1929 Weymann Style 85 Megaphonic 6-String Banjo-Guitar

Overview: Weymann Megaphonic instruments feature a composite (it's like wood dust and glue and molded) rim design with a resonator glued to the foot of the rim. The foot of the rim has aqueduct-like arching so that sound can pass from under the head and out into the resonator. This makes for a slimmer-depth instrument, overall, with hooks that don't protrude from the instrument at all. It's a good design! To see it used on a 6-string banjitar (or banjo-guitar or guitar-banjo) neck was pretty exciting. I've only seen these on tenor and plectrum instruments in the past. This 6-string is also a nice, clean example of the Megaphonic style, too, and has a feel and tone suited well to ragtime, country-blues fingerpicking, and the like.

Repairs included: It's previously had a FiberSkyn head installed and it looked like someone tried setting it up a little bit. Since it's been here, I gave it a level/dress of the frets, proper setup, fit a vintage bridge (with compensation for 3-wound, 3-plain, electric guitar string sets), added side dots, and set it up. It's playing spot-on and ready to serve. I think the lighter, unwound G-string sets are ideal for banjitars as they give a sound closer to 5-string sensibilities and don't "woof" the head with too much tension.

• Weight: 7 lbs 8 oz
• Scale length: 24 7/8"
• Nut width: 1 13/16"
• Neck shape: bigger soft V
• Board radius: flat
• Depth at first fret: 57/64"
• Depth at seventh fret: 61/64"
• Head diameter: 11”
• Resonator diameter: 14"
• Depth overall at rim: 2 3/4"
• Rim wood: composite
• Tonering: unsure
• Bridge: ebonized maple or similar
• Fretboard: rosewood
• Neck wood: mahogany
• Action height at 12th fret: hair-under 3/32” bass to 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 46w-10 electric strings (unwound G)
• Neck relief: quite straight (~1/64" relief over its length)
• Fret style: low/small

Condition notes: It's completely original save for head, side dots, and bridge. Like most Megaphonic instruments, the resonator back has expanded/shrunk a little differently from the composite rim material as it's aged, so some of the holes for adjusting the nuts on the hooks on the back are slightly misaligned. There are small scratches, scuffs, nicks, and dings here and there but overall it looks lovely. To get the neck angle correct (and to aid neck stability at the rim), there's a big old shim at the end of the heel/tension hoop area. Under tension, the neck deflects about 1/64" over its whole length (not perfectly straight, but only the lightest upbow).

It comes with: It has a decent gigbag.

Consignor tag: JLEP