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Banjo in the Front, Mandola in the Back





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Gold Tone’s “folkternative” are designed to expand the timbral vocabulary of players by offering compelling, hybrid instruments to eliminate the barriers to achieving a certain sound that players of one instrument might find while pursuing another. In this case, the Banjola is an acoustic-electric, 5-string banjo with the chamber and body profile of a mandola. Curly maple comprises the back, sides, and neck, blending bright articulation with a subtle warmth and plenty of sustain. Its solid spruce top produces a high velocity of sound with substantial headroom and harmonically uncomplicated resonances. Add the shimmering veneer of the rosewood fingerboard, and the Banjola produces tight, punchy tones with fantastic note separation, blending the sonic body of a mandola with the sonorous precision you’d expect from a banjo. Folk instrumentalists at Sweetwater love the bridge-mounted transducer pickup for its ability to faithfully capture the unique tonal profile of the Banjola , and the patented Zero Glide nut ensures you’re playing buzz-free on all 22 frets.





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Zero Glide: patented precision makes playability smooth





Gold Tone’s Zero Glide nut is a tiny piece of hardware that enhances instrument performance drastically. The patented design pairs a sustain-boosting bone nut with a hard nickel-silver “zero fret” for enhanced reliability and sound. Zero Glide nuts grace the headstocks of electric guitars, acoustic guitars, banjos, and even ukuleles. The benefits are clearly universal! Zero Glide’s precision-cut string slots further reduce string contact by a staggering 93% at the nut ? meaning fewer tuning breaks and better resonance, especially when playing gets aggressive. Zero Glide also narrows sonic differences between fretted- and open-string notes while solving common intonation issues for innovative accuracy without compromising character.





Gold Tone: a legacy of music





The origins of Gold Tone go back to the folk music scene of the ’70s, when musicians Wayne and Robyn Rogers opened a small music shop. Fifteen years later, they founded Gold Tone Banjos in Titusville, Florida. Their first product, the TB-100 banjo, was designed by Wayne. As demand for this critically acclaimed instrument increased, the company expanded its offerings to include a selection of fretted instruments that combine modern innovation and timeless vintage design. The goal? To inspire all musicians, from beginners to professionals, to realize their musical dreams. Today, Sweetwater is pleased to offer you Gold Tone’s exciting range of 4-, 5-, and 6-string banjos, banjo ukuleles, metal- and wood-bodied resonator guitars, Weissenborn Hawaiian steel guitars, and mandolins.





Gold Tone Banjola Acoustic-electric 5-string Woodbody Banjo Features:


Banjola body design expertly merges the sonorous body of a mandola with the voicing and play-style of a banjo for a unique timbre of folk-oriented sounds


Curly maple back, sides, and neck deliver clear, warm tones with excellent note separation


Rosewood fingerboard imbues your sound with a distinctive, crystalline veneer that livens up every register


Solid spruce top provides plenty of headroom with ample sustain and punchy, straightforward sounds


2-way adjustable truss rod and Zero Glide nut ensure stable intonation with reliably buzz-free tones


Bridge-mounted transducer pickup faithfully captures the full spectrum of the Banjola’s distinct sonic profile


GT Planetary tuning machines guarantee reliable tuning for unimpeded play across all 22 frets of the 26.5-inch scale