Pisgah 11" Laydie (2024)

As one of the company's highest-end models, Pisgah's Laydie open-back combines the manufacturer's legendary level of craftsmanship with the specs and feel of a vintage instrument for a tool like few others. This lightly used one from 2024 is a standout in our shop, and presents a nice bargain off the new price for cost-conscious working musicians. With an 11" maple pot and a flamed maple neck, the Laydie is one of the twangiest options in Pisgah's arsenal, but that baseline of percussive, bright snap is augmented and enriched by its namesake Laydie-style (or "Electric") tone ring, similar to the type used by A.C. Fairbanks on their pre-war open-back models throughout the first part of the 20th century and the tail end of the 19th. As with all Pisgahs, the Laydie boasts beautiful, understated appointments and a perfectly carved and shaped neck, with more heft and weight than most other production open-backs, and its shorter 25.5" scale promotes a warmer tone with lots of the "plunk" that Pisgah have become known for.

This instrument arrived in our store in excellent condition, with very little in the way of playing wear that might distinguish it from a new instrument. The set up is still very good, with medium action designed for solo melodic clawhammer that nonetheless remains comfortable and playable as one ascends the neck. Included in the price is the original soft-shell case, manufactured for Pisgah by Access.

Specifications

Scale Length: 25.5"
Nut Width: 1.25"
Neck Wood: Flamed maple
Fretboard Wood: Richlite
Peghead Overlay: Richlite
Peghead Inlay: Quilted star
Fret Markers: 3rd, 7th, 10th, 12th, and 15th frets
Nut Material: Tusq
Spikes: None
Tuners: Aged brass planetary with richlite buttons
Finish: Matte
Rim Size: 11"
Rim Wood: Maple
Tonering: Laydie
Brackets: 18
Tailpiece: Balsam Banjoworks aged brass hawktail
Head: Renaissance
Armrest: None
Case: Original Pisgah soft-shell case