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Thread: Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

  1. #1
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    Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

    I have one,in addition to my 5 string banjos and I do enjoy playing it! Used to write articles about it for a different banjo forum.

  2. #2

    Re: Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

    Why yes Mizz Belle ...
    I too play a 6-stringer and enjoy the variety it gives me from my plectrum or 5-string. Playing a lot of trad jazz a la Johnny St Cyr it does something the plectrum doesn't ... not better ... just different. They're also great as back up instruments for contra dances.
    Ryk

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    Re: Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

    oh how cool! You have any videos of you playing,and do you ever try fingerpicking blues on it (country blues)? Any pics of the instrument? I have an Estrada......

  4. #4

    Re: Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

    Good god!!! ... videos of me! Perish the thought.
    They're great for all types of fingerpicking ... being a Vermonter i had to learn Maple Leaf Rag. Basically i play whatever moves me or in a jam ... whatever needs playin'. I got a great deal on a used Deering Deluxe years ago and love it. If i were interested in getting another 6 i'd look into a 12"head.
    Ryk

  5. #5

    Re: Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

    Just a cheap Gold Tone 6 string that I like it a lot except the bass is lacking a bit. A bigger head might be punchier, and I have a fibre head that will fit so I might yet try that, or tinker more with the bridge. Great action and playability, nice tone, well made, and a perfect fit to share the Gold Tone 5 string case. With acoustic recordings it's handy for duplicating parts, adding colour, lead fills, etc, but also excels as a lead melody instrument. I was surprised to find that I prefer the tone with the resonator back attached, not the case with my 4 and 5 strings.

  6. #6

    Re: Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

    I have one that I inherited from a friend that passed away. I enjoy it more than I thought I would. I replaced the low E and A strings with strings an octave higher to more closely approximate the reentrant tuning of a 5 string.

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    Re: Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

    My brother, Gary, has a six string banjo that he strings in Chicago or high strung tuning, with the 3rd,4th, 5th and 6th strings an octave higher. His weekly jam group has 4 guitars, so he has tried to add some different textures with the Autoharp, guitjo and 5 string.
    gary's banjitar.jpg

  8. #8

    Re: Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Yates View Post
    My brother, Gary, has a six string banjo that he strings in Chicago or high strung tuning, with the 3rd,4th, 5th and 6th strings an octave higher.
    Like Nashville tuning.

  9. #9

    Re: Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

    It's simply a 6 string banjo.
    Not a "banjitar" or "guitjo"

    Regardless of the number of strings or how it is tuned, you play it as if it were a banjo. Because it is...

  10. #10

    Re: Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

    I've got the Dean model. Had a new bridge and some other tweaks done to it and now it plays great. But I have a 5 string that gets most of my attention now.
    I think we should all just agree to call it a 6 String Banjo though. It really isn't a guitar in any way other than the tuning. And I tune mine like a banjo anyway with the 5th string at G and 6th a D. You have to play and pick it like a banjo. It's a banjo, with 6 strings!
    Just my two cents!

  11. #11
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    Re: Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

    Quote Originally Posted by Banjobart View Post
    Like Nashville tuning.
    Exactly. I don't know why I called it Chicago tuning. That is DGBE on the tenor banjo or guitar. Thanks for correcting me Bart.

  12. #12
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    Re: Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

    My son Clay has a six string banjo that he uses in a jazz group, The Hot Club Of Port Hope.

  13. #13
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    Re: Anyone here play banjitar/guitjo?

    I've been playing 4 and 5 string for years. I was buying a Bodhran in a shop in Belfast recently when I spotted a 6 for sale. Very tempted! I think it would sound great for songs such as "Follow Me Up To Carlow" and "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye."

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