Gold Tone OB-250+ Orange Blossom Banjo with JLS #12 Tone Ring and Case

There are banjos, and then there are banjos that make you stop mid-roll and just listen. The Gold Tone OB-250+ is firmly in the second category. The story starts with the tone ring: a JLS #12 flat-top bell brass ring hand-cast by Jim Stull of San Antonio, Texas, a man who spent years reverse-engineering pre-World War II tone rings — the kind that collectors pay five-figure premiums to get their hands on — to unlock the specific bronze alloy formula that gives those legendary instruments their singing, complex, three-dimensional sound. The result of that research is a long-skirt flat-top ring that tightens the mechanical relationship between the neck, the rim, and the pot, channeling more energy into the neck and giving the whole instrument a resonance that feels almost alive under your fingers. If you have been chasing that old-time Scruggs-era bark and sustain without spending $30,000 on a vintage instrument, this ring is the closest thing I have heard to the real article at a sane price.

Beyond the tone ring, Gold Tone built the OB-250+ with the hardware choices that matter most to serious players. The neck is carved from curly maple and features an ebony fingerboard with the classic Hearts and Flowers inlay pattern — an aesthetic nod to the pre-war instruments that inspired this whole lineage. A ZeroGlide nut at 1-3/16″ keeps the string action honest at the first position, and Gotoh planetary tuners hold pitch with the kind of mechanical precision you stop noticing because they simply never slip. The 14″ flame maple resonator looks as good as it performs, the one-piece cast flange keeps the pot rigid, and the 24-bracket notched tension hoop keeps the 11″ Remo Hydra-Coated head perfectly tuned across whatever humidity your rehearsal space throws at it. A Presto tailpiece and a Sampson BG compensated bridge round out a pot assembly that is coherent from concept to execution. This is the instrument I would put in the hands of an advancing player who has outgrown their starter banjo and wants something they can bring to a jam session, a recording session, or a stage without apologizing for the gear.

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

Why Buy From Banjo Warehouse

Banjo Warehouse is an authorized Gold Tone dealer, which means every OB-250+ we sell comes with the full manufacturer warranty backed by Gold Tone’s team in Titusville, Florida. I have been around banjos for more than 45 years — I co-own Watch and Learn in Atlanta, wrote Banjo Primer (consistently the top-rated beginner banjo method on the market), and co-designed the Gold Tone OB-Standard alongside the Gold Tone team, so I know this instrument line from the inside out. When you buy from us, you are buying from people who play these instruments, set them up properly, and stand behind them. Financing is available 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 compromise.

Gold Tone OB-250+ Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Jim Stull spent years studying pre-World War II tone rings — the instruments that Earl Scruggs and Don Reno played and that collectors now pay enormous sums to acquire — specifically to reverse-engineer the bell brass alloy formula used in their construction. The JLS #12 is cast from that formula and features a long-skirt design that increases the contact surface between the ring, the rim, and the neck heel. In practical terms, this means more energy transfer throughout the pot, a fuller fundamental tone, and the kind of complex upper-register shimmer that makes vintage instruments so compelling. It is a meaningful upgrade over a standard flathead ring and one of the primary reasons the OB-250+ sounds the way it does.

How does the OB-250+ compare to the standard Gold Tone OB-250 or the OB-Standard?

The “plus” designation on the OB-250+ refers specifically to the JLS #12 tone ring upgrade — that is the defining difference between this model and the base OB-250. The OB-Standard, which I co-designed with Gold Tone, is an excellent professional instrument, but the OB-250+ steps up the tone ring game significantly with Jim Stull’s proprietary casting. If tone ring quality and that pre-war bell brass character are priorities for you — and for most serious bluegrass players they are — the OB-250+ is the logical choice in this price range.

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