Getting a Better Banjo Sound Out of Your Banjitar 

The purists will hate this, but it’s genius. It’s got it’s own distinct sound

I picked up a 6 string banjo because it took me an age to learn guitar even halfway decent. I learned some banjo picking stuff to play on the bangitar to get more of a banjo sound then found I use some of the banjo technics when playing my guitar. It's a win win.

And this is why some folks argue against going with a 6 string banjo. You have to find ways of "de-guitarifying" it for it to sound like a banjo.

sweet sound! Makes me want to have 2 6-sring banjos--for both kinds of stringing.

Sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing!

This is incredible. Thanks for sharing! Sounds so good.

Very cool! Just picked up a 6 string and going to try this. Thank you.

Great little trick! Thank you!

Mine is arriving tomorrow and I’m immediately going to try this alternative string idea. I’m excited about the close clustering of the chord voicing with this tuning.

Excellent idea ! I really like thr way it sounds much better than the usual banjitar tuning.

Excellent! Thank you for sharing. About to buy my first banjitar and now I know how I'm going to string it. And JD's "Matthew" has been a favorite of mine since John released it years ago!

Yay! Brilliant idea and I love it. Really complements the guitar. Thanks so much for sharing this

I am so going to do this!

Thank you so much for sharing this. I have an Epiphone Stage Bird 6 string and after watching your video, I ran straight out the door to my local music store and bought this string combo and WOW !! I can't believe the difference. Love it. Thanks again !!👍

gdwest999 Dixieland Guitarists in the Good ol days have used Nashville Tuning (4 or 5 Lowest strings are an Octave higher cause now the High B is an Octave4Plus 6 gauge String deigned to tune that note) on the Banjitar to emulate a Plectrum (or Tenor) Banjo sound as a Substitute for those 2 instruments. These exist because back in the good ol days of Big Band music before we had amps, Guitarists used the Banjitar to compete with the horns.

Excellent

This is great because you might I have a gig with a Bluegrass band soon that's without a Banjo player. The High G can be a .007 if you wanna be different. Interestingly enough they make the High G a .008 or thinner to minimize its breakage.

I find that the regular Gauge E, A, & D Strings are ok for Blues stuff. You can use Wound 17 Gauge Strings for more clarity, & also Wound 13 Gauge Strings made by Octave4Plus for a newer feel.

The High G String from a 12 String Guitar set (only a whole step below the High A String on a Tenor Banjo/Tenor Guitar) can be an 8 (from a D'addario Light/Extra Light 12 String Set) if you wish because it's highly reccomended.

These are the strings I’m using nowadays. They sound really good and they’re a one-step solution. (Amazon) amzn.to/3XbH17R #affilatelink

One thing I done with my one was to get a Grover compensated bridge. I also tune it in DADGAD and I am experimenting in open G tuning which some players sware by. Double D sounds quite good. Harvey Reid seems to get a great sound out of his 6 string . I wish I knew his secret.

What made me want to get a Banjitar was another instrument I got, the Bass VI, which is another hybrid instrument that has versatility and so much space to experiment with it. My thoughts on the Banjitar, as a newb, is to tune the top five strings like a banjo, (replace the A string with a D, and make the highest string the high G, not where it is on a Banjo, above the low D, but instead where a high E sits, then make the Low E just a lower string that fits the same interval as the other strings) I also want it to double as a dobro, see how that sounds.

Good thinking Batman

Nice!

Banjitars usually have a slightly larger body than 5 String Banjos to help the lower pitches resonate better.

Thanks for the video. I just purchased the strings and try them on my Goldtone GT 750, as it never sounded right to me with the lower strings.

This was great. I was gifted a Banjitar by a friend who'd bought it 15 years ago played it a bit then put it away. Like me he has decided to declutter his life - in this case by cluttering mine. None the less I did try this out and found I like the sound so as its not a guitar I can keep it. (I set my self a rule no more than four guitars, or four autoharps at one time. I think I will limit myself to one 6 string banjo.) Just getting started with it I can finger pick ok on it though my right hand could use some work your or for that matter anyone else watchings thoughts on how to get the right hand working better would be grreatly appreciated.

gdwest999 Just to note the High G from a 12 String set isn't as thin as you think, it's only an 8. So if you want a High G, swap out the 17 with an 8. Also the High B is only a 6, so as a result the gauges are now 26, 16, 11, 8, 6, 9.

@UC3rsFsF4daig0929Oq0z7Iw If you prefer using a High G on a Nashville Tuned Banjitar, go with an 8 cause the tension is fairly low to prevent breakage. Actually a High G String on a Nashville Tuned Banjitar gives you a sound that's more Tenor Banjo like cause it's only a whole step below the High A of a Tenor Banjo (the Octave4Plus .006 High B String is a whole step above the High A of a Tenor Banjo so it'll sound a bit like a Vihuela when you strum).

A 6-string banjo tends to sound tubby and ring-y. A 4-string actual banjo is better to play with a full band. It can be adjusted to sound brilliant and peppy (or tubby if you like). or, it can also be set up for tubby.

gdwest999 David Matthews uses a lower pitched version of Nashville Tuning called "Raised B Tuning" which is Baritone Nashville tuning with a High F# & also a High B at .006. You can tune your Banjitar to High B tuning with these Aquila 154C High B Tuning Strings:www.musikhaus-zoelch.de/zupfinstrumente/saiten/klassikgitarre/aquila-corde-armoniche/aquila-154c-special-tuning-classical-guitar-string-set-high-b-tuning-normal-tension for that Dave Matthews vibe.

If you take Nashville Tuning & replace the B String with a .006 High B then you'll sound cross between a Banjo & a Mexican instrument called a Vihuela. That's great because in a couple years I have a gig with a Spanish group that's without a Vihuela player.

The visual of the strings is incorrect at the end. The B is a 13 and G is a 17. Just clearing that up for anyone confused like me, lol

1:52 Correction: the High G string from some 12 String Guitar String Sets (Such as the D'addario Light/Extra Light 12 String Sets) isn't a 10 or a 9, it's actually an 8 because it's meant to minimize the tension & make it more playable, & on this long of a scale length the tension will be fairly low so it'll work on. If you do use a High G String at .008 (D'addario Extra Light 12 String Guitar Strings have a .008 to solve the breakage problem) resulting in a Tenor Banjo sound since it's a whole step below the High A of a Tenor Banjo, (the Octave4Plus .006 B4 String is super strong, works on any Banjitar, & is a whole step above the High A of a Tenor Banjo). If you listen to a Nashville Tuned 6 String Banjo, it sounds pretty much like a Tenor Banjo since the High G is a whole step below the High A of a Tenor Banjo:ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VXgAstbJeUE.html

@UC3rsFsF4daig0929Oq0z7Iw If you want to get that Open High G, replace the G String with a 12 String Guitar High G & now you're in "Hey You Tuning" which could allow you to do a Banjitar rendition of Hey you by Pink Floyd. I find that Regular Gauge Strings for E A & D sound ok for songs by Taylor Swift, Johnny Cash, & even Cajun Music. Interestingly the Banjitar advantage is that it's Chromatic. Unlike the 5 String Banjo you can play in every key without re-tuning & you can also use a Guitar capo too. You can also drop the tuning down a half step if you can't sing high enough.

I’m new to 6-stings banjo, just got one an looking for tips, good tips!Open back and bare fingers sound best to me on the 6 with med strings

Great…you can also tune it to open G with the same setup

This is awesome! I can’t wait to try this out on my deering goodtime six! Quick question are you doing a special roll or picking pattern during your demo song. It sounds so good!!!

It sounds very cool. I like it 👍👍 Did you have to re-adjust the truss to compensate for the difference in the string tension of that setup ??

1:52 Thing to note on the 12 String Guitar High G String & if you put it on the Banjitar who's scale length is longer than a Guitar (or some Banjitars) it'll snap if it's a 10 or a 9. Even though it's true I've heard people use an 8 for the High G String cause 1) it holds up better on this long of a Scale, & 2) people find it has a Neutral Tone similar to a Tenor Banjo since the High G is only a step below the Tenor Banjo's High A. If you wanted to go with a High G, stick with an 8 cause it's so strong.

This is great! I’m gonna try this! I’ve thought about open G type tunings also. I’ve not tried it yet. Any experience with that?

This works well although you're getting your string orders mixed up a bit both in the description and what you say. It's in order of EADGBE 10,17,13,17,13,10 I think, not what it says in the description. This is how you describe it in the video but then say it in reverse order starting from the high E. Or at least I think that's the case. I'm partly using this but I've kept the wound d string (a 24).

Great vid. I just got a banjo guitar. I'm a little confused. Where are you finding the A and the G string in small gauges like 13, 17. Or are they E strings in that gauge tuned to A and G?

Hi, thanks for this idea, does it sounds louder when strumming in barre's ?

Great video. Very informative. Question. I am going to try the gauges you mentioned. 10,17,13, 17, 13, 10. You said you might tweak the gauges even more. Have you done that? If yes, to what gauges? Tx

Use electric guitar strings for a better sound too. This would work great with clawhammer too.

@UC3rsFsF4daig0929Oq0z7Iw To make it sound like a long neck Banjo, just drop the tuning down a minor third.

After watching the video and reading all the comments, I am still not sure of the string guage order. Could someone help me out? I just got a banjitar and I really like this sound. Also, does a compensated bridge give a better sound? Thanks.

Have you tried leaving off the low E string and tuning to open G, Keith Richard’s style?

sounds like a bunch of tin cans tied together and hung out on a windy day.

Hello again... I finally got my hands on the banjitar a month later from the comment under this video. As I understand it (I've never picked up a guitar or a banjo) As I understand it, you need to take "duplicate" thin strings from a 12-string set and put them on a banjitar? Or not? (There are sanctions in Russia , normal strings are expensive , which makes it more difficult to experiment ) Thank you for responding to the comments

What was company name for the Banjo please. I'm in Oz so I wouldnt mind getting one of these.

(Hello. I'm writing through Google Translator, the translation may be crooked . For this reason I am writing a comment, because I think I might have missed something due to the automatic translation of subtitles ) Besides a different string gauge, is there anything else that needs to be done to get a better banjo sound? . And another off-topic question: is it possible to learn to play a six-string banjo if I don’t know how to play the guitar?(I mean learn to play it from scratch, or is it better to first learn the guitar and only then the guitarjo?)

I dont really understand the 10 etc how do i tune it like that

I'm trying to get these strings, but I don't understand the link you added to amazon above. The gauges on that set are no where near the 10,13,17,13,17,10 you show as example. The low is a 26?

The Banjitar can play Guitar pieces

7:46 Which song is that?

Hi there Greg - Eddie in the UK here. Thanks for this video on getting a better sound from a 6 string banjo. Very helpful but I am confused ! In the video you say low E is a 10 - low A is a 17 - low D is a 13 - G is a 17 - B is a 13 - High E is a 10. Towards the end of the video you give out the numbers again but they are different ! Low E is a 10 ( the same ) Low A is a 13 ( different ) - Low D is a 17 ( different ) - G is a 13 ( different ) B is a 17 ( different ) - E is a 10 ( the same ). Can you please give me the correct string gauges Greg before I buy the wrong ones ! If you have since tweaked the string gauges can you please list them ? Kind Regards . . . Eddie - Confused Newbie on Banjo !

Why the 17 on the B string, I would think the G String would be the 17 and the B a 13 and the E of course the 10

Nashville tuning and high strung tuning are NOT the same thing. Nashville tuning replaces the G string with an octave string while high strung uses the standard guitar G string gauge. I've had some luck with high stringing a 6-string banjo on an instrument I no longer own. Not working quite as well on my new one so I'm experimenting with this. So far not happy with it.

Guitar banjo's aren't supposed to sound like a 5 string banjo. No offense but you just proved that in this video. Guitar banjos are wonderful as ragtime, early country and blues instruments. Trying to play it as a five string just begs the question...why not play a five string?