The Ome Banjo Finds a New Home with The Gold Tone Group 

Photos Courtesy of The Gold Tone Group In 1961 Chuck Ogsbury and friends started the Ode Banjo Company and made banjos under that name until 1966 when the company was sold to Baldwin Piano.  In the summer of 1971, Chuck and three other partners—Ed Woodward, Kelly McNish and Ken Whelpton—started the Ome Banjo Company.  Their original shop was located northwest of Boulder, Colorado on Gold Hill, a snow-swept ridge overlooking Rocky Mountain National Park.  During the first two years they built over 500 banjos and out-grew the original shop.  They then moved to a new facility on the eastern edge of Boulder and were able to increase production.  From those beginnings they grew into one of the most highly respected banjo companies in the world, especially known for their open-back models.   Chuck Ogsbury, who was raised in Louisville, Kentucky, had moved to Boulder, Colorado in 1956 to attend college at the University of Colorado’s School of Engineering.  In 1960, Ch