1922 Vega Little Wonder 6-String Banjo-Guitar (Banjitar)

I've seen my fair share of old banjo-guitars but only one or two of them have been Vegas and they've been in disarray. This is the first Vega banjitar that's been in here that's been clean. It's a simple, Little Wonder model with the hoop-in-sleeve tonering design and it has a nice, clop-clop, mid-'20s sound to it. The owner had it strung-up with nylon strings to give that a go but we put it back to steel as he brought it here to consign.

Post-mild-repairs it's now playing spot-on and is good to go. Someone already did well by it and added Waverly banjo pegs at the headstock to replace original friction tuners. The bridge was also swapped to a custom affair and we've compensated that for 3-wound, 3-plain, electric guitar-style stringing (my go-to set for banjitars is electric 10s with an unwound G -- it sounds and feels natural on a banjo vs. normal acoustic strings which tend to sound woofy and plunky as they're too tense). The original bridge, however, is still in the case!

It has a wide nut width which is great for fingerpickers and you'll find that country-blues, ragtime, and trad-jazz chordal work all sound killer on this instrument. If you're a fan of the 6-string banjo playing in Louis Armstrong's band, it's hard to beat an actual old banjitar to provide that same vibe.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, cleaning, restring, compensation of the bridge, and setup.

Weight: 6 lbs 10 oz

Scale length: 25 1/8"

Nut width: 1 13/16"

Neck shape: medium C/oval

Board radius: flat

Head diameter: 11 7/8"

Depth overall at rim: 2 1/2"

Rim wood: ply maple

Tonering: Little Wonder (hoop in sleeve)

Bridge: maple/cherry?

Fretboard: ebony

Neck wood: maple

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 46w, 36w, 26w, 17, 13, 10 low to high (unwound G!)

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: smaller/lower

Condition notes: the tuners, bridge, and perhaps a hook or two are unoriginal but otherwise it's all original throughout. The tuners are a nice upgrade, anyhow. There's mild-medium wear throughout the finish with a scuffs and scratches and whatnot here and there. The bridge is currently compensated for 3-wound, 3-plain strings. I usually use electric guitar sets on these to maintain an unwound G for a more "banjo-y" sound and feel.

It comes with: an old hard case.

Consignor tag: B29