Deering Vega Avett Star Signature Banjo #0008

The Deering Vega Avett Star Signature Banjo pairs a 12-inch open-back rim with a Dobson tone ring, giving Scott Avett's design a rounder, more intimate voice than its resonator sibling. Built on Deering's classic Vega Vintage Star platform, it's an open-back that trades bark for warmth without losing note definition.

The wider 12-inch maple rim adds depth most open-backs can't match, softening the attack while letting notes bloom and sustain. It's built for players who lean into frailing and clawhammer, where that rounded, natural voice does the talking — but the ebony fingerboard and 22 nickel-silver frets keep it precise enough for melodic and three-finger styles too.

Scott Avett's own inlay designs run the length of the ebony fingerboard, while the peghead carries Vega's classic star — a nod to the platform this banjo is built on. The quartersawn maple neck wears a dark walnut stain under a satin finish, matched to a wooden Deering armrest and nickel-plated hardware throughout. For a player chasing the deep, textured voice of a vintage open-back with the reliability of a new instrument, this is a banjo built to be played, not just displayed.