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The mandolin banjo is a hybrid between a banjo and a
mandolin. Called a 'banjoline' in France, it has a
mandolins stringing, tuning and scale length, and a
banjos body for the extra volume. Many hybrid instruments
were developed during the early 1900s, and there is no standard
format for these. Some had zither banjo wooden bodies like the
Marcelli and Walliostro, whilst others were open backed like a
banjo. Some had banjo sized rings, like the Vega and Clifford
Essex, whilst others were much smaller.
They should not be confused with a banjolin, which can look exactly like a mandolin banjo, except for the fact that it has only 4 strings. Neither should it be confused with a ukelele banjo (banjolele) which has a similar scale length, but only 4 nylon or gut strings and is tuned like a ukelele (GCAE). It is also often pegged, not having machine heads. |
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| this is a banjolin | this is a ukelele banjo | ||||
| These ones are all Mandolin banjos.... | |||||
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| John Grey, English | Marcelli, German | Clifford Essex, English | Vega, American | John Grey, English | Walliostro, German |
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| Windsor, English | Savannah, English | Reliance, English | Lyon & Healey, American | G. Houghton & Son, English | John Dallas, English |
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| Gibson, America | Stewart, American? | unknown, USA? | Vega, USA | Bell Tone, French? | Bruno & Son, American |