07/02/2026
Permit me, if you will, to speak as an older, (way older than this young man) marginally wiser gentleman: an expatriate Coloradoan, banjo player, and builder of concertinas.
As a young fellow, I nurtured an abiding desire for an OME banjo. Unfortunately, my bank account remained steadfastly opposed to the idea. In those days I let more than a few splendid OME banjos slip through my fingers as they wandered through the festivals, music shops, and smoky bars of Northern Colorado.
It always seemed there would be another one. There usually was.
Still, I should have bought one.
In the years since, I’ve seen and played dozens of OME banjos. They have never disappointed me. They are instruments of remarkable character—beautifully made, wonderfully musical, and the sort of banjo that quietly encourages you to become a better player.
The new OME banjos carry that tradition forward with grace.
So allow an old banjo player one small piece of unsolicited advice: don’t repeat my youthful folly. Buy the banjo. Take it home. Wear the finish off the armrest. Learn a few new tunes. Annoy the neighbours just enough.
Life has an alarming habit of racing past. Best not spend too much of it wishing you’d bought the banjo.
Http://hmi.homewood.net/
