Thank you so much, Nigel, for your kind words. A real gentleman if you don't mind me saying so. An unbelievable amount of utter zilch has been written about the zither banjo by the ignorant led by the unknowing (see the other mudcat thread on the zither banjo), and it's high time an end was put to that kind of nonsense.

During the late Victorian and early Edwardian era these instruments were incredibly popular. Tens of thousands were produced, and those by reputable makers were fine instruments. A couple of mine go back about 130 years, and rubbish instruments are unlikely to still be playable after that length of time.

King Edward VII had a zither banjo and so did the explorer Earnest Shackleton. Can't see either of them splashing out on anything second rate. You can still get the kind of zither banjo played by Shackleton. It will set you back about £3,000!

All the best,
Jake.