Starr Limited Edition 11" Tubaphone Tone Ring 5-String Openback Banjo with Scoop #075

Banjo Studio is proud to be an authorized Starr Banjos dealer. You are viewing the actual banjo that you'll be purchasing.

This Starr Limited Edition 11" openback pairs a Vega-style tubaphone tone ring with a few touches you won't find on the other Starr model.  It was built by Chuck Ogsbury in Gold Hill, Colorado, with a hand-carved curly maple neck and a curly maple rim, both finished in a golden-brown stain that brings out the figure.

What Makes This Banjo Different

• Scooped fingerboard. The fingerboard is cut away where the neck meets the pot, right where a clawhammer player's hand strikes. That gives you room to brush the strings without catching the end of the board, and it lets you play over the sweet spot of the head, where the tone is round and full.
• Ome Juniper inlay pattern. Instead of the usual abalone dots, the fingerboard carries the ornate scroll and flower inlays from Chuck's Ome Juniper, set into an ebony fingerboard under the abalone Starr peghead star. It is a nice high-end touch add to this banjo.
• Ome Sweetgrass tailpiece. This one swaps the standard no-knot tailpiece for an Ome Sweetgrass tailpiece in aged brass. It matches the hardware, anchors the strings firmly, and its chenille-wrapped string ends keep overtones in check.
• Tubaphone tone ring on an 11" pot. The tubaphone design was originated by the Vega Company at the turn of the 20th century. A square brass tube drilled with small holes lets sound pass into the pot, and a rolled brass rod on top contacts the head. Together they give a clear, bell-like tone with long, round sustain.

The Sound

On an 11" rim, the tubaphone ring gives a warm voice with strong low end and clear, bell-like notes that ring on. The smaller pot keeps it focused and punchy, so it holds its own with a fiddle, while the scoop lets you dig in over the head for that round clawhammer thump.

If you don't know, Chuck has been building banjos since the early 60's and is known for his other popular banjo companies, Ode and Ome Banjos. Since selling Ome, he has been keeping himself busy creating these new banjos. If you purchase a Starr Banjo, you are getting a banjo made with the experience and dedication of a great builder of instruments.

During our visit, we asked Chuck to go over the banjos that we picked out, and you can watch his video down below. If you want to compare all three sizes of the 11", 12" and 13" heads, scroll farther down and see a demo to hear the difference. The banjo in the video is a different Starr; this one adds the scoop, Juniper inlays and Sweetgrass tailpiece.

Professional Setup and Free Shipping

Every banjo is professionally set up and checked by Banjo Studio before it leaves our shop, so it plays great right out of the box. Shipping is free to the lower 48 states.