Sorcha--
The one with which I worked was played like a regular banjo. The pot was on the order of a large A-model mandolin--all steel, with resonator stuff under the bridge in the manner of a Dobro. Looked mighty like a shiny bedpan or a Buick hubcap with a neck & strings; did not have an appealing sound to me (but remember, I'm deeply rooted in the southern Appalachian culture).
Bill