This is a beautifully made replica of the plantation era "banjars" as played by the people who invented the instrument. The first banjos were brought to the Americas by West Africans bound for slavery in the New World. Their instrument of choice was the gourd banjo a throw back to the Akonting, a traditional West African folk instrument used by travelling musicians who would tell stories and relate the latest events as they moved from village to village. This instrument is made from a 1o" diameter gourd with a tack on skin head. The neck is spruce with a mahogany fingerboard and peghead overlay. It is equipped with gut strings. 1 5/16" nut and 23 3/8" scale.