Back to navigation


Outfitted for Bluegrass Twang with Premium Perks!





This article was


Written By





Our Product Research Team





Get to know them!





The CC-100R Cripple Creek Resonator Banjo from Gold Tone harkens back to old-time banjo builds with a 5-string hard rock maple resonator body that puts bluegrass pluck and twang at players’ fingertips. The maple resonator’s excellent projection and power are further shaped to perfection by an 11-inch Remo banjo head. A smooth rosewood fingerboard that facilitates effortless play makes the CC-100R an elevated choice for beginners, but experienced pickers won’t be disappointed, either. The CC-100R receives a Gold Tone setup for dreamy playability and comes with deluxe hardware, including a 2-way truss rod, dual coordinator rods, and premium GT Planetary tuners. These player-grade enhancements boost the CC-100R’s tuning stability and action while allowing full-range adjustments as needed. In essence, Sweetwater players and qualified techs can easily maintain banjo playability for the long term, even when traveling or facing challenging climates. Other highlights include a maple/ebony tailpiece, a patented Terminator tailpiece, a bone Zero Glide nut, and a rolled brass tone ring. Gold Tone isn’t just the company’s name, it’s exactly what you get with the CC-100R Cripple Creek Resonator Banjo from Sweetwater!





Related Videos: CC-100R/L Cripple Creek Left-handed Resonator Banjo - Natural


Maple tonewoods: a bluegrass essential





The CC-100R offers assertive bluegrass tone from a brand that knows banjo building like the back of its hand! The CC-100R’s neck and body rim are built from a smooth, stout species known as hard rock maple. Maple is a classic tonewood for folk instruments, as its tone is strong, clear, resonant, and distinct. Maple also has a bright attack, strengthening acoustic clarity with better note volume and projection. The CC-100R features a mighty eleven-inch dual maple resonator for even more volume, brightness, and attack clarity; such extra power is essential when competing with a loud guitarist (or two) at any porch-pickin’ event.





Wait, it’s convertible?





The CC-100R is practically two banjos in one! When situations demand old-school open-back banjo tone, players can detach the CC-100R’s resonator. Resulting tones are darker and warmer, with a perfect character for clawhammer or folk.





Terminator tailpiece: a bend-free banjo enhancer





Proprietary hardware like Gold Tone’s Terminator tailpiece gives players at any level serious bang for their buck. But does this bend-free tailpiece live up to its aggressive name? Absolutely. The Terminator’s high-mass build still delivers old-school tone while also improving upon the brittle, bend-prone nature of old-school tailpieces. The Terminator will never bend, and that’s a Gold Tone guarantee. Moreover, players can string the Terminator with loop- or ball-end strings. Your favorite banjo strings are always an option, and you can use whatever strings are available in a pinch ? at a gig, for example. The Terminator’s tone seals the deal with tight body contact that helps strings resonate more for power and projection that holds nothing back.





Zero Glide: patented precision makes playability smooth





Gold Tone’s Zero Glide nut is a tiny piece of hardware that enhances instrument performance drastically. The patented design pairs a sustain-boosting bone nut with a hard nickel-silver “zero fret” for enhanced reliability and sound. Zero Glide nuts grace the headstocks of electric guitars, acoustic guitars, banjos, and even ukuleles. The benefits are clearly universal! Zero Glide’s precision-cut string slots further reduce string contact by a staggering 93% at the nut ? meaning fewer tuning breaks and better resonance, especially when playing gets aggressive. Zero Glide also narrows sonic differences between fretted- and open-string notes while solving common intonation issues for innovative accuracy without compromising character.





Gold Tone CC-100R Cripple Creek Resonator Banjo Features:


5-string resonator banjo packed with maple tonewoods and elegant appointments


Hard maple neck and multi-ply maple rim deliver clear tone with distinct banjo twang


Loud 13-inch maple resonator is voiced for bluegrass; easily removes for warm open-back tones (fit for clawhammer and folk)


High-performance Terminator tailpiece; vintage-inspired but enhanced for modern durability and performance


Musical rolled brass tone ring and Zero Glide bone nut


Resonant maple/ebony tailpiece


Black-bound rosewood fingerboard with snowflake inlays fuels accurate fret-hand comfort


2-way truss and dual coordinator rods allow full-spectrum adjustment of neck and string action


Premium GT Planetary tuners support enhanced tuning stability


11-inch Remo LC Coated Topside head


Receives a full setup at Gold Tone’s Florida facility for quality assurance