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Anybody got info on the banjotar?

Mike

I set up one or two daily for my friend's ebay business.
The head needs to be fairly tight, it's tuned like a guitar.
I regularly set up Dean, Morgan and Monroe, Luna, Gold Tone, Savannah, and Indiana banjitars, the Gold Tones are the best IMO if you are looking for an inexpensive one, the Luna Celtic is the second best of these.
They sound best fingerpicked in the style of a banjo vs strummed like a guitar.
Do you have a specific question?!?

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I heard one played today. Really loved the sound. Gotta have one... But I wanna build it. Is this really just a straight banjo body mated to a guitar neck? So far, no plans out there.

Mike (I should have spelled it banjitar)

It's made identically to a banjo in terms of construction, the differences being the neck is dimensioned as a guitar with a radiused fretboard; the bridge is constructed like a banjo bridge, maple feet mated to an ebony saddle section, the saddle section is radiused with the fretboard; the tailpiece holds six strings instead of 4 or 5. Some versions have a quarter inch compensated saddle;
On the factory production models I've seen, the string width is narrower than I like for fingerpicking, so if you are going to build one, you might consider widening the fretboard and bridge dimensions.

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Mike
I'm building a banjitar/guitjo right now. I'm doing a build log on the Luthier Forum and on the Banjo Hangout, if you are interested.
I've got a set of plans done by Scott Antes, Banjo-Guitar, Plan No. BGP-01. Sorry, I don't remember where I bought the plans. The plans are pretty standard banjo construction. I'm using a neck blank from First Quality that was meant for a 5 string but wasn't profiled and is wide enough for a guitar neck. I'm using an OM size fingerboard cause that's what fits my hand.



Did you have any specific questions that I may be able to help with? I've built a bunch of banjos and a handful of guitars.
Dan

I've done some Googling and can't find the same plans that I have - the Antes BGP-01 plans. This is for a 12 inch open back with a 25.00 inch scale.

But I did find similar plans at Pilgrims Projects:
http://www.pilgrimsprojects.biz/banjo.html
6 String Banjo Guitar Plans S17
It's hard to tell from their small image, but now that I zoom in on it, I think it is the same plan.

And Elderly sells 6 string tail pieces and bridges.

Dan

A banjotar (or guitjo...) is indeed just a six string neck mounted to a banjo body. With any banjo family instrument, the biggest trick that isn't encountered in regular guitar making is fitting the neck to the rim. You have to cut a radius on the heel that matches the rim, but at an angle to give it the proper neck set. This can be especially tricky if you're using a Gibson style rim with a one piece flange--it pretty much takes special shaper cutters to do it right.

For a regular straight sided rim with bracket shoes (no flange), the heel joint can be cut with a jig and a drum sander or shaper with a straight cutter. It can also be done completely by hand, but it's not easy to get a perfect fit.

Dave

Well, I am looking forward to this project. Looks like I need a good set of banjo plans and a good six string neck. Will be looking into the links that were provided. I love the sound of this thing... gotta have it!

Thanks for the tips so far!

Mike

bear in mind that the neck will join at a much higher fret than an acoustic guitar.....

I made a banjitar from an old drum..... the trapeeze tailpiece came from an old scrapper of a 60s guitar. and then I bent it to shape.....

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/ ... ure509.jpg

the problem with this is that the shell is nowhere near strong enough. I'm going to fit a turn-buckle stretcher just below the head (in line with the neck) to stop it flexing

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/ ... ure513.jpg

here it is with me playing, and my son on his tenor banjo

MOST of the timing issues are the video, not the actual playing......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDKfWZdDo3o

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I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours. (That never worked with the girls in grade school, but maybe it will work here.)

Here's my banjitar all in one piece, but still in the white - no finish. Since banjos are modular, I like to put them together early so I can make whatever adjustments and not have to worry about the finish if I have to reshape any of the pieces/parts. It has a temporary nut with spacers sticking out of the sides, so don't let that throw you.





I need to play with the bridge height a little and add a small inlay to the peg head and make a truss rod cover. Then start finishing.

It's a 12 inch block rim of maple and morado with a maple dowel stick neck. Otherwise standard open back banjo construction just like all of the banjo plans that are available. I just thought - banjo from the 12th fret down and guitar from the 12th fret up.

Are the hoops turned on a lathe?

Mike

Hoops? Do you mean the rim or the tension hoop?
I turned the rim on a lathe. If you're interested in that whole process, I can give you some links to some of my videos and some from a few others on lathe turning both block rims and laminated rims.

I bought the 12 inch tension hoop from StewMac.

Edward Victor Dick makes a great "banjola". I'd really like to make one of these some day: http://www.banjolas.com/.

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