I think it is an early "tenor guitar". I have seen four stringed instruments with round wooded bodies tuned like tenor banjo but all wood, no skin head. This was probly tuned the same.
Dave Schneider
that poor little girl was born with an accordian instead of arms
An early tenor guitar - in 1912 . . . I highly doubt it. Both Martin and Gibson introduced tenor guitars the same year - 1927. Their intent was to woo some tenor banjo players over to the guitar. Tenor banjos were not a big craze (i.e. worth wooing) till the 20s.
Could be a Pollman mandolin-banjo like this one:
These were made in the banjo era, late 1800s.
Jim
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Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
thats a cool pic what ever it is, how cute! Sure look like banjo tuners from this angle.
Look up (to see whats comin down)
<that poor little girl was born with an accordian instead of arms>
You're completely mistaken about that. She was born with a concertina instead of arms.
Even more tragic!
Goldtone still makes a Banjola.
Jamie
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Pollman made 'em with four- and six-string necks as well as the five-string version.Originally Posted by (jgarber @ Jan. 07 2008, 19:43)
Patent dates are in the 1890's. He called the five-stringers "mandoline banjos."
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
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Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
I didn't look at the link in the original post. I didn;t realize that the postcard might be from Portugal ... or is it?
Then again, it doesn't look like any Portuguese instrument I know of. Oh wait, a card written to Portugal maybe from someone visiting in America, maybe New England -- large Portuguese immigrant community. Could be a Pollman instrument then.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
It doesn't look like a US stamp on the postcard, and the date stamp also appears day-of-month first, Euro style.Originally Posted by (jgarber @ Jan. 08 2008, 17:29)
Painfully cute kids.....
Mick
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I'm guessing that the instrument on our left (their right) is a wooden tenor banjo. I have two banjos that I have made that look very much like that, except that they ahve 5 strings. I've been contemplating a 4-string version, and if I built it it would look much like what she is holding.
Come to my evolving web page, where I hope to add more mandolin chord arrangements as I get them finished:
https://mando.tauxe.net
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