Pot
11 inch 3-ply violin grade maple rim with an 11 inch frosted high crown head. Beveled steel tension hoop with 16 flat J-hooks. US Bronze powder finish hardware, including the Goodtime armrest. 5/8 inch Goodtime Smile bridge and Deering’s patented Goodtime tailpiece. Hand rubbed polyurethane finish with carnauba wax.
In short: the left-handed Goodtime is the same American-made Deering that teachers recommend, built for left-handed players.
The Neck
Rock maple neck with a comfortable D shape and a satin finish. 26 1/4 inch scale with 22 pressed-in nickel silver frets. 1 1/4 inch Lexan polycarbonate nut. Art Deco inspired hardwood inlays. Sealed geared tuners and a Goodtime geared 5th string tuner. Standard fingerboard, no scoop.
What’s Included
Deering eight year warranty. Deering light gauge strings, tuned G D G B D. Professional setup by our banjo tech Tara. Free shipping anywhere in the United States. 7-day money-back guarantee.
Financing available: PayPal Pay in 4 on our website.
Pre-order now. $599.
Call Geoff directly at (404) 218-8580 with any questions.
Is a left-handed banjo different from a right-handed one?
A left-handed banjo is built as a mirror image: the neck points to the right, the 5th string tuner sits on the other side, and the armrest and tailpiece are placed for picking with your left hand. Flipping a right-handed banjo over does not work, because the short 5th string ends up in the wrong position.
Does the left-handed Goodtime cost more?
No. Deering prices the left-handed Goodtime the same as the right-handed model, $599.
Is the Deering Goodtime made in the USA?
Yes. Deering builds every Goodtime, left- and right-handed, in Spring Valley, California.
Contact Banjo Warehouse
For detailed descriptions or to chat about banjos, call Geoff Hohwald at (404) 218-8580.
Email us anytime at [email protected].
Follow Banjo Warehouse:
- Facebook – Join our community
- YouTube – Watch demos and lessons
- GeoffHohwald.com – Banjo lessons and books
Want to visit? Call Geoff to schedule an appointment at our Yellow Springs, OH location.
Be the first to review “Deering Goodtime Openback 5-String Banjo, Left-Handed”
You must be logged in to post a review.
Related products
The Gold Tone CC-100R is the best beginner banjo at this price. Maple neck and rim, rolled brass tone ring, two-way adjustable truss rod, and a convertible resonator that comes off for true openback playing. Part of Gold Tone’s Cripple Creek line, in stock in Yellow Springs, and set up twice before it ships. Choose the build pictured here or Gold Tone’s current one at the same price, just say which in your order notes. Gig bag included.
The Deering Goodtime Blackgrass is the darkest banjo in the Deering lineup. All-black matte finish, black head, matte black hardware. 3-ply violin grade maple rim with resonator. Midnight maple fingerboard with vintage artisan inlays. Planetary tuners, spikes at 7, 9, and 10. Handcrafted in Spring Valley, California. $1,389 with free shipping and professional setup by our banjo tech Tara. Made in the USA.
"Pre-war" style, at a price anyone can afford, AND authentic tone and superb playability describe the OB-150+. This Bluegrass banjo sports a three-ply maple rim and one-piece flange (just like the megabucks originals), a maple neck inlayed in authentic style, an upgraded JLS tone ring, and a smooth satin finish. The OB-150 is professionally set up in our Ohio shop and comes with TRANSFERRABLE lifetime warranty.
Brand new Gold Tone CC-100+/L left-handed Cripple Creek openback banjo featuring the factory-installed SMP+ pickup and included gig bag. This lefty banjo offers a maple neck with two-way adjustable truss rod, rosewood fingerboard with snowflake inlays, three-ply maple rim, rolled brass tone ring, and GT Master planetary tuners. Finished in vintage brown and setup at Gold Tone's Florida facility.
The four members of the Gold Tone banjo-ukulele choir (soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone) all utilize the same eight-inch maple-rimmed pot assembly and differ only in the scale lengths of their necks. All models feature Remo Weather King heads, maple necks with bound fingerboards, geared guitar-style tuners, and plate-style resonators.
1970s/1980s Vintage Japanese Aria Pro II Banjo with hard-shell case. These phenomenal instruments were built during the Golden Age of Japanese banjo building.
The Deering Goodtime Six is a 6-string, steel-string banjo that tunes like a guitar. Handcrafted in Spring Valley, California. Maple fingerboard, 3-ply violin grade maple rim, comfortable guitar-style neck. $899 with free shipping and professional setup by our banjo tech Tara. Made in the USA.
A Madison-series resonator banjo with the same 3-ply steam-bent maple rim as the best-selling RK-ELITE-75, plus a pre-war-style bell brass cast tone ring and one-piece flange.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.