Six string banjos?

[Muddslide]

Just curious if anyone has any experience with them.

 

I have a tenor (4 string) banjo now and am just enamored of the banjo twang. Thought it might be fun to find a 6 string 'jo, but not like a $2000 Deering or anything.

 

Anyone have one they plunk around on or has anyone tried out any?

[MazeltovCoktail]

Like, 6 string meaning tuned like a guitar? I've had experience with a 12-string Dean Banjo-tar. It was weeeeeeeeeird.

[garthman]

These are basically a banjo body with a guitar neck - obvious advantage is that they are tuned the same as a guitar so you don't have to learn new chord fingerings. They tend to come up fairly regularly on Ebay (at least in the UK) and are generally not too expensive. See this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BANJO-COUNTRYMAN-6-STRING-GUITAR-BANJO_W0QQitemZ330187918249QQihZ014QQcategoryZ10177QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[totamus]

Ive seen them quite reasonable, but it seems like you dont see many people playing them. Part of that banjo twang comes from the 5th drone string. It is used constantly in clawhammer and scruggs style playing. Without the drone string and the playing style you can develop using it, a 6 string banjo just sounds like a really harsh guitar (think picking a dobro instead of sliding).

[Bernie P.]

I've only played 5 strings and IMO they are the way to go for serious Scruggs or clawhammer playing.Here's the place you want to go for anything and everything banjo-
http://www.banjohangout.org/
Good luck!

[jd-drafter]

wow- this put's the $40,000.00 dollar martin from m123 to shame!

 

$63,000.00 dollar banjo! yikes-

 

http://www.deeringbanjos.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=DBCS&Product_Code=BANS&Category_Code=

[jd-drafter]

oh yeah- let's toss in a 5 string guit-jo... by my dad- made out of 2 old epiphones that were destroyed by 2 separate vietnam vet's- and resurected by my dad- world of glass tear drops- is the tune by jeremy and the satyrs?

 

 

 

oh a more topical note- here is a more affordable option- $169.00 from rogue

 

http://www.music123.com/Rogue-6-String-Banjo-513449-i1322176.Music123

[jd-drafter]

kottke on a banjo- might be cool- and loud for sure-

then add in a slide- woooo hoooooo

[Muddslide]

I've only played 5 strings and IMO they are the way to go for serious Scruggs or clawhammer playing.Here's the place you want to go for anything and everything banjo- http://www.banjohangout.org/ Good luck!

 

 

Well, I played 5-string for about 4 years pretty seriously. This was about ten years ago. I admire Scruggs and bluegrass but it's not my main thing or what I really want to play.

 

I realize a 6 string banjo can't take the place of a 5-string.

 

Just wondered if anyone had any experience with different brands, etc.