Gold Tone HM-25-12 High Moon 12″ Openback Banjo with Padded Bag

The Gold Tone HM-25-12 is the twelve-inch High Moon: the same hand-built openback character as the eleven, opened up by a bigger pot. A 12-inch three-ply maple rim with a custom dowel rod sits under a 12-inch Remo Renaissance head, and that extra diameter is what you hear — more air, a deeper fundamental and the dry, woody thump that old-time players go looking for.

It is built for clawhammer and it shows. The rosewood fingerboard is scooped over the head so you can frail up the neck without fighting the strings, which is where the iconic cluck comes from. A 1-3/8 inch Zero Glide nut keeps open strings in tune with fretted ones, the two-way truss rod and single rod-and-dowel setup let the action be dialled in precisely, and a Little Mountain armrest keeps your forearm off the tension hoop through a long session.

Gold Tone finishes it in mahogany satin with a Crescent tailpiece, twenty-four brackets, black planetary tuner buttons and nickel hardware — understated, and correct for the style. At 6.5 pounds it stays comfortable on a strap. The High Moon series brings the character of the high-end HM-100 into a far more accessible instrument, and the twelve-inch is the voice most clawhammer players picture when they imagine an openback.

This instrument ships factory-fresh direct from Gold Tone, where every instrument receives a professional setup at their Titusville, Florida shop before it leaves. It arrives with its padded gig bag and the full Gold Tone manufacturer warranty.

About the photos: these images show the 11-inch High Moon. The instrument listed here is the 12-inch HM-25-12, which has a larger pot — a wider rim, tension hoop and head, and with it a deeper, drier voice. Gold Tone illustrates both sizes with this same set of photographs and has never photographed the 12-inch, so we show what they show rather than substitute pictures of something that is not this banjo.

Why Buy From Banjo Warehouse

We are an authorized Gold Tone dealer, so this is a genuine new instrument covered by the full manufacturer warranty. The shop is run by Geoff Hohwald, author of the Banjo Primer and co-designer of the Gold Tone OB-Standard, with over 45 years in the banjo world, and our team is available by phone or email if you want help choosing between the twelve-inch and the eleven-inch pot. Financing is available through PayPal Pay in 4 and 3/6/12/24-month plans, all with no late fees, plus Afterpay.

HM-25-12 Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

Eleven-inch or twelve-inch?

The twelve moves more air, so it is deeper, drier and more percussive — the classic old-time thump. The eleven is a little brighter and more focused, and a little more compact to hold. Both are the same instrument otherwise; it is a voice choice, not a quality one.

Why is the fingerboard scooped?

Clawhammer players frail over the head rather than down at the neck. Scooping the last frets clears the way for that hand position and gets you closer to the head, which is where the cluck lives.

Is this banjo on backorder?

Yes. Gold Tone has had to reorder the twelve-inch and does not have a firm date yet; they expect it to take one to two months or more. Ordering now still reserves one from the new batch. If you would rather not wait, the eleven-inch HM-25, the Gold Tone CC-Carlin12 twelve-inch clawhammer banjo and the HM-100 are all in stock. Get in touch and we will tell you where the run currently stands.

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