What do you call this

[oldpoet41]

Take a look at this:

http://spacecoast.craigslist.org/msd/4301143926.html

It appears to be a tenor guitar neck on a bowl back mandolin. From the looks of the neck, it appears to be well made but I've never heard of anything like it. The price is reasonable enough, if it plays.

Steve

[Shelagh Moore]

Baglama or tambura or a variation thereof perhaps...?

[Jim Garber]

Sort of a single course bouzouki. I know you can't really tell, but the neck looks longer than a tenor guitar. It looks like a commercially made instrument that someone painted, tho perhaps it could have been retopped. Buy it and let us know. I have a feeling that Trader Jake will haggle.

[pfox14]

I was going to say bouzouki too, but Jim beat me to it.

[ollaimh]

single courses, so I'm guessing some variant of the Balkan tamboura/taboura. they had tuners all on the same side like this (that's reputed to be where leo fender got the idea). usually they and a one piece bowl carved from a single block. usually a shallow bowl , not nearly as deep as a saz bowl which could be made the same way. however i have seen so many variants of these Balkan instruments that this doesn't seem a surprise. i have seen a double neck, four stings in two course. in three courses, in four courses. six strings in three course or two bass doubles and two singles higher, staggered frets, diatonic frets, chromatic frets, tie on gut frets, stasple frets, and modern style frets. you name it there is a version of the long necked thingamajig from the balkans