Gold Tone EBM-5/L Electric Banjo Left-Handed with Case

Let me be honest with you — in over 45 years of working with banjos, I have not come across many instruments quite like the Gold Tone EBM-5, and the left-handed version, the EBM-5/L, is just as remarkable. This is a fully realized F-style 5-string electric banjo built for left-handed players who refuse to compromise. Whether you are a gigging musician looking to cut through a loud stage mix, a studio player after something genuinely unusual, or a curious banjo enthusiast ready to expand your tonal palette, the EBM-5/L delivers in ways that are hard to overstate. The tobacco sunburst high-gloss finish set against gold hardware is simply gorgeous, and I say that as someone who has handled thousands of banjos over the decades.

What separates the EBM-5 from novelty electric stringed instruments is that it is a real banjo at its core. The hollow sound chamber within the mahogany F-style body gives it authentic banjo resonance even when unplugged — you can hear that crisp, fast response that makes hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides feel effortless. Gold Tone’s dual-pickup configuration is thoughtfully designed: a humbucking pickup hidden under the 8-inch Remo MC Smooth head pairs with a single-coil pickup at the neck position, giving you a wide range of tones from warm and mellow to bright and cutting. The 8-inch aluminum tone ring, top-tension style tension hoop, and Straightline tailpiece are all proper banjo architecture. The ebony fingerboard with snowflake inlays, 21 frets, a ZeroGlide nut, and GT Master Planetary tuners round out a package that is genuinely well-engineered. At a 26-3/8-inch scale length, it plays with the familiar feel that banjo hands expect.

Each instrument receives a professional setup at Gold Tone’s factory in Titusville, Florida before it ships to you.

Why Buy From Banjo Warehouse

Banjo Warehouse is an authorized Gold Tone dealer, which means every instrument we sell is covered by Gold Tone’s full manufacturer warranty and you are buying the real thing — not a gray-market or diverted unit. I have been in this industry since the late 1970s. I co-owned Watch & Learn in Atlanta starting in the 1980s, authored Banjo Primer (widely recognized as the top-rated beginner banjo method), and co-designed the OB-Standard with Gold Tone — so when I say I know these instruments, I mean it in the most literal sense. My work on banjo technique has been cited on Wikipedia’s entries for Banjo Roll and Scruggs Style. When you buy from Banjo Warehouse, you are buying from someone who has lived and breathed banjo for a very long time. We want you to love what you receive. Financing is available through PayPal Pay in 4, Afterpay, and 3, 6, 12, or 24-month plans — no late fees — so you can get this instrument in your hands without waiting.

Gold Tone EBM-5/L Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the EBM-5/L sound like a real banjo, or is it more like a guitar with a banjo body?

It genuinely sounds like a banjo — that is one of the things that impresses me most about this instrument. The hollow sound chamber inside the mahogany body produces real banjo resonance and that characteristic fast, percussive response even before you plug it in. The dual-pickup system then lets you shape and amplify that tone. It is not a guitar pretending to be a banjo; it is a banjo with electric capabilities built into its DNA.

Is this truly configured for left-handed playing, or is it a right-handed banjo strung in reverse?

The EBM-5/L is a properly configured left-handed instrument from Gold Tone — not simply a right-handed banjo with the strings flipped. The neck, nut, and body orientation are all designed for left-handed players, so you get a comfortable, correctly set up experience rather than a workaround.

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