Deering White Lotus 5-String Banjo
$2,949.00
This is a pre-order. Deering has this banjo scheduled to ship to us in late September 2026. Your payment is fully refundable at any time before it ships.
The Deering White Lotus is a bluegrass resonator banjo built around Deering’s patented 3-ply white oak rim, which gives it a bright, bell-like tone without a heavy metal tone ring. Quartersawn white oak neck, ebony fingerboard with lotus flower inlays, about 8 lbs. Made in Spring Valley, California, with a Deering lifetime warranty. $2,949 with free shipping.
Pre-order
At a Glance
- Handedness
- Right-Handed
- Style
- Resonator Banjo
- Strings
- 5
- Scale Length
- 26-1/4"
- Pickup
- No
- Made In
- USA
- Weight
- 8 lbs
Deering White Lotus 5-String Banjo: Patented White Oak Rim, Made in USA
This is a pre-order. Deering has this banjo scheduled to ship to us in late September 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. Factory 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.
The Deering White Lotus is a 5-string resonator banjo built around Deering’s patented 3-ply white oak rim, handcrafted in Spring Valley, California. At $2,949 and about 8 lbs, it is a bright, clear bluegrass banjo that gets its bell-like voice from the wood itself rather than from a heavy tone ring. Available to pre-order from Banjo Warehouse, an authorized Deering dealer in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
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 White Lotus?
Most bluegrass banjos get their ring from several pounds of bronze or brass on top of the rim. The White Lotus does it with wood. Deering builds its rim from American white oak, a heavy, straight-grained, very stiff hardwood, and in Deering’s words it produces strong fundamental notes and a series of overtones that imitate a bell metal tone ring without the additional weight.
The result is a banjo with crisp note separation and real bluegrass brightness that weighs about 8 lbs, lighter than most tone ring banjos. It takes its name from the lotus flower inlays on the fingerboard.
The Pot
3-ply white oak rim, 11 inches across. No tone ring is required: the white oak rim does that job. 11 inch frosted medium crown head. Notched brass tension hoop with 24 round J-hooks and 1/4 inch hex nuts. Two piece Eagle series flange, Deering armrest, 5/8 inch Deering Smile bridge and Deering True Tone tailpiece. Nickel plated hardware and a hand finished satin polyurethane finish on the pot.
In short: the White Lotus is an American-made bluegrass banjo with tone ring brightness at about 8 lbs, thanks to a rim design no one else builds.
The Neck
Quartersawn white oak neck with a slender D shape and a high gloss finish. A grade ebony fingerboard with Deering’s original lotus flower engraved inlays. 22 pressed in nickel silver frets. White acrylic nut at 1 1/4 inch width. Deering planetary tuners and a Deering Gotoh geared 5th string tuner. 26 1/4 inch scale length.
The Resonator
3-ply poplar, poplar and white oak resonator with a high gloss finish and straight sidewalls, 13 7/8 inches across. Overall length 38 inches.
What’s Included
Deering lifetime warranty. Hardshell case. Deering light gauge strings, tuned G D G B D. Professional setup by our banjo tech Tara. Free shipping in the US. 7-day money-back guarantee.
Financing available: PayPal Pay in 4 on our website.
Pre-order now. $2,949.
Call Geoff directly at (404) 218-8580 with any questions.
Does the White Lotus have a tone ring?
No, and it does not need one. Deering’s patented 3-ply white oak rim provides the brightness and overtones a tone ring normally adds, which is why the White Lotus weighs about 8 lbs instead of the 10 to 11 lbs of a bronze tone ring banjo.
Is the White Lotus good for bluegrass?
Yes. Deering designed it as a bluegrass banjo: a resonator for projection, bright tone and crisp note separation for three-finger picking.
Is the Deering White Lotus made in the USA?
Yes. Deering handcrafts the White Lotus 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.
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