Gold Tone OB-250+ Block/L Orange Blossom Left-Handed Banjo with JLS Tone Ring, Companion Block Rim & Case

This is the left-handed version of the Gold Tone OB-250+ Block Orange Blossom Banjo — and if you play left-handed and want a serious professional instrument without the six-figure price tag of a prewar original, this is one of the most compelling banjos on the market today. At the heart of everything is the JLS #12 bell brass tone ring, hand-cast by master founder Jim Stull of San Antonio, Texas. Stull spent years metallurgically analyzing pre-World War II tone rings to reverse-engineer the exact bronze alloy that gives those instruments their famously complex, singing voice. The result is a long-skirt flat-top ring that improves contact between neck, rim, and ring — maximizing energy transfer across the entire pot — and delivers the warmth, clarity, and sustain of the costly originals at a fraction of their price. Pair that ring with the Made-in-America birch block rim (part of Gold Tone’s Companion Banjo program) and you have a fundamentally more powerful, more resonant foundation than a standard turned rim can provide. The block construction eliminates the tonal dead spots inherent in single-piece rims and gives the pot a density and authority that serious players notice immediately.

The rest of the OB-250+ Block/L is built to match that tone ring. The neck is curly maple, topped with an ebony fingerboard bearing the classic Hearts & Flowers inlay — the same pattern found on the finest vintage instruments — and fitted with a ZeroGlide nut (1-3/16″ width) for dead-accurate open-string intonation. Gotoh planetary tuners hold pitch with the kind of dependability that professional players demand on stage and in the studio. The one-piece cast flange, notched tension hoop, and Prucha Presto tailpiece round out a hardware package that is entirely chrome-plated and elegantly restrained. The 14″ flame maple resonator in Vintage Brown high-gloss finish is visually stunning, and the engraved armrest fits the full range of Gold Tone engraved accessories. Whether you are a seasoned bluegrass picker who has always played left-handed or an advancing player ready to step into professional-tier gear, the OB-250+ Block/L is built for the long haul — the kind of banjo you hand down.

Every OB-250+ Block/L we ship from Banjo Warehouse receives a professional setup by our in-house banjo tech Tara, who trained at the Huber Banjo factory in Bethpage, Tennessee, under master builders Steve Huber and Bennie Boling. Tara fits the head tension, cuts the nut slots, sets the bridge height and position, and dials in the coordinator rods so the instrument plays in tune up the neck and responds evenly across all five strings. It ships from our shop in Yellow Springs, Ohio — there is no factory wait, no mystery about what condition it arrives in, and no setup guesswork for you to sort out at home.

Why Buy From Banjo Warehouse

Banjo Warehouse is an authorized Gold Tone dealer, which means every OB-250+ Block/L we sell is a genuine new instrument covered by the full Gold Tone manufacturer warranty — and backed by our own team’s support after the sale. 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. When you have a question about setup, strings, or how this banjo compares to another instrument in its class, you are talking to people who play, teach, and build banjos — not a call center. We offer flexible financing through PayPal Pay in 4, Afterpay, and 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-month plans with no late fees, so you can bring home the banjo you actually want without compromising.

Gold Tone OB-250+ Block/L Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the JLS #12 tone ring different from a standard bell brass ring?

Jim Stull developed the JLS #12 by spending years analyzing the metallurgical composition of pre-World War II tone rings — the hardware that makes vintage instruments so sought after. The #12 designation refers to his specific alloy formula, which replicates the tin and copper ratios found in original prewar castings. Beyond the alloy itself, the long-skirt design increases the contact surface between the tone ring, the rim, and the neck heel, so more vibrational energy moves through the pot as a coherent system rather than being lost at the joints. The result is a ring that produces the warmth, complexity, and sustain associated with the best vintage banjos — at a price that does not require a second mortgage.

Is this banjo truly ready to play when it arrives, or will I need to take it to a shop?

It is genuinely ready to play. Before this banjo ships from Banjo Warehouse, our tech Tara — who trained at the Huber Banjo factory under Steve Huber and Bennie Boling — performs a full professional setup: head tension, nut slot depth and width, bridge height and placement, and coordinator rod adjustment. We do not simply pull it from a box and ship it. You should be able to tune it up and play it at a high level the day it arrives. If anything needs a tweak after shipping, our team is here to walk you through it.

How difficult is it to find left-handed accessories and strings for this banjo?

Strings are completely universal — standard five-string banjo sets work for left-handed players without any modification, since the string gauges are symmetrical around the third string. Accessories like capos and picks are equally interchangeable. The main consideration for left-handed players is the instrument itself and the nut cut, both of which are handled at the factory for this model. Gold Tone builds the OB-250+ Block/L as a purpose-made left-handed instrument — not a converted right-handed one — so the neck geometry, truss rod, and nut slot positions are all correct for left-hand play out of the box.

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