Deering manufacturerer Greg Deering on the Deering Sierra:
"Well folks, it’s like this,The Deering Sierra banjo, while being our least expensive completely professional banjo, is truly the flagship of our entire line! How is it that this is so? Well I’ll tell you.
The pot assembly of the Sierra, the violin grade maple 3 ply rim, the -06- tone ring, the one piece zinc flange, the notched tension hoop,the Deering tail piece and armrest are exactly the same as our whole line all the way up to the $31,059 Gabriella,with just a few exceptions. The only exceptions are; the Golden Era has a different zinc flange, the Hartford has a Grenadillo wood tone ring, the Terry Baucum has an -06- tone ring that is just a few ounces lighter than thestandard -06- tone ring, and the Tenbrooks banjos have the Swiss Jens Kruger tone ring.
The G.D.L. that retails for $6,759.00 has the exact same pot assembly as the Sierra, The Ivanhoe that sells for$13,956.00, except for cosmetic differences such as gold plating, has the exact same pot assembly as the Sierra.The Maple Blossom, the Deluxe, the Calico, the Black Diamond all have the exact same pot assembly as the Sierra.This means that the Sierra is truly a top professional banjo. PERIOD!
When I first introduced the Sierra I kept the cost down by keeping the cosmetics simple. I put the money into the pot assembly. I wanted to build a top professional banjo at a price that I could have afforded when I was a kid going to the music store on my way home from school every day.
The Sierra has been tremendously successful. But it is no longer cosmetically simple. With the implementation ofnew technology I have been able to make the Sierra exquisitely beautiful without raising the price. I have been greatly inspired by the art work of the old masters of the Boston Banjo era from the turn of the last century. With this inspiration in my blood I have brought art to the Sierra that is usually reserved for banjos costing much, much more. And I have kept the cost down using state of the art technology. So now the Sierra is a truly professional masterpiece of both sound and art at a price that is in your reach. We sell more Sierras than any other model and that makes it our flagship banjo!"
Specs
Neck:
Mahogany – Now Available in Maple
Natural Ebony Fingerboard
22 Pressed In Nickel Silver Frets
Original Deering Designed Engraved Inlays
Slender Deering Neck Shape
Fully Adjustable Truss Rod
Deering Planetary Banjo Tuners
Deering Geared 5th String Peg
Satin Finish
Pot:
Deering -06- 20 Hole Bell Bronze Tone Ring
Three-Ply Violin Grade Maple Rim
True Tone Deering Tailpiece
Deering Brass Notched Tension Hoop
11” Top Frosted Medium Crown Head
24 Round Hooks and ¼” Hex Nuts
One Piece Cast Zinc Flange
Slender Shaped Armrest
Nickel Plated Hardware
Satin Finish
Resonator:
Mahogany or Maple Stained Brown
White Binding
Straight Inside Sidewalls
Satin Finish
Tone:
With the standard Mahogany, the Sierra has the sweet sound of mahogany with less sustain than maple or walnut. With optional Maple, at no extra cost, the Sierra has a brighter and crisper professional quality tone that is easy to play with clarity and good note separation
Tuned:g,D,G,B,D in standard tuning
Can easily be tuned in other tunings as well.
Dimensions:
Neck Width at the Nut 1 1/4”
Scale Length Nut to Bridge 26 1/4”
Resonator diameter 13 7/8”
Overall Instrument Length 38”
Weight Approx. 11 lbs
