While at the IBMA show, I had the chance to play the Tranjo travel banjo. If you've never heard of it, the Tranjo is a banjo that can disassemble without tools in a couple of minutes and can be packed in a standard airline carryon bag (with plenty of room for the rest of your gear!)
Basically it has a neck without a headstock that fastens to the body with a thumbscrew, the body is flat like an electric guitar, with the tuners under the banjo head. the head is a 9 inch head set into the body with a conventional bridge. Unbolt the neck, put the bridge someplace safe, and place the pieces on top of each other still strung.
It can feature a mesh head for silent practice, and a pickup for a walkman style practice amp. With the silent setup, it's about as loud as an unamplified electric solidbody. With the amp you hear yourself just fine. The regular head setup is loud enough for practice, maybe campfire play, but won't (well, shouldn't) get you kicked out of a hotel room.
While it's no Stelling or Gibson, the sound and action are not bad at all, and fine for travel and practice. I was pretty impressed with it. If your job has you flying frequently or you want a knockaround banjo to take camping, or just a spare to have around the house, look in to the Tranjo. Prices start around $800, some dealers may discount. More info and dealer list at
www.tranjo.com.
-Chris
