2010s Dale Small Short Scale Resonator Tenor Banjo

Dale Small was famous for making, well -- small -- banjos and dialing-up their bling factor to 175% or so. This has a short, 19" scale length and a small rim but, after some glorified setup work, it's got the sound and playability of a quality '20s tenor banjo with perhaps just a tiny bit less volume overall. It's plenty snappy, loud, and proud to cut through in a jam, though -- make no mistake.

This one was here for a quick setup and adjustments and it went from anemic-sounding to a full-on, up-front, balanced-sounding instrument. It's funny how a bad setup can hinder an instrument so much.

Anyhow, Dale built this in the style of an old Bacon but the headstock certainly has some Stelling influence in its cut.