An electric 6-string banjo can add an exciting new sound to the repertoire of guitar players, but setting up properly may take some work.
Coordinator rods are long, bolt-like things attached to the back of a banjo neck’s end that help ensure it sits at an even angle on its body.
Scale length
Small 6-string banjos, particularly inexpensive models, are often sold as decorative pieces rather than serious instruments. Although it is possible to produce an acceptable sound from one, doing so takes dedication and the assistance of an experienced banjo tech. You must ensure both that the neck is in tune and that its coordinator rods (long bolt-like devices attached to the sides of the pot, underneath the neck and with two purposes: keeping distorted soundholes intact as well as providing adequate stability) are performing their function correctly.
Your scale length needs to fit with your playing style and technique. A standard banjo scale length of 23″ may not be perfect for a guitarist, but will give enough range for chord playing. 19-fret necks popular during Dixieland players’ introduction of banjos into mainstream culture can be beneficial in fingerstyle and bluegrass playing.
Many guitar-playing musicians have begun exploring the six-string banjo as a great way to expand their musical vocabulary without investing in another instrument. Learning one may prove challenging since its strings are tuned an octave higher than a guitar and you need to strum all six strings when trying to play chords.
Bridge
Fretting the banjo’s strings creates an overtone higher than what would normally occur unfretted; with a compensated bridge in place, this overtone becomes identical to its fretted equivalent allowing easier fingering of strings and more uniform sound across all strings.
Some banjos come without compensated bridges (even when they already possess them). If this is the case with your instrument, adding one yourself may be the solution – simply find a suitable bridge online or at your local music store that matches its height to get started!
Once you have installed a compensated bridge, test its adjustment by playing only with two or three strings at once to make sure it works as planned. You may need to tweak its position on the neck a bit; the bridge should rest lightly against it but not touch it; when tuned up correctly it should show minimal signs of depression in its structure.
Experimenting with different styles of picking on a 6-string banjo may also prove rewarding; perhaps its reentrant fifth string brings out its own distinct sound while adding character to your playing style and shaping the unique sound signature of this instrument.
Strings
A 6-string banjo can be played in various styles, from bluegrass and frailing (clawgrass) to jazz and fingerpicking. While some versions have drone strings that end three-quarters up the neck, other variations do not. These arrangements make the instrument better suited for playing blues patterns while enabling guitarists who do not play banjo to double on them without needing to make changes in chords or fingerings.
Some musicians have explored “droneless” six-string banjos, using only two strings as chords and so limiting themselves to traditional five-string licks for chording purposes. Although these instruments don’t offer as many fast picking styles like bluegrass and fiddling music, these instruments are great for bluegrass music and other fast picking genres such as finger picking or fast ska. These instruments are commonly referred to as bajitars or guitjos.
Some acoustic 6-string banjos tuned like guitars can be used for fingerstyle acoustic blues and jazz, and are perfect for fingerpicking techniques such as clawhammer. Players may use either picks or clawhammers, with many having resonators for more traditional banjo sound.
Some acoustic 6-string banjos feature 5 and 6 strings tuned an octave higher, enabling their players to play full barre chords with their left hands without distorting ensemble sound by hitting open strings like on a dreadnought guitar – this approach is popular among dixieland musicians looking for ways to replicate playing similar tunes on 5-string banjos without clouding up their sound of their bands.
Fingerboard
Most 6-string banjos feature radiused fingerboards similar to steel-string acoustic guitar necks, giving the strings an inviting, silky feel and helping them remain in tune easily.
Due to having two extra low strings, a 6-string banjo may produce more overtones than its 4- or 5-string counterparts; however, using palm muting and good pick control will typically eliminate most of these overtones. Furthermore, these instruments can also be tuned acoustically, for an extraordinary sound!
Modern 6-string banjos often include a built-in piezo-electric pickup and 1/4″ jack for live playback or home recordings, making the experience far simpler for guitarists who may need to cover banjo for short stints on gigs. However, it is important to remember that 6-string banjos remain different instruments from guitar banjos and should never be treated as equivalent replacements in most instances.
There are, of course, exceptions. Popular bluegrass songs like “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” were written specifically for 5-string banjos with its fifth string ringing out on every beat on an untuned guitar banjo – no guitar-tuned banjo can match it for that rhythmic element! Also if you bring in a 6-string banjo to any bluegrass jam it will quickly be recognized by members as not actually being an authentic banjo!