Tag Archives: bluegrass banjo

What Makes a Parts Banjo? Inside This Reissue Gold Star GF-85 Build

Gold Star GF-85 headstock front showing leaves and bows mother-of-pearl inlay

A parts banjo is one of the most misunderstood instruments in bluegrass. The name sounds like a compromise — something cobbled together from whatever was available. In practice, a well-built parts banjo can outperform instruments costing twice as much. Here’s what that looks like in practice, using a Gold Star GF-85 style instrument that came […]