Final parts are meticulously polished then triple plated with traditional nickel, tarnish-resistant chrome, or rich 24-kt. OME metal parts are precision made using our own special alloys, patterns, and dies. Vintage Series banjos feature our tung oil and wax finish for a natural feel and warm appearance. Multiple coats of a vibrant catalyzed varnish are thoroughly cured, sanded, and finely polished to produce an exceptionally durable and beautiful finish.
Light-fast, grain-enhancing stains are used to bring out the full beauty of our air-dried woods. We use the OME Artist peghead shape on 4-string styles: the OME Double-cut shape on bluegrass styles and the Victorian, Scroll, or Double-cut peghead on 5-string open-back styles. They include our lightweight two-way adjustable neck rod, hardened nickel-silver frets, and a radiused or flat fingerboard. OME necks are gracefully hand-shaped for optimum comfort and playability. The fingerboard, rim, and resonator are bound with traditional grained ivoroid or simulated tortoise on most models. The OME fingerboard, peghead overlay, and heel cap are made of durable African ebony or striking Brazilian rosewood and are artistically inlayed with colorful abalone and iridescent mother-of-pearl.
Resonant and responsive South American mahogany is standard on many Vintage and Professional Series instruments while North American walnut and Indian rosewood are available on a special order basis. Vibrant curly maple chosen for its superior tone, flexible strength, and unusual beauty form the neck, rim, and resonator of most models. The woods used in OME banjos are carefully selected, thoroughly air-dried, and skillfully matched. The models and styles we now offer have evolved since 1960 and have been continuously refined and perfected to create the finest possible tone, playability, longevity, beauty and value. OME are a small, family-owned company specializing in building exceptional Bluegrass, Old-time, Irish, and Jazz banjos.