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1960
The Oldest Active Banjo Company in the United States
Chuck Ogsbury developed his first 100 banjos in 1960. These banjos were built with a long-neck, aluminum pot, flathead configuration, and maple construction. Sold between $72 and $79, these first 100 banjos are where Chuck got his start.
1961
In 1961 Chuck Ogsbury hired one of his best friends and talented musicians, Dave Walden. Together they set up their first "shop". By 1962, when ODE was developed, they quickly outgrew their 900 square foot shop and built a new 2,400 square foot shop.
During this time, the produced banjos grew from a single long neck model to some standard 5-string models. Experiments and variations of the one-piece cast aluminum rims which developed into a closed chamber system.
Three months into the new shop, a 110mph wind storm off the mountains demolished the brand new shop. A rental shop was then used while a better constructed shop was built.
1963
Around the year 1963, Chuck met a young man who hitch-hiked from Ohio asking if he could work for Chuck at ODE. He had an over-welcoming enthusiasm for musical instruments and craftsmanship. His name was Kix, or Creston Stewart. He would later go on to create Stewart-MacDonald Guitar Supply.
Chuck and Kix became close friends and an even better team. With Kix's knowledge and Chuck's ability to build things, they developed a brand new line of ODE banjos. The first thing they did was develop wooden-rimmed models. With a lot of experimenting on tone rings, they landed on the cast bell-bronze flat-top design in 1965.
1966
In 1966, ODE was sold to Baldwin. Chuck states, "I never expected it to turn into a business. I did it because – you know – you’re kind of young, you take chances. I didn’t really expected it to grow into what it did. As fast as I built the ODEs, they’d sell. The company seemed to take on a life of its own, as these things do".
After selling ODE, Chuck traveled and assisted in the transition of ODE banjos. After seeing the turmoil of ODE over the years Chuck decided he wanted to get back into the business.
1970
After four years of watching what ODE had become, Chuck wanted to start again fresh. In 1970, Chuck established OME Banjos but he didn't want to do it alone. Partnered with Ken Whelpton and Kelly McKnish, OME banjos was moved down to Boulder, CO involuntarily to Chuck. Chuck decided to stay up in the mountains in Gold Hill while business with OME was booming.
In 1973, Kelly parted ways with the business and then year later in 1978 Ken parted ways as well. When this happened, Chuck assumed responsibility in the shop and fully took it back over in 1988 after Ed Woodward parted ways.
1989
After a year of OME's operation under founder Chuck Ogsbury, Chuck met Ed Britt from Massachusetts who became a critical asset to the construction of OME's Renaissance and Grand Artist banjos among many other projects and new models.
In combination with the new high end models, they also developed "lower-end" more affordable options including but not limited to the Jubilee and Magician. These new models were developed and released in 1994. With the help of Ed, OME banjos in 1994 had reached a new level of craftsmanship in both excellence and quality. During this time, Chuck Ogsbury used the slogan “Constant improvement”.
2001
Expansion of the OME line combined with decades of skilled craftsmanship was key to success. With the amount of success and high demand, OME put together a 2001 Catalogue which included even more newly released models. At this time, OME banjos had eighteen standard models, five tone rings models, five resonator models, and seven different neck styles. Chuck continued to build these models at every level and expand production to meet the demand.
In the 2010s, OME's demand grew larger and larger until they could not keep up. A combination of time, resources, and Chuck's age presented a challenge of building enough banjos to meet the expectations of his customers.
2023
In 2023 Chuck decided it was time to sell his passion project OME Banjos. In April of 2023, Wayne Rogers founder of Gold Tone Music Group reached out to Chuck Ogsbury, a long time friend within the banjo community. By September 2023, Gold Tone Music Group had become the new owners of OME Banjos.
Part of the agreement of Gold Tone Music Group and OME Banjos was to "Continue the Legacy". Chuck Ogsbury was keen on handing off OME to the right person and Gold Tone Music Group has an obligation to do so. OME Banjos will resume production beginning with eight top selling-models in 2024.
The Legacy Continues.
Learn about the transition of OME Banjos from Chuck Ogsbury to Wayne Rogers
In this video, Wayne answers all your questions about OME Banjos and when you can expect production models. In the meantime, we suggest you shop our Gold Hill Models