NPBD, Plectrum Banjo is a thing!

[Hep To The Jive]

I got this marching dixie band gig for two weekends at Shanghai jazz festival, and of course I had to use a banjo. Two years ago I was at the music expo and got myself a 6 string banjitar, because in China apparently only two types they used to make, 5 and 6 string.

So I brought that one to the gig and it was ok, plenty loud but the band leader, an old trumpet player kept saying I need a 4 string. I was telling him there is no way, but then the same Shanghai music expo was happening this week, and I went there on a last day and I saw a real plectrum banjo! 22 frets, 4 strings, I couldn't believe it! It's a cheapy, in US money under $100, but I bought it right there and then and I'm freaking loving the thing!

In terms of projection it's not the loudest, it's made too cheaply to be that, but it got that sound and the cut. It's just proper. To be honest there were some tenor banjos at the expo as well, (I guess they heard me complaing all this time they started making 4 strings), but I used to have one in NYC and hated it. Tenor banjos can't use the Chicago tuning and CGDA is pita and i never liked the sound anyway. Plectrum is a whole different story, it sounds ballsy and cuts through.


Now I know what I want for Christmas, a real deal pro-grade Plectrum banjo! Maybe not this Christams though.... For right now here she is:

[Unclegrumpy]

If you don’t already know about him, look at some Tyler Jackson videos. He’s a killer player.

Tyler Jackson - YouTube

[Gitterbug]

The Plectrum Banjo is one hotrod for a musical instrument. Wood meets metal meets skin meets wood meets strings... So many screws to turn, getting one into trim is a science. Yours looks the part but probably hasn't got the heavy bronze tone ring inside. Mine is a Fender Artist from the early 1970s - almost 10 lbs. I, too, use the Chigago tuning, like all the other 5 or so jazz banjo players in my neck of the woods. Despite trying (not too hard) for 60 years, I've never really learned tremolo, sliding chord changes and other quite physical gimmicks. Having perhaps one gig per year with max. two banjo tunes (Hello Dolly and I forget the other) doesn't exactly help.

[gitman]

I‘ve been playing my OME Plectrum Banjo in DGBE/Chicago tuning for over 30 years now and have no plan to stop.

[joe2758]

I know nothing of banjo. Just curious, I thought 4 string was the standard? why is this one rare? Why does the band leader have such a strong preference?

[Gitterbug]

I know nothing of banjo. Just curious, I thought 4 string was the standard? why is this one rare? Why does the band leader have such a strong preference?

Six-string banjos sound dark and muddy when used for Dixieland comping. Some players change the two lowest string to lighter gauge and an octave above = redundant. Contrary to OP's experience, tenor banjos can be played with Chicago tuning (guitar's top 4 strings). A 5-string banjo becomes plectrum if you leave the drone string out.

Edit: 5-string bluegrass banjos are the standard. 4-string tenors tuned in fifths like violin or mandolin have a role in e.g. Irish folk music, I believe. The plectrum banjo has a longer scale and a couple of bespoke tunings, but works fine with Chicago tuning. All this goes back to 1920s, when guitar began to replace banjo in jazz bands. 4-string tenor guitar helped banjoists in the transition, and 6-string banjo later helped guitarists when banjo sound was needed.

I don't claim to be an authority, so feel fee to correct me.

[Rob MacKillop]

I’ve played the 4 and 5-string plectrum banjos for many years. Checkout my web page where I discuss the difference between the tenor and plectrum, with a few videos to listen to as well:

Tenor and Plectrum Banjo | Rob MacKillop ~ Musician

[Hep To The Jive]

The Plectrum Banjo is one hotrod for a musical instrument. Wood meets metal meets skin meets wood meets strings... So many screws to turn, getting one into trim is a science. Yours looks the part but probably hasn't got the heavy bronze tone ring inside. Mine is a Fender Artist from the early 1970s - almost 10 lbs. I, too, use the Chigago tuning, like all the other 5 or so jazz banjo players in my neck of the woods. Despite trying (not too hard) for 60 years, I've never really learned tremolo, sliding chord changes and other quite physical gimmicks. Having perhaps one gig per year with max. two banjo tunes (Hello Dolly and I forget the other) doesn't exactly help.

You have 5 jazz banjo players around?? I'm the only one in my neck of the woods so far, or maybe the whole China haha.

tremolo and sliding is what's so fun about the banjo, that's the exicitng part! It's actually easier on 4 string than on 6 string, almost happens naturally.

[Hep To The Jive]

Six-string banjos sound dark and muddy when used for Dixieland comping. Some players change the two lowest string to lighter gauge and an octave above = redundant. Contrary to OP's experience, tenor banjos can be played with Chicago tuning (guitar's top 4 strings). A 5-string banjo becomes plectrum if you leave the drone string out.

Edit: 5-string bluegrass banjos are the standard. 4-string tenors tuned in fifths like violin or mandolin have a role in e.g. Irish folk music, I believe. The plectrum banjo has a longer scale and a couple of bespoke tunings, but works fine with Chicago tuning. All this goes back to 1920s, when guitar began to replace banjo in jazz bands. 4-string tenor guitar helped banjoists in the transition, and 6-string banjo later helped guitarists when banjo sound was needed.

I don't claim to be an authority, so feel fee to correct me.

That's true in my experience.

[Hep To The Jive]

Contrary to OP's experience, tenor banjos can be played with Chicago tuning (guitar's top 4 strings).

Don't recomend it, the shorter neck of tenor is not made for that tuning, it will sound too dark and will be useless in the band setting.

A 5-string banjo becomes plectrum if you leave the drone string out.

true, but the neck will still have that widening in the middle, probably not good for slides and will need to get use to.

[Hep To The Jive]

I’ve played the 4 and 5-string plectrum banjos for many years. Checkout my web page where I discuss the difference between the tenor and plectrum, with a few videos to listen to as well:

Tenor and Plectrum Banjo | Rob MacKillop ~ Musician

good stuff there Rob. I need to start learning more voicings, right now I'm on building up the right hand chops mostly.

[Christian Miller]

I’ve been learning tenor banjo. It’s not that bad and I’m glad I took the leap.

Thing about plectrum is that I think you need to spend more money to get a good sound, whereas tenor has that punchy sound even for a relatively inexpensive instrument. Maybe not so much in China where everything is made!

Otoh I did have a brain freeze on a gig the other night and had to grab the guitar halfway through when I forgot how to play a song haha, so very much a WiP

Keeps old brain limber I suppose

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[Woody Sound]

For years I used a 5 string with the drone string and peg pulled off. Toward older age I got itchy for the real thing and splurged on an 80’s vintage Richelieu. It’s one of my favorite instruments, a real barker.

[stevo58]

Listen to Cynthia Sayer for state-of-the-art jazz plectrum.

Guitar banjo worked pretty well for Johnny St. Cyr. He was the banjo player in that trumpet player’s band - what was his name? Louis something.

If you use Chicago tuning, you lose all the close intervals you get with the b string. It’s a lot of what makes a plectrum a plectrum. Get the McNeil book (free download) and learn to play properly.

I’m primarily a tenor player, but I have a 1925 Weymann plectrum and it’s scads of fun.

[Tom Karol]

I briefly had both a Tenor (tuned C G D A) and a Plectrum which I first tuned Chicago style (D G B E) and later (and better) like an Irish Tenor (down to G D A E), but I couldn't bond with either of them. However, I love playing my Mandola (C G D A) and my Octave Mandolin (G D A E) - go figure!

[Hep To The Jive]

Listen to Cynthia Sayer for state-of-the-art jazz plectrum.


If you use Chicago tuning, you lose all the close intervals you get with the b string. It’s a lot of what makes a plectrum a plectrum. Get the McNeil book (free download) and learn to play properly.

I’m primarily a tenor player, but I have a 1925 Weymann plectrum and it’s scads of fun.

Cynthia Sayer is awesome, I've heard her!

Nah, I love the Chicago tuning on this one, it sounds good, and i don't mess with good. Now on the tenor it didn't work sound wise, that's true. The plectrum is great with it, and I don't really care about authenticity as long as I'm pleased with the sound.

[Hep To The Jive]

I’ve been learning tenor banjo. It’s not that bad and I’m glad I took the leap.

Thing about plectrum is that I think you need to spend more money to get a good sound, whereas tenor has that punchy sound even for a relatively inexpensive instrument. Maybe not so much in China where everything is made!

Otoh I did have a brain freeze on a gig the other night and had to grab the guitar halfway through when I forgot how to play a song haha, so very much a WiP

Keeps old brain limber I suppose

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Eh, I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with you about cheap tenor has a punchier sound than plectrum. Neither have it. It's in the construction, missing resonator ring etc.

I got somewhere with the tenor too, I played a few gigs, learned the tunes, I could get by. but like you said, brain freeze was happening and I didnt bring the guitar to those gigs haha. But most of all, I just didn't dig the sound, it was not inspiring to me. Dunno why, maybe that high pitched is not for me. I had a pro grade expensive one too, go figure.

I might be wrong, but the tenor I think excels in chord melody playing, more so than just basic triads accompaniment. And plectrum is good for simple things, I can even play a bit fake bluegrass rolls on it and it sounds great. On tenor not really.

[Christian Miller]

Eh, I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with you about cheap tenor has a punchier sound than plectrum. Neither have it. It's in the construction, missing resonator ring etc.

I got somewhere with the tenor too, I played a few gigs, learned the tunes, I could get by. but like you said, brain freeze was happening and I didnt bring the guitar to those gigs haha. But most of all, I just didn't dig the sound, it was not inspiring to me. Dunno why, maybe that high pitched is not for me. I had a pro grade expensive one too, go figure.

I might be wrong, but the tenor I think excels in chord melody playing, more so than just basic triads accompaniment. And plectrum is good for simple things, I can even play a bit fake bluegrass rolls on it and it sounds great. On tenor not really.

Interesting I have heard exactly the opposite although I do really enjoy doing CM arrangements on tenor

At least with the band I’m with 9/10ths of it is percussion - no drummer

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[GuyBoden]

I like tone of this Banjo, played by Rob:

Great stuff.

[Rob MacKillop]

Ah, more evidence of my misspent adulthood! It was fun, though

[olejason]

I mainly play 5-string clawhammer but I use Chicago tuning on my tenor, it works fine for the jams I go to. No issues with it being too dark or not cutting but I'm not competing with brass or drums usually. I've always wanted a plectrum but just haven't run across the right one yet.

[Gitterbug]

I did a quick scan of the market. Serious plectrum banjos with a cast brass/bronze/steel tone ring have almost disappeared. Why and where?

15 years ago when I was hunting for one, there were several well-stocked US vendors offering many vintage and more recent samples: Mandolin Brothers, Intermountain Guitar & Banjo, Matt Umanov, Elderly and others I can't remember offhand. Glorious brands: Gibson, Epiphone, Bacon&Day, Paramount, Orpheum, Vega...

About a decade ago the word was that aging German collectors or their estates were liquidating, and banjo prices would sink. There even was a major annual fair in Germany, with loads of banjos changing hands. Why do I find next to nothing now?

Elderly is still in business but I don't think they have a single PB in stock. Sture Svarén, a Swedish specialist, has one unnamed PB among his current inventory of 63 banjos. Gold Tone, a current manufacturer with a reasonable price range, only has a Cripple Creek PB version, with a rolled brass tone ring. They used to have a model with cast ring; if you stumble on one, grab it!

Hmm... maybe I should part with my Fender Artist. Won't take it to the grave anyway.

[Rob MacKillop]

Don’t overlook Bernunzio’s:

Bernunzio Uptown Music

and their collection of archtop guitars:

Bernunzio Uptown Music

[Gitterbug]

Thanks! Bernunzio was the name I had forgotten. Glad they still trade. They even have the Gold Tone PB I referred to. Twice the original price IIRC.

[Cavalier]

Ancient tenor for me, Irish tuning with a bigger G. Primarily finger picked so glad to see that clip of Rob.