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I took my family on a tour last week of the Deering Banjo Factory. This is the last Banjo Factory in the United States, where everything is made here.
They essentially create everything on these banjo's except the tuning mechanism and the strings. The tone ring is cast elsewhere but then machined here.
My daughter who just took up banjo a while back, was very impressed and our guide Barry who used to play with lots of big names and who teaches, gave her hints on the best way to learn. (Practice Slow, Learn Fast).
I used to teach shop and was very impressed with the numerous jigs and operations they have to form, shape, and assemble the various parts. Go to the the site and you can see a video of the workshop.
Every person in this shop appeared to be real craftsmen dedicated to creating a wonderful instrument. All of the other factories learned a long time ago that foreign labor and materials were much cheaper, but these guys are mostly interested in sound, and they use the best materials and work for a perfect fit for all of the parts.
Barry said that while most of the other businesses had a tough time in this economy, they weren't hurt. They are still selling banjos and big name players are ordering custom banjos. They are even looking for help.
So if you are out of work, a dedicated craftsman, and love the banjo, there is a pretty neat place to work in the little San Diego suburb of Spring Valley.