Brooks Masten 10L Fretless Nylgut String Banjo

The 10L doesn't chase a generic open-back sound — it goes after 1870s craft and precision instead, and gets there. Brooks Masten carves the neck from a single piece of ash, no laminations or seams, and pairs it with a solid oak rim for a voice that's warm, earthy, and full of genuine sustain. Ten-bracket construction and all-brass, made-in-house hardware — right down to ball shoes that are exact replicas of late-1870s originals — put real historical grounding behind every note.

Build & Materials

• Neck: one-piece Ash
• Rim: solid Oak
• Configuration: fretless 5-string, open-back
• Strings: Nylgut (modern synthetic gut) for warm, singing tone without the instability of real gut

Hardware

• Cast bronze neck brace and tailpiece, made in-house
• Ball shoes: late-1870s replica, threaded shaft with square nut
• Ten-bracket construction for even head tension
• Tuners: geared

Size & Feel

• Scale length: 26"
• Fretless neck lets slides and bends emerge naturally from the player's touch
• Serial No. 511

The Details

• Includes Reunion Blues Continental Voyager banjo case
• Handcrafted by Brooks Masten in Portland, Oregon.

In stock now at Wood & Wire. History, built to modern precision!