Banjo review
Deering Goodtime review
The open-back banjo we point clawhammer and old-time players to first. USA-made, light on the shoulder, honestly set up at the factory, and it holds its value like nothing else in its class.
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Sound & tone
Without a resonator behind it, the Goodtime has the mellower, quieter, woodier voice that clawhammer and old-time playing lives on. The maple rim does the work instead of a metal tone ring, so notes come out warm and rounded rather than sharp, and the whole instrument sits back into a tune rather than barking over it. It will not give you the loud, forward bluegrass punch of a resonator banjo — that is the point of an open-back — but for frailing and drop-thumb it sounds exactly the way you want.
Playability & setup
This is where the Goodtime earns its reputation. Deering sets these up in California before they ship, so the action arrives low and even and the bridge is seated in the right place — you can play it out of the box instead of paying a tech $50 to make it bearable first. The maple neck is slim without being cramped, the frets are dressed, and it stays in tune once the strings settle. For a beginner, that removes most of the friction that makes people quit.
Build & hardware
It is made in the USA at a time when almost nothing in this price bracket is, and it shows in the fit and finish: a clean three-ply maple rim, an open back that keeps the whole banjo light and comfortable resting against your body, and sealed geared tuners that hold pitch. Nothing here is flashy — the looks are plain and honest — but everything is done properly, which is why these banjos last decades and resell easily.
The Goodtime responds beautifully to a set of fresh strings and, down the line, a different bridge if you want to nudge the tone. But there is no rush — the stock setup is good enough to learn on for a year or more before you change a thing.
Who it’s for — and who should skip it
Buy it if you want to learn clawhammer or old-time on a light, comfortable banjo, you value a USA-made instrument that holds its value, and you like a warm, woody open-back voice. Skip it if you are after bluegrass and Scruggs rolls — the open-back simply will not project the way a resonator does, and you would be fighting the instrument. In that case the resonator version is the better call.
How it compares
The closest comparison is the Deering Goodtime 2— the exact same banjo with a resonator added for bluegrass projection. That is really the whole decision: open-back versus resonator. Because the Goodtime 2’s resonator pops off with four thumbscrews, some players buy the 2 and simply remove the back for old-time, giving them both voices from one instrument. If you are still working out which style of banjo fits the music you want to play, start with our guide to the different types of banjos.