"I love my new Yates mahogany Stewart model! Warren and his team have nailed every aspect of making a Top of the Line banjo!" Owen Piatt

James King Band

http://www.thejameskingband.com/

To contact us:

Phone: 828-294-0578

Warren Yates

Email us

Ron Stewart

     I met Warren about three years ago in North Carolina, and I was impressed by his passion for banjos. His instruments were finely crafted and had a great tone. We started talking banjos and Warren was very receptive to my thoughts and ideas about tone rings and what made prewar flatheads sound like they do, as well as my thoughts on several different topics like bridges, neck wood, flanges, etc. After a few months of working together in his shop (lots of trips to North Carolina), cell phones and the such, we came up with what we believe to be the absolute best new banjo available today! It has all of the Characteristics of those old flatheads, plenty of volume, punch, pop, clarity, and evenness all of the way up and down the neck!!!! I personally set up every Ron Stewart model that is sold, and every one of them is so close it's scary!!! I credit a big part of that to the V33 tone ring that we developed. In the '30's, tone rings were different, in several ways, but in one very important way, no one had ever duplicated. WE DID (and boy, was it ever a challenge, not for the faint at heart, right Joel?)!!!! And WOW there it was!

     Donnie Little is such a great guy, and knows so much about banjos, and thank you Donnie for letting us do what we did, and for hanging out in the shop! Joel, you are the inlay man, not to mention running stuff we needed while experimenting, and generally keeping us sane and on planet Earth for the most part! Thanks, dude! Warren, thank you for believing in my theories, and spending the time (A LOT of time) to prove them!!! I knew it was there, just getting it was the issue, and for all of the fun we have had in the shop! And thank you all at Yates for building a banjo I'm proud to endorse and play every show and every session I do! Oh, almost forgot, Thanks to TONY!!!!! (Bong, Bong, Bong!!!!)

     Last but not least, I want to personally thank each of you who is now playing a Yates Ron Stewart model, Rattlesnake model, V33 buyers, and Ron Stewart bridge! Without you all, we wouldn't be here!
 See you on the road somewhere!   Ron Stewart  

Currently part of the Boxcars  http://www.theboxcars.com/

We would like for all of the Yates owners to send us pictures of you and your Yates for our Wall of Fame   Warren Yates

Jens Koch

"I'm really proud of my new Yates Ron Stewart mahogany banjo. The V33 ring has the right qualities of tone that I'm looking for and the banjo as a whole is such a perfect match.
The quickness, the clarity, the crack, depth and fat and punchy tone in this banjo makes me wonder how good it will sound in the future, when it already sounds this good, being brand new. The eye is confused and satisfied with the old distressed look, the neck is extremely comfortable. I'm happy to endorse it and to know that Warren made it. He's smart as a craftsman and is passionate about his work, and also a nice guy, I think. It's not a coincidence that he makes great banjos. This is THE best new banjo that I have ever played and I'm happy that someone finally did it right."  Jens Koch http://www.g2bluegrassband.com/  

Justin Moses

"I love my Yates banjo!  It has great volume and tone...one of the best banjos I've played, period."  Justin Moses

http://www.justinmoses.com/

Currently playing with Ricky Skaggs http://www.rickyskaggs.com/