Gold Tone OB-Grandee Flying Eagle Resonator Banjo with Case

I’ve been around a lot of banjos over the past 45 years — played them, studied them, sold them, and helped design them (I co-designed the OB-Standard with Gold Tone) — and I want to be honest with you: the Gold Tone OB-Grandee Flying Eagle stopped me in my tracks the first time I held one. This is not just a beautiful instrument; it is a serious, professional-grade resonator banjo built to honor the legendary pre-war Gibson Mastertone banjos that set the standard for bluegrass and old-time tone for the better part of a century. Gold Tone’s OB series began with the OB-3 Twanger, then the OB-Béla, then the OB-2 Bowtie — and this edition, the Grandee (the Old West term for a Spanish nobleman), is the most opulent of them all. The gold-plated hardware, engraved armrest and tension hoop, and that jaw-dropping Flying Eagle neck and headstock inlay combine to make this one of the most stunning production banjos available at any price. It is built for the advanced or professional player who demands both visual presence and world-class tone, and for the serious collector who wants a modern pre-war tribute done right.

The tone ring here is an 11-inch flat-top, 20-hole bell brass ring — the same fundamental design that defined the sound of Earl Scruggs, Don Reno, and the architects of Scruggs-style bluegrass banjo. I’ve written and taught extensively about the mechanics of the Scruggs roll and three-finger picking style (I’m cited on Wikipedia for both), and I can tell you that the flat-top bell brass ring is the engine behind that driving, cutting, full-bodied sound. The 3-ply maple rim, dual 11-inch coordinator rods, one-piece cast flange, and 24 brackets all contribute to a resonator banjo that is tight, responsive, and authoritative. The curly maple neck is capped with an ebony fingerboard, fitted with a 1-1/4-inch bone nut, and equipped with Gotoh planetary tuners — smooth, precise, and built to last. The Prucha clamshell tailpiece and a 5/8-inch Dotson bridge round out a hardware complement that is simply top-shelf at this price point. The Vintage Brown high-gloss finish on the 14-inch curly maple resonator ties the whole package together with warmth and elegance. And then there are the inlays — the Flying Eagle motif on the neck and headstock is the kind of detail that makes people across the room ask what they’re looking at.

Every instrument receives a professional factory setup at Gold Tone in Titusville, Florida before it ships. This includes checking and adjusting the neck angle, setting the action at the nut and bridge, verifying intonation and head tension, ensuring the coordinator rods are properly dialed in, and playing the banjo to confirm it’s performing at its best. This is a professional setup of the kind most players would pay $150 or more for at a specialty shop — it comes standard with every instrument, because I believe you should be able to pick up your banjo and play it the moment it arrives.

Why Buy From Banjo Warehouse

Banjo Warehouse is an authorized Gold Tone dealer, which means every instrument we sell comes with the full manufacturer’s warranty and the assurance that you’re getting a genuine, properly sourced instrument. I’ve been in this industry since the late 1970s — I was Deering Banjo’s number one dealer in 1980, co-founded Watch & Learn in Atlanta, and wrote Banjo Primer, which has been the top-rated beginner banjo method for decades. I tell you all of this not to brag, but because it matters: when you buy from Banjo Warehouse, you’re buying from someone who has spent a lifetime immersed in these instruments and genuinely cares whether the banjo you receive is set up right and sounds great. If you have questions before or after your purchase, you’re talking to someone who can actually answer them. Financing is available through PayPal Pay in 4, Afterpay, and our 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-month financing plans — all with no late fees — so you can bring home the banjo you really want without compromising.

Gold Tone OB-Grandee Flying Eagle Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the OB-Grandee Flying Eagle compare to an original pre-war Gibson Mastertone?

That’s a question I love because it gets at the heart of what this instrument is. Original pre-war Gibson Mastertones in comparable configurations — the Bella Voce, the Florentine, the top-of-the-line ornate models — routinely sell for $30,000 to $100,000 or more at auction when you can find them at all. The OB-Grandee Flying Eagle draws directly from that tradition: the flat-top bell brass tone ring, the 3-ply maple rim, the one-piece cast flange, and the overall architecture are faithful to what made those instruments legendary. The Gold Tone version is a modern instrument with the benefit of consistent quality control, a two-way adjustable truss rod, and modern Gotoh tuners — and it will hold its own tonally against vintage pieces costing many times the price. It is not a replica, but it is a genuinely serious tribute built by people who understand the original deeply.

Does the OB-Grandee Flying Eagle come with a case, and what kind of setup does it receive before shipping?

Yes — a hardshell case is included with the OB-Grandee Flying Eagle, which is appropriate for an instrument at this level. Every instrument receives a professional factory setup at Gold Tone in Titusville, Florida before shipping. This includes adjusting neck angle, action, head tension, and intonation, and each banjo is played before it ships. You are not opening a factory box; you are receiving an instrument that has been properly prepared to feel and sound like a well-set-up professional banjo should.

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