Wha??? Bass Banjo.

There was a feature article on the last page in Bass Player Mag a few months back (sorry, don't remember which month) on a "one of a kind" instrument dubbed "Banjozilla" made by some luthier. It was a huge "stand up" 4 string banjo.

 

To my knowledge its just a banjo with bass strings and a smaller neck. http://www.larkinam.com/MenComNet/Business/Retail/Larknet/goldtone/bb400.html

 

That shouldn't say smaller it should it stronger.

 

I have seen two types. One has a neck like a regular electric bass, but a standard banjo type body. They sell them at a store called Lark In the Morning in San Francisco, CA, USA. I thought they would sound better than they did. It was somewhere between a thunk and a clink, if that says anything.
The other type I have seen (on ebay) is of the standup variety. It had a regular standup bass neck, but the body was a huge banjo drum. I've never played one of those.
I don't know which kind Les uses.

Kenan

 

I saw a picture on one of these threads awhile back that had a pic of victor wooten playing the bass banjo... It looked monstrous..

 

The green one??? I forgot about that one

 

Les plays one more with a standard bass type body. He used it on there videoplasty home movie to record a track on tom waits newest album. In concert though he just uses his NS electric upright to play de anza jig.

 

Hey, I found it! Banjozilla, I mean.

This is the bass banjo that was in Bass Player magazine a few months back...

http://www.xstrange.com/bassbanjo.htm