Discovering your first banjo can be exciting, but as with any musical instrument, its setup won’t remain perfect forever.
There are two long bolt-like structures under the head of your banjo known as coordinator rods that may make the neck retract slightly; if they appear loose, tighten them gradually over time.
Scale Length
Many banjos are tuned like guitars, leading many manufacturers to sell 6-string banjos with the promise that if you know how to play guitar you can immediately start playing them – however this is misleading advertising; banjos have their own tuning and characteristics which take time and practice to learn to play them successfully.
One major component is the neck, which plays an essential part in finger chording and tonality of banjos. Most commonly seen is a “strat” neck with its traditional straight flat fingerboard; however some manufacturers provide radiused (curved) fingerboard models which help players accustomed to steel string or electric guitar necks get acquainted with that of banjos more quickly.
Fingerpicked 6-string banjos tend to have less sustain than guitars when played fingerstyle, making any patterns that rely on strings ringing for more than half a beat sound weaker compared to their guitar counterparts. This issue affects all types of banjos but 6-strings stand out more in this regard.
One manufacturer offers a model that addresses this by adopting standard steel guitar fretboard design with metal guitar strings instead of banjo strings and creating the sound of tone rings using 3/16” rolled steel rims to achieve sound reproduction. Furthermore, this banjo features dual coordinator rods (considered an upgrade on most banjos), dual coordinator rods as an upgrade on most banjos, dual coordinator rod upgrade capabilities as well as easier tuning using guitar tuners than standard banjo tuners.
Sound
People who purchase inexpensive six-string banjos often complain they don’t sound as good as real five-string models. Although they could have a valid point, other reasons may also play into this perception – first being not understanding the importance of quality setup in getting optimal sounds from their banjo; second being using strings too light or thick for their playing style or thirdly being buying the wrong type for their needs; for instance a bluegrass musician shouldn’t use a clawhammer banjo at an event that requires blues or country music music instead!
Six-string banjos offer many opportunities for acoustic blues and jazz musicians, as well as players doubling on guitar and banjo (it is common for blues guitarists to incorporate short segments of their songs on 6-string banjo). Furthermore, they provide fingerstyle players and flatpickers who want a lower metallic tone with some of the gutsy plunk of steel-string dobro into their playing style.
Many 6-string banjos feature radiused fingerboards, making them an excellent choice for fingerstyle and flatpicking players. This curvature helps them maintain natural chord positions more easily when playing bar chords. Some cheaper banjos designed specifically for beginners may have flat fingerboards; although this shouldn’t be too much of an issue for novice players.
Weight
Many of the features found on 6-string banjos can add weight, especially those featuring cast bronze tone rings common among many Bluegrass style instruments.
A banjo neck is also vitally important when it comes to weight. Craftspeople take great pride and care when crafting sturdy necks; unfortunately it is much cheaper for manufacturers to add extra features such as headstocks, nuts, tuners and tuner tuning systems than to produce quality necks.
These additional bells and whistles may add extra appeal, but their extra weight can quickly add up. With that being said, there are banjos with bronze tone rings which offer all these extras while still weighing less than comparable models without this feature.
One way to reduce the weight of a 6-string banjo is by opting for an openback instead of resonator model, as openback banjos tend to be lighter and boast brighter sound quality than their resonator counterparts. Also, light strings may help – most guitarists who play 6-string banjo will use extra light steel strings tuned an octave or two higher than normal set.
Price
Though some may view a 6-string banjo (also called guitjo) as unreal due to not featuring its traditional five-string configuration, its existence and use in classic jazz recordings such as King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band with Louis Armstrong playing it makes me believe otherwise – making it quite real!
Some 6-string banjos feature flat fingerboards while others boast radiused necks – the latter of which tends to be easier for steel string guitar players to adapt to and makes bar chords much simpler to play.
Most 6-string banjos are constructed as openback models that work well for frailing or bluegrass music styles; however, you may also find resonator models which sound great with any genre of music. A resonator serves to amplify its sound when played acoustically alongside other musicians.
No matter if you prefer an openback or resonator model, the Gold Tone 6-string guitar banjo range has something suitable. Guitarists who want an affordable cross over instrument without learning a totally different banjo style will find this range an invaluable option both online and in stores alike. Expertly crafted instruments offer exceptional value that rival instruments three times their cost; quality and value cannot be found elsewhere on the market today!