I’ve been trying to find out if anyone makes such a thing as an acoustic guitar/5 string banjo hybrid. An instrument with a guitar body and a 5 string banjo neck and tuning head. So far I’ve found a “banjola” (mandola body) and a “dojo” (dobro body) both made by Goldtone. I’ve seen a homemade conversion of this on a banjo site but this is the only one I’ve seen so far. Any info greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Robert Aylward made several of them in the 1990's - I had a couple of them and they were lovely instruments
You should be able to track him through Google (he's somewhere in north-west Scotland these days) - he's a superb craftsman and his instruments are well worth the wait
I’ve seen and played something similar – maybe halfway to what you want. It has a five-string banjo neck and an all-wood body, but the body is sort of like a Flatiron mandolin, not like a guitar. When I saw it, I thought it was a goofy idea, but it was actually fun to play around with. Not very loud, though. I don’t remember the manufacturer, but it was in the Banjo.com store.
i've only seen the other way round from what you seem to be wondering about---i know the "guitjo" or "banjitar," which is, banjo with six strings like a guitar. love them, they are great for east coast piedmont country blues and ragtime blues (not sure they'd really complement delta blues).....the rev gary davis played one on occasion, and the banjo maker chuck lee of texas makes a gorgeous one called the Badger....
Same as ceemonster-I've played a 6-string guitar-banjo- it had a cool sound. Not sure about backing tunes, but you never know. One of my alltime fave recordings is Mick O'Connor backing up Paddy Carty's lovely flute on tenor banjo.
If you find this mythical beast, what are you going to do with it? and more imortantly, what strings are you going to put on it?
If you put banjo strings on you won't be able to hear it. If you use strings that are heavy enough to drive a guitar soundboard, you won't be able to frail, so why bother? Just buy a guitar.
He might be able to play it with fingerpicks, skreech. Still might not work, though. Maybe with a pickup. The beast I played would've been "interesting" with a pickup, but I'm sure I'd get tired of it quickly.
"If you put banjo strings on you won't be able to hear it. If you use strings that are heavy enough to drive a guitar soundboard, you won't be able to frail, so why bother? Just buy a guitar.£
Not so.
No doubt, if you were to put overly light strings on a hefty jumbo or dreadnought style guitar, the resulting sound would be pretty feeble. But presumably, a good luthier, in setting about designing an instrument that lies somewhere between a banjo and a guitar, would take into account the banjo player's preference for lighter strings, and brace the soundboard accordingly. If a classical guitar soundboard can be driven by *nylon* strings, then there's no reason why you can't have a soundboard somewhere in between that and a standard steel-string acoustic soundboard, that would respond to a lighter gauge of steel string.
...The resulting instrument would undoubtedly be quieter than a banjo, but then, so is any acoustic guitar (with the possible exception of a resonator guitar).
I don't think that arguement works - nylon strings, although they are at lower tension, put pretty much the same amount of energy into the soundboard when they vibrate, because they are more elastic.
There is very little difference in thickness between a classical and steelstring soundboard - the tap-toning process is the same for both. A classical soundboard 'taps out' (loses its fundamental resonance) very slightly thinner than that of a jumbo, but that is because of the smaller area - if you make a classical and a steel string with the same body size, the soundboards would be identical thicknesses.
What does differ significantly between a classical and steel string is the barring - the steel string needs an X brace to withstand the string tension. So on your hybrid with low tension steel strings you could potentially use fan-bracing as in a classical. That would give you a much richer tone with more high end harmonics, but it wouldn't make it any louder.
Back in the late '60s' Shirley Collins had a "banjo-dulcimer" made, with a 5-string neck and a body shaped approximately like a mountain dulcimer, and a heart-shaped soundhole. You can see her with this on the back of the "Anthems in Eden" album. This, or a similar instrument, is now being played by a member of the Oyster Band, with additional built-in bug so it can be amplified.
I think I heard it once, and it was sweet but quite.
I concur with earlier replies, that it doesn't really work to try and get a wooden soundboard instead of a banjo skin, you just loose that percussive twang that works so well with a light frailing and so destructively on a tenor banjo in sessions.....
...but then I'm prejudiced.
Thank you all very much for the input. I was really wondering if this instrument was already in production like the previously mentioned hybrids. But it doesn’t seem so. It would probably cost well into E2000 to get something like this built by a good luthier. And this is not an option at present.
It is an interesting concept though.
Thanks again.
That "banjola" is probably the best effort you'll get for a reasonable price.
Banjo-mandolins turn up occasionally - Pete Stanley long-standing British maestro of the banjo, has one. They're sweet but quiet, as I said earlier.
Guitar Banjo
Guitar Banjo
I’ve been trying to find out if anyone makes such a thing as an acoustic guitar/5 string banjo hybrid. An instrument with a guitar body and a 5 string banjo neck and tuning head. So far I’ve found a “banjola” (mandola body) and a “dojo” (dobro body) both made by Goldtone. I’ve seen a homemade conversion of this on a banjo site but this is the only one I’ve seen so far. Any info greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
# Posted on May 12th 2010 by JudeThomas
Re: 5-string banjo/guitar hybrid
Robert Aylward made several of them in the 1990's - I had a couple of them and they were lovely instruments
You should be able to track him through Google (he's somewhere in north-west Scotland these days) - he's a superb craftsman and his instruments are well worth the wait
# Posted on May 12th 2010 by teetotaller
Re: Guitar Banjo
I’ve seen and played something similar – maybe halfway to what you want. It has a five-string banjo neck and an all-wood body, but the body is sort of like a Flatiron mandolin, not like a guitar. When I saw it, I thought it was a goofy idea, but it was actually fun to play around with. Not very loud, though. I don’t remember the manufacturer, but it was in the Banjo.com store.
# Posted on May 12th 2010 by Bob himself
Re: Guitar Banjo
There's a four string version for sale here:
http://forums.chiffandfipple.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=75786
You'll.
# Posted on May 12th 2010 by Eulic McGee
Re: Guitar Banjo
http://www.instrumentalley.com/SearchResults.asp
This lot seem to do all sorts of nasty barstardizations!
I fancy a baritone banjolele actually.
# Posted on May 12th 2010 by yhaalhouse
Re: Guitar Banjo
Here's a video of my old 7 String Banjo c1870s that I sold to Rob MacKillop a couple of weeks ago ........ but these babies don't grow on trees!
http://europeanoldtimers.ning.com/video/my-old-c19th-minstrel-banjo-in
Cheers
Dick
# Posted on May 12th 2010 by Ptarmigan
Re: Guitar Banjo
I have the same tenor as on the link Eulic posted.
I paid just over a hundred for it..
So I bought it brand new cheaper than it is for sale..
hmmm
# Posted on May 12th 2010 by Hugo Chavez
Re: Guitar Banjo
i've only seen the other way round from what you seem to be wondering about---i know the "guitjo" or "banjitar," which is, banjo with six strings like a guitar. love them, they are great for east coast piedmont country blues and ragtime blues (not sure they'd really complement delta blues).....the rev gary davis played one on occasion, and the banjo maker chuck lee of texas makes a gorgeous one called the Badger....
# Posted on May 12th 2010 by ceemonster
Re: Guitar Banjo
Same as ceemonster-I've played a 6-string guitar-banjo- it had a cool sound. Not sure about backing tunes, but you never know. One of my alltime fave recordings is Mick O'Connor backing up Paddy Carty's lovely flute on tenor banjo.
# Posted on May 12th 2010 by primrose lass
Re: Guitar Banjo
If you find this mythical beast, what are you going to do with it? and more imortantly, what strings are you going to put on it?
If you put banjo strings on you won't be able to hear it. If you use strings that are heavy enough to drive a guitar soundboard, you won't be able to frail, so why bother? Just buy a guitar.
# Posted on May 12th 2010 by skreech
Re: Guitar Banjo
He might be able to play it with fingerpicks, skreech. Still might not work, though. Maybe with a pickup. The beast I played would've been "interesting" with a pickup, but I'm sure I'd get tired of it quickly.
# Posted on May 12th 2010 by Bob himself
Re: Guitar Banjo
"If you put banjo strings on you won't be able to hear it. If you use strings that are heavy enough to drive a guitar soundboard, you won't be able to frail, so why bother? Just buy a guitar.£
Not so.
No doubt, if you were to put overly light strings on a hefty jumbo or dreadnought style guitar, the resulting sound would be pretty feeble. But presumably, a good luthier, in setting about designing an instrument that lies somewhere between a banjo and a guitar, would take into account the banjo player's preference for lighter strings, and brace the soundboard accordingly. If a classical guitar soundboard can be driven by *nylon* strings, then there's no reason why you can't have a soundboard somewhere in between that and a standard steel-string acoustic soundboard, that would respond to a lighter gauge of steel string.
# Posted on May 12th 2010 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Guitar Banjo
...The resulting instrument would undoubtedly be quieter than a banjo, but then, so is any acoustic guitar (with the possible exception of a resonator guitar).
# Posted on May 12th 2010 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Guitar Banjo
I don't think that arguement works - nylon strings, although they are at lower tension, put pretty much the same amount of energy into the soundboard when they vibrate, because they are more elastic.
There is very little difference in thickness between a classical and steelstring soundboard - the tap-toning process is the same for both. A classical soundboard 'taps out' (loses its fundamental resonance) very slightly thinner than that of a jumbo, but that is because of the smaller area - if you make a classical and a steel string with the same body size, the soundboards would be identical thicknesses.
What does differ significantly between a classical and steel string is the barring - the steel string needs an X brace to withstand the string tension. So on your hybrid with low tension steel strings you could potentially use fan-bracing as in a classical. That would give you a much richer tone with more high end harmonics, but it wouldn't make it any louder.
# Posted on May 13th 2010 by skreech
Re: Guitar Banjo
Back in the late '60s' Shirley Collins had a "banjo-dulcimer" made, with a 5-string neck and a body shaped approximately like a mountain dulcimer, and a heart-shaped soundhole. You can see her with this on the back of the "Anthems in Eden" album. This, or a similar instrument, is now being played by a member of the Oyster Band, with additional built-in bug so it can be amplified.
I think I heard it once, and it was sweet but quite.
I concur with earlier replies, that it doesn't really work to try and get a wooden soundboard instead of a banjo skin, you just loose that percussive twang that works so well with a light frailing and so destructively on a tenor banjo in sessions.....
...but then I'm prejudiced.
# Posted on May 13th 2010 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Guitar Banjo
"...sweet but QUIET."
The spellchecking editor is taking a coffeebreak.
# Posted on May 13th 2010 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Guitar Banjo
Thank you all very much for the input. I was really wondering if this instrument was already in production like the previously mentioned hybrids. But it doesn’t seem so. It would probably cost well into E2000 to get something like this built by a good luthier. And this is not an option at present.
It is an interesting concept though.
Thanks again.
# Posted on May 13th 2010 by JudeThomas
Re: Guitar Banjo
Ozark model 2247 is a banjola similar to what you describe. It's pretty much like the Gold Tone instrument. Stentor import them into UK.
http://www.stentor-music.com/catalogue/html%20general/73.htm
# Posted on May 13th 2010 by buddhuu
Re: Guitar Banjo
That "banjola" is probably the best effort you'll get for a reasonable price.
Banjo-mandolins turn up occasionally - Pete Stanley long-standing British maestro of the banjo, has one. They're sweet but quiet, as I said earlier.
# Posted on May 13th 2010 by Guernsey Pete