David Grisman’s 1920s “tango banjo” | Acoustic America: Iconic Guitars, Mandolins, and Banjos

This four-string version of a mandolin-banjo, called a “tango banjo”, was considered a better option for early 1900s dance orchestras because the single strings cut through more clearly than double courses. In this video, mandolin virtuoso David Grisman shares his own tango banjo which he played on his Grammy-nominated album Retrograss with friends John Hartford and Mike Seeger and son Sam Grisman.
See this instrument in our special exhibition Acoustic America: Iconic Guitars, Mandolins, and Banjos: Tickets: mim.org/special-exhibitions/a...
In partnership with Acoustic Disc
Presenting sponsor US Bank
Loan courtesy of David Grisman
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[@timwhite7127]

Sounds like a mandjolin...Gotta admit I envy your history...

[@erichsylvester4354]

I think it sounds like a banjolin. I own a National Pro banjolin when I play & sing in the Yerba Buena Jug Band here in San Francisco.