1920s Dayton 4-String Banjo-Mandolin Conversion

Overview: This adorable little thing was an 8-string banjo-mandolin to begin-with but I modified it into a 4-string because I find the "mini tenor banjo" 4-string format infinitely superior and easy on the ears, fingers, and tuning stability. Dayton was a higher-quality brand that chased Gibson products for market share (hah, hah) and they have interesting features that blend Epiphone and Gibson aesthetics from the time.

It has single-coordinator-rod construction, a big old hoop tonering, a sturdy and quick neck with classy styling in the board and headstock, and the feature that's very rare for the time -- a block-construction maple rim. It even has "tucked-in" hooks that sit below the top edge of the tonering to create a comfortable and slick look. The hardware is all over-spec and rugged. Overall, these design elements contribute to an instrument with a sound that's clean, poppy, and a little more "saucy" and round than a lot of banjos. I like.

Repairs included: I modded it to a 4-string format with Gotoh tuners at the headstock, gave it a level/dress of the frets, added side dots, cleaned it up, fit a new synthetic Remo Renaissance head, replaced the damaged original tailpiece for a No-Knot repro-style one, and set it up. It's playing spot-on and ready to go.

• Weight: 5 lbs 6 os
• Scale length: 14"
• Nut width: 1 1/8"
• Neck shape: medium C
• Board radius: flat
• Depth at first fret: 0.79"
• Depth at seventh fret: 0.98"
• Head diameter: 10"
• Depth overall at rim: 2 3/4"
• Rim wood: block maple
• Tonering: big hoop
• Bridge: maple/ebony
• Fretboard: ebony
• Neck wood: figured maple
• Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 34w, 24w, 14, 10
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: small/narrow

Condition notes: The head, bridge, tailpiece, and tuners are replacements. Side dots are added. There are conversion marks at the front and back of the headstock from where tuner holes were filled. There's mild wear and tear to the finish throughout but said finish is all-original. I added two narrow screws on the inside of the rim that run into the neck's heel on either side of the coordinator rod. They just lock position of the neck so it can't rotate by accident.

It comes with: It has its original hard case.

Consignor tag: JWRT