Gold Tone ML-1/L Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo with Case (Left-Handed)

This is the left-handed version of the Gold Tone ML-1 Missing Link baritone banjo, and I want to be straightforward with you: this is one of the most unusual, thoughtfully conceived, and genuinely exciting banjos Gold Tone has ever built. I’ve been working with banjos for over 45 years, and the ML-1 occupies a tonal territory that simply did not exist before Béla Fleck and Gold Tone president Wayne Rogers figured out how to get there. Left-handed players now have full access to this instrument — same specs, same soul, mirror-image neck and head. If you play left-handed and you’ve been curious about a baritone banjo, this is the one.

The backstory matters here. Béla admired how John Hartford used a low-tuned five-string — a 1920s twelve-inch Farland — to carve out a rich, cello-like space in a band mix. The Gold Tone CEB-5 Cello Banjo (tuned a full octave below a standard five-string) already existed, but Béla heard a gap between that instrument and the standard banjo. He wanted something that lived in the middle: deep enough to anchor a chord voicing, light enough on the attack to function melodically. The result, after months of collaboration and multiple prototypes, is the ML-1, tuned CGCEG — open C in a G configuration, essentially an octave below the fifth fret of a standard five-string. A 12-inch, three-ply maple rim supports a rolled brass flat-bar tone ring, a combination that gives the instrument a focused low-end presence with a surprisingly clear and bell-like sustain. The 12-inch Remo Black Suede head contributes warmth without mud, and a custom 7/8-inch radiused maple bridge with an ebony cap helps translate the tension of those all-wound strings into something musical and even across the full fretboard. The hard rock Canadian maple neck is topped with a genuine ebony fingerboard cut to a compound radius — 5 to 10 inches — which means the lower positions feel comfortable for chord work and the upper register plays without fighting you. Béla designed the art nouveau inlay pattern himself, and it runs from the first position all the way to the peghead without interruption except for the Zero Glide nut, which is one of the most practical innovations in modern banjo building for accurate intonation and smooth, low-friction tuning. Gold Tone Master Planetary tuners with black buttons round out a look that is elegant without being fussy, and a hard case is included.

Each instrument receives a professional setup at Gold Tone’s factory in Titusville, Florida before it ships to you. For an instrument as specialized as the ML-1, with its longer scale, all-wound string set, and compound-radius fretboard, a proper setup is not optional — action, intonation, neck relief, and string response from the nut to the 22nd fret are all dialed in before the instrument leaves the factory. You’re not opening a factory box — you’re receiving a playing instrument.

Why Buy From Banjo Warehouse

Banjo Warehouse is an authorized Gold Tone dealer, which means every ML-1/L we sell is fully covered by Gold Tone’s manufacturer warranty and backed by our own customer service. I’m Geoff Hohwald — I’ve been in the banjo business since the late 1970s and co-own Watch & Learn in Atlanta, where I authored Banjo Primer, the top-rated beginner banjo method on the market. I co-designed the Gold Tone OB-Standard, and have been cited on Wikipedia for both Banjo roll and Scruggs style. I tell you that not to impress you, but because it means when you call or email us with a question about the ML-1 — its tuning, its string choices, how to voice chords in open C — you’re talking to someone who has spent a career inside this instrument. Financing is available through PayPal Pay in 4, Afterpay, and 3, 6, 12, and 24-month plans with no late fees, so the ML-1 doesn’t have to wait.

Gold Tone ML-1/L Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to learn to play the ML-1 if I already play standard five-string banjo?

The good news is that the ML-1 is tuned to CGCEG — an open C chord in a G configuration — which means the intervallic relationships between the strings are identical to a standard five-string tuned to open G. Your roll patterns, your right-hand technique, and your basic chord shapes all transfer directly. The main adjustment is the longer scale length (26-1/4″) and the heavier, all-wound strings, which require a bit more left-hand pressure and a slightly different right-hand attack to get the strings speaking cleanly. Most players who are comfortable on a standard five-string find the transition manageable within a few sessions. The deeper tuning opens up voicings that simply aren’t possible on a standard banjo, and many players find that genuinely inspiring rather than disorienting.

Why does the left-handed ML-1 matter — can’t I just restring a right-handed model?

On most banjos, flipping the instrument and restringing is workable but imperfect — the nut slots, the bridge placement, the neck angle, and often the truss rod access are all optimized for one orientation. On the ML-1, the compound-radius fingerboard and the Zero Glide nut are precisely fitted for the string gauges in a specific order, and the resonator and coordinator rod geometry are set for the right-handed configuration. The ML-1/L is purpose-built as a left-handed instrument from the ground up, which means left-handed players get the same intonation accuracy, playability, and setup quality that right-handed players enjoy — nothing is a compromise.

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