Six string banjos offer guitar players an exciting new challenge and sound. While not ideal for traditional bluegrass with fast Scruggs style rolls, a 6-string can add tremendous creativity and versatility to your playing.
Tuners designed for guitar are available to tune a banjo, including clip-on tuners, pedal tuners and smartphone applications.
Strings
Players of 6-string banjos often employ the double drop D tuning that lowers the first string for more symmetrical sound and distinctive chord voicing – this tuning is especially popular among fingerstyle musicians and singer-songwriters.
To tune a six-string banjo to standard guitar tuning, place your hand against its neck and fret the string at its twelfth fret with your left forefinger (don’t push down on the fret!). Listen for an overtone that sounds one octave higher than when unfretted; this tuning also applies to mandolins or fiddles.
If you own an inexpensive banjo, take it to a banjo technician to see if it needs “setting up.” Oftentimes even inexpensive models from major manufacturers can be made quite playable with some initial work. From there you can test whether this type of instrument suits your musical style; if not you can always return or buy something different; some stores even provide initial setup services!
Fingerboard
A great fingerboard should feature a deep scoop to allow the strings to transmit tone effectively and prevent your fingers from slipping off during play. A deep scoop also serves to protect them from being pinched off during use, helping your playing experience to run smoother.
Many cheap 6-string banjos made in Asia have shallow, difficult-to-press fingerboards that create an unpleasant buzz when played, which can be remedied by taking it to a professional luthier for “shaving down”. Unfortunately this process does not come cheap.
Strumming all six strings at once should be avoided as much as possible (though many Dixieland banjo players still do this), since this can sound quite harsh on any banjo and does not replicate guitar’s sound. Furthermore, 6-string banjos generally have less sustain than guitars so any pattern that requires repeated strokes to one string over time may sound weak or dead.
Head
The head serves as the resonator against which the strings vibrate, and can be composed of various materials – some even include tone rings to add brightness and volume to their sound. Most 6-string banjos feature clear heads while resonator versions may also be available.
Banjos are far more delicate than acoustic guitars, so it is necessary to treat them with extra caution. Even if your new banjo came ready-set from its manufacturer to store and ultimately you, its journey might have caused it to need adjustments during its journey from manufacturer to store and onto you.
If you are using a flatpick to strum open (root position) chords with a flatpick, be careful not to use patterns which hit all strings at full volume, as this could create unintended tones which linger too long. If attempting Dixieland style strumming instead, fret or deaden any lower strings to avoid this issue.
Bridge
In addition to being used for playing guitar chords, the six string banjo can also be used for fingerpicking. Its low bass strings add a gutsy plunk when fingerpicking for more intense and expressive playing experience.
An easy way to test whether the bridge is correctly situated is to hold your left forefinger over the first fret (without pushing down on it) and pluck a string; an overtone should occur, producing an octave higher sound than what would normally come out.
Underneath the neck are one or more coordinator rods that serve to adjust how far back the neck curvatures, making it harder for players to access high strings.
Most banjos are shipped without their coordinator rod(s) tightened up, but you can easily do this yourself on your new banjo. Be careful not to overtighten and damage either the headstock or neck joint!
Case
The Jameson 6 string banjo guitar is one of the top banjos under $500. Featuring an integral, closed back resonator (which cannot be removed), its build quality exceeds expectations at this price point – making this an excellent banjo value proposition that guitar players will find easy to play.
Gold Tone Professional 6 String Banjo offers another excellent option, boasting solid construction with an open back resonator. However, this model comes at a much higher price point.
Most six string banjos include a tone ring and resonator mounted to their heads to increase volume and create a fuller sound, but this makes tuning difficult as the neck will vibrate against the resonator and sound off-key.
Some manufacturers use less-than-stellar tuning pegs that look almost identical to high-grade ones, and if your banjo comes equipped with cheap ones I advise replacing them with those available from good suppliers.