OME Tupelo

Peghead Nation instructor Steve Baughman demonstrates his go-to open-back banjo.

Built in Boulder, Colorado, OME banjos are the brainchild of luthier and designer Chuck Ogsbury. Chuck’s legacy in the banjo world goes all the way back to 1960, when he founded his first company, ODE banjos, and today his company (which also includes his daughter Tanya and a team of luthiers) builds a full catalog of banjos, including open-back and resonator five-strings as well as numerous four-string models. Peghead Nation Clawhammer Guitar instructor Steve Baughman also frequently performs and records on banjo (check out his solo banjo albums O’er Quiet Lands Suspended and Shootout at Convict Lake), and he recently stopped by our studio to demo his OME Tupelo banjo. 

The Tupelo is part of OME’s Old-Time line of open-back models. It has a 12-inch rim made of two-ply maple, and its cherry neck has a relatively short 25.5-inch scale. Optimized for clawhammer playing, the Tupelo has a scooped ebony fingerboard and comes stock with fifth-string spikes at the seventh and ninth frets. The instrument also features 4:1 planetary tuning machines, a Renaissance head, Sweetone tailpiece, and Trillium bridge. Steve’s banjo also has OME’s optional wood armrest. 

Steve says, “I got into OME banjos because I was playing something else, and a lot of my students played them. Every time I played one of their banjos, I liked it better than mine, so I finally gave in and called them.” In this video, Steve plays his double-C tuning arrangement of French composer Robert De Viseé’s “Prelude,” which he learned from a recording by guitarist Davey Graham. 

To study with Steve, enroll in his Clawhammer Guitar  course now!

omebanjos.com. 

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