2010s Jamjo Dixie Rambler Plank Banjitar

This is one of those "yard sale" instruments -- too cheap to ship, really, unless under duress. It's for sale in-store for $95.

Huh, what is this weird thing? I guess sometimes you've gotta go right to the maker, eh? Click here for that.

So, yes, it's a US-made pine plank with a short-scale (22") neck and banjo-like head set into its top. It's very folksily-made but when it came in via trade it actually played pretty alright. It only needed some minor setup adjustments and some better strings to get it playing spot-on and in-tune.

Some version of these have hollow bodies and some are solid like this one. This one arrived without air-hole access from its "soundhole" to the banjo chamber and no "venting" soundhole on the back. I added those and the volume bumped-up another few notches. It's not terribly loud but it does have good projection due to the spanky banjo tone. Because of its size and compactness but yet larger-feeling neck, it's a lot more fun than, say, a Martin backpacker or Taylor Baby -- and it has a usefully-different tone as well.

Clearly, adding some sort of magnetic pickup at the neck or some sort of piezo pickup (K&K!) under the head would turn this into something much more magical for live use or weird recording use, but as-is it's a fun, take-along-anywhere kind of instrument.

Repairs included: a light setup and restring.

Setup notes: action is spot-on at 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE at the 12th fret. Strings are 52w-11 in gauge.

Scale length: 22" (not 22 1/4" as the tag claims)

Nut width: 1 3/4"

String spacing at nut: 1 1/2"

String spacing at bridge: 1 15/16"

Body length: 17 3/8"

Lower bout width: 9 3/4"

Side depth at endpin: 1 1/8"

Body wood: pine

Bridge: pine

Neck feel: medium D-shape, flat board

Neck wood: poplar?

Condition notes: as-new, basically, with minor use-wear throughout... though I've gotta admit that its "new" finish was not perfect, anyhow.