Deering Banjos The Sierra 5 String Banjo
The Sierra is Deering's most popular model because it is very affordable and you get all the important features that affect the tone and playability.
The Sand Cast Virgin Bell Bronze Tone Ring used in this banjo is the same world class tone ring that is used in the $25,000 Deering Gabriella banjo. Sand casting is expensive, old fashioned and the undisputed best method for making bells and tone rings. The Deering tone ring is precision machined to two thousandths of an inch tolerance. The importance of this quality tone ring in a banjo of this retail price cannot be over emphasized. The Sierra's tone is competitive (and superior in many cases) with banjos priced 40% higher and beyond. The Sierra tone is rich, powerful, full bodied, crisp and bell like.
The three ply rock maple rim is the same used in all Deering tone ring banjos and is the standard by which every banjo is judged because it produces the best sound. The one piece resonator flange is cast from a similar zinc alloy used in the classic banjos in the past but is much thicker and stronger for the ultimate banjo tone and mechanical strength. This is vital to be able to keep the head tight so the best banjo sound can be achieved. The zinc flange allows the warm, rich harmonics to come through.
The Sierra neck is a slender, low profile neck that is shaped for fast accurate fingering. The ebony fingerboard is polished to a fast smooth surface making all left hand techniques faster and easier. The shape is comfortable and natural for large and small hands. Deering fret work is accurate and precise to ensure correct intonation over the entire fingerboard. The two way adjustable truss rod provides precision adjustment to maintain the best playability without buzzing. The tuning machines on the peghead are the traditional banjo planetary (named for the arrangement of the gears inside) machines with a geared fifth string peg. All the tuners are the very best quality and are the same as the ones used on Deering's most expensive custom banjos.
Greg Deering explains it best:
"No one can buy a better banjo! They could buy a fancier one but not a better one. The satin finished mahogany neck is made the same as every one of our necks - fast, comfortable, and precise. A masterpiece of playability! The pot or drum assembly is the best quality money can buy. It has our 3-ply maple rim, our top quality sand-cast virgin bell bronze tone-ring, and our own one piece cast zinc flange. In fact, it is the exact same pot we use on most of our more expensive banjos all the way up to the Gabriella!
Back in the 60's when I was making the rounds of the music stores and pawn shops, I experienced a great frustration. Every good banjo I found had a price tag that made it impossible to buy. I was looking for a good banjo that I could afford! One that I never found. And I never forgot that hunger, that thirst, that empty feeling when I had to pull out that crummy old banjo to play for a packed house. Since then it has been my personal crusade to build the ultimate banjo that anyone could afford and play with pride knowing he is providing the very best music possible. Adjusted for inflation, I could have afforded a Sierra banjo.
Some of our competitors may have a banjo in the same price range but there is a big difference when you play them side by side.
The Sierra banjo is truly a new achievement. It is the best banjo to start out with. It is a perfect banjo to play for your entire career. It is the best back-up banjo for your fancy banjo and it is actually even better that a lot of the fancy banjos you may find. No banjo player is complete without a Sierra banjo!" - Greg Deering
The Sierra includes a hardshell case and is protected by Deering's Lifetime warranty.
