Actually, due to the different body configurations, i.e., a thick ring of solid wood, with little asymmetrical string tension on the structure, verses a rather intricate thin-walled guitar body that takes quite a bit of tension, I think you will find far fewer "issues" with a vintage guitjo than a vintage guitar. Sure, frets need to be replaced, necks (and banjos have a longer neck) can warp, but the issues of cracks, top warping, bridges pulling up, etc., pretty much don't exist for the guitjo. Head torn? Install a new head. Not really such a big deal. And the neck is easily removed from the body for any necessary adjustments so a "reset" is hardly the deal it is with a flat top. Floating bridge makes intonation moot.
All in all, if you are already accustomed to dealing with a vintage guitar or two, I think you'll find less hassles with a vintage guitjo. Sure, there's a bit of a learning curve as you suss out the instrument, but it ain't rocket science.
Heck, I'm one to downplay the issues of a vintage guitar. Once you've dealt with the issues and made everything right, a vintage guitar is likely to be more stable than a new guitar. If you already know what I'm talking about then I don't think you should be worried about the issues of a vintage guitjo. Something needs fixing, you fix it.
Just rehashing what's been said earlier in the thread, but I'd go with a skin head if you can. And experiment with keeping the string tension as low as you can, either with very light strings, or by tuning low. I've seen some who tune standard to D and capo 2 to play with others. I mean, you got all those extra frets.-G- You need to find the right tension for the head to get the best tone and volume and it's very easy to choke the head with too much tension. Kinda the opposite of flat tops.
Wax
