The Artisan Goodtime Special has the look of an older banjo with the rich brown stain, Deering fiddle-shaped peghead and planetary banjo tuners. The Artisan Goodtime Special can be heard with a sweet voice with sustain that complements all the instruments in a band. Tuned to an open G Chord, with the spikes already installed, you can easily play in other keys.

The stunning Artisan Goodtime banjos epitomize Greg Deering’s lifelong vision for the Deering Banjo Company – to make the best-sounding, best-playing, best-looking, and best-value, U.S.A.-made banjo that he possibly could. Pearloid vintage artisan style inlays pop off the Midnight Maple fingerboard, while the peghead is adorned with a beautifully engraved design.

The Artisan Goodtime Special banjo is an achievement in keeping the cost down while providing an instrument that will stay in tune and perform reliably because it is made with precision by skilled American craftsmen. Made efficiently at Deering's factory in Spring Valley (San Diego area of California), this is a comfortably playable banjo with a wonderfully bright tone. It is a solid dependable instrument that is immensely playable with excellent tonality and clarity.

Midnight Maple
In the wake of the widely reported over-harvesting of exotic woods, commonly used for fingerboards, Deering Banjos has developed Midnight Maple – the result of over four years of research and development (as well as a great deal of patience) to produce a high-quality fingerboard that is ethically sustainable, readily available in the US and that could be developed and manufactured in house. 

Unlike stained maple boards commonly found on instruments of the past, Deering has developed technology to penetrate the tight grain of the rock maple, all the way through the wood. The result is a completely dyed board, made right here in the US from an extremely readily available material. No raw wood shows through from string wear on the fingerboard and stain does not come off on a player’s hands. 
Deering Banjo Company was founded in 1975 as the world’s specialist in banjos and has grown to become the largest manufacturer of American made banjos in the world.