Gold Tone OB-Bela Mastertone Béla Fleck Signature Banjo with Case

There are signature instruments, and then there are instruments that actually change what the banjo is capable of. The Gold Tone OB-Bela falls firmly into the second category. This banjo is modeled on Béla Fleck’s personal “Number 1” — a 1937 Style 75 Mastertone pot that Marc Applebaum sourced for Béla in the early 1980s while working at Mandolin Brothers Ltd., to which the great luthier John Monteleone added a custom neck built precisely to Béla’s vision. That neck was wider and thicker than anything in the standard banjo vocabulary of the time, and featured a radiused fretboard — both choices made deliberately to support the single-string melodic techniques Béla was developing and to give the instrument a deeper, fuller voice. Gold Tone co-owner Wayne Rogers worked with Marc to translate that legendary combination into a production instrument, using the Twanger pot assembly as the foundation. The result is a banjo that carries the DNA of one of the most influential instruments in modern acoustic music.

Every detail here is purposeful. The 11″ bell bronze flat-top tone ring with no hole produces that characteristic warm, full-spectrum bloom that Béla’s sound is built on — less aggressive on the high end than a typical archtop ring, with a midrange complexity that rewards both ensemble playing and solo exploration. The ebony fingerboard runs a 5″–10″ compound radius, mimicking the feel of Monteleone’s original neck work and giving your fretting hand real room to move across single-string runs and chord voicings alike. Inlay was customized in collaboration between Fleck and Rogers — Flying Eagle modifications with distinctive red hearts that make this banjo immediately recognizable. Rickard Cyclone tuners at a 10:1 ratio hold pitch with precision under hard picking. The mahogany neck and resonator are finished in a warm satin that keeps the focus on the wood itself, and the one-piece cast flange, dual 11″ coordinator rods, Prucha Presto tailpiece, notched tension hoop, and 24 brackets round out a pot assembly that is built to perform at the highest level. This is a banjo for the player who has moved beyond bluegrass as a boundary and treats the instrument as a vehicle for everything music can be.

Every instrument receives a professional factory setup at Gold Tone in Titusville, Florida before it ships. On the OB-Bela, that means the compound-radius bridge is seated and fitted correctly, action is dialed in at the nut and bridge to complement the radiused fretboard geometry, intonation is checked across the full 22-fret range, and the truss rod is set for optimal relief under playing tension. You are not receiving a banjo fresh out of a shipping box. You are receiving a playing instrument, ready to go.

Why Buy From Banjo Warehouse

Banjo Warehouse is an authorized Gold Tone dealer, which means every OB-Bela we sell is covered by full manufacturer warranty and backed by our direct relationship with the Gold Tone team in Titusville, Florida. The OB-Bela is the real thing. Financing is available through PayPal Pay in 4 and 3, 6, 12, and 24-month plans — no late fees, plus Afterpay. Reach out any time if you have questions before you buy.

Gold Tone OB-Bela Specifications

Nut Width	1-9/32″ Bone
Tuners	Rickard Cyclone 10:1 Ratio
Headstock Buttons	Brass
Neck Material	Mahogany
Fingerboard	Ebony, 5″–10″ Compound Radius
Frets	22
Inlay	Customized by Fleck/Rogers — Flying Eagle Modifications with Red Hearts
Truss Rod	Two-Way Adjustable
Scale Length	26-3/16″
Rim	11″ 3-Ply Maple
Tone Ring	11″ Flat Top — No Hole — Bell Bronze
Head	11″ Remo HC Coated Topside
Tension Hoop	11″ Notched
Brackets	24
Coordinator Rods	Dual 11″
Flange	One-Piece Cast
Tailpiece	Prucha Presto
Bridge	Maple with Padauk Cap, 7/8″ height, 10″ radius
Armrest	Little Mountain Style
Resonator	Mahogany with Concentric Rings
Binding	Crème
Finish	Mahogany Satin
Hardware	Nickel Plated
Tuning	G D G B D
String Gauge	.009, .020w, .013, .011, .009
Weight	11.5 lbs.
Case	Included

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the OB-Bela’s tone ring different from a standard Mastertone-style tone ring?

The OB-Bela uses an 11″ flat-top bell bronze tone ring with no hole — a configuration that is distinctly different from the archtop or flathead rings found on most high-end bluegrass banjos. Bell bronze has a slightly warmer, more complex harmonic character than standard brass, and the flat-top no-hole design emphasizes midrange depth over high-end brightness. This is exactly what Béla was chasing when he built his Number 1 — a banjo that could sustain, bloom, and project across a full tonal spectrum without the hard attack edge of a typical archtop ring. If you play melodic or single-string styles, or if you want a bluegrass banjo that sounds less aggressive and more musical in ensemble contexts, this tone ring is a genuine advantage.

Is the compound-radius fingerboard difficult to adjust to if I’m coming from a standard flat-board banjo?

Most players coming from a flat-board banjo find the compound radius to be an immediate improvement in comfort rather than a challenge. The radius is subtle at the nut end (5″) and gradually flattens toward the body (10″), which means chord positions near the nut feel more natural for your fretting hand while single-string runs higher up the neck benefit from a flatter plane that reduces fretting effort. Béla’s original request for this feature was driven by the demands of single-string technique, and Gold Tone has carried it over faithfully in the OB-Bela. Professional factory setup ensures the bridge radius matches the fingerboard radius, so the action feels consistent and even across all strings from the first fret to the 22nd.

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