Hmmm... Seems to be a bit of discussion along the lines of "I'm thinking of getting a mandolin-banjo; now, how do I get it not to sound like a mandolin-banjo?" That element of raucousness is why those instruments were built in the first place.
I work in a Celtic band where mandolin-banjo is one of the lead instruments. Mark Deprez, who plays it, built it himself, adapting a resonator tenor banjo body with a mandolin neck he made. It's a loud instrument, for sure, but not a bit grating, IMHO:
Innisfree jig medley: Irish Washerwoman, Swallowtail Jig, Saddle the Pony
Other musicians are Barbara Jablonski on hammered dulcimer, Kathleen Cappon on 12-string guitar, and myself on Sobell mandola.
Not saying you have to "build your own," but a larger body, and a head made of either natural skin or a substitute like the Remo Renaissance or Fiberskyn, not tightened "to the max," plus lighter gauge strings, might cut down on the "snarl." There are several expedients for muting banjos, but if you want that mandolin-banjo sound, then accept that they sound like mandolin-banjos, IMHO.
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