Turtle Hill Banjo Company in Maryland has announced the upcoming launch of a new branded product, a Turtle Hill banjo tone ring, shipping soon.
For most of its life, the company focused on the buying and selling of vintage instruments, primarily banjos, but also mandolins and occasionally guitars and resophonic guitars. But under new owner Danny Stewart, bassist with US Navy Band Country Current, Turtle Hill is offering their own catalog of OEM products.
Just a month ago Stewart announced the acquisition of The Mighty D-Tuner, a popular banjo accessory that allows players to quickly adjust the pitch of a string in the middle of a tune, a la Earl Scruggs on numbers like Earl’s Breakdown or Flint Hill Special. The introduction of the Turtle Hill tone ring is another move in that direction.
Danny tells us that he was inspired to do this by a 1939 Gibson RB-75 Mastertone banjo he found last year, and purchased for restoration and eventual resale at Turtle Hill.
“I’ve collaborated with some experts who really know tone rings, and have created a replica of the tone ring in my RB-75 original 5 string flathead that I acquired this summer in South Africa.
From the composition, the weight, and the dimensions of the inside chamber, it is a replica of the real deal! As most banjo players know, these original flathead 20 hole, shiny face tone rings are the Holy Grail, and I’m happy to be able to offer a replica to the market.
I have a feeling a lot of banjo players will be interested in upgrading their banjos!”
The Turtle Hill tone ring is listed for sale at $599, and pre-orders are being accepted for the first batch, due early this year. Simply reach out to Stewart online to get a pre-order in place.
