A new 'old' old-time banjo

Deering Banjos announce a new product - the Vega Vintage Star,
'a banjo that captures the soul of late nineteenth-century banjos with the playability and adjustability of a modern instrument'. The old soul of the instrument is in the Dobson-type tone ring, originally patented by Henry Dobson in 1881. Introductory videos are on the Deering website and on YouTube here and here, with some nice playing by Clint Davis. The list price is $2,299.00.

Update 18 Nov.: More details and pictures can now be seen in John Lawless's feature on Bluegrass Today.