Gibson Launch Limited Edition Deluxe Banjo

In amongst the flotilla of conventional electric, acoustic and bass guitars we cover each month, we are sometimes accused of ignoring less common instruments...and we´d probably concede the point. We know there are many hundreds of thousands of players who love the banjo, uke, mandolin, Cümbüs, Venezuelan Llama harp and more and so, to redress the balance somewhat, here´s news of a brand new banjo from Gibson.

Dispel all clichés of inbred plinkers instilled by the 1972 film Deliverance, starring Burt Reynolds and directed by John Boorman, and cast your mind back to the footage we included on our CD of the amazing Punch Brothers. In the right hands, a banjo is a wonderful thing and certainly deserves our attention.

Here´s what Gibson has to say:

“Now, Gibson Original Acoustic Instruments is proud to unveil a new and exclusive variation of the Mastertone banjo. Thanks to the input of legendary folk and country-rock banjoist and guitarist Bernie Leadon—a founding member of The Eagles and a first-call sideman from Nashville to L.A. for the past 40 years—the new Style 5 Deluxe Banjo will be available in an extremely limited run of just ten instruments, with a retail price of $8,889 each, including a custom-shaped Gibson hard-shell case and Certificate of Authenticity. Its combination of classic features, rejuvenated aesthetics and unprecedented playability makes it a rare opportunity for the devoted player and the serious instrument collector.”

Read the full release...here