Best 6-String Banjo Guitars, Banjitars, and Guitjos

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Looking for the best 6-string banjo guitars? Want a unique and interesting instrument to play?

While the banjo guitar is not as popular as some other instruments out there, it offers an interesting sound that just can’t be beaten. The instrument features the beautiful and unique sound of a banjo along with the playability of a guitar.

If you’re a guitar player looking to make a switch, the banjitar is a great instrument to play. You’ll be able to use your guitar skills when playing the instrument while getting the twangy vibrancy of a real banjo. This can offer you a lot of new instrumentation possibilities both on-stage and in the studio.

While this banjo hybrid instrument isn’t as easy to find as a typical guitar or banjo, there are still a lot of good offerings on the market. Below we’ll give you our picks of the very best 6-string banjo guitars, banjitars, and guitjos on the market today.

Best 6-String Banjo Guitars and Banjitars – Quick View

ImageModelSummaryPrice
Deering Boston 6-String Acoustic-Electric BanjoDeering Boston B6 6-String Acoustic-Electric Banjo GuitarA very high-quality banjitar that was built with care and has all of the bells and whistles you're likely to need.

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Gold Tone GT-500 Banjitar Banjo (Six String)Gold Tone GT-500 A great acoustic-electric banjitar that offers everything that most players will need at a mid-range price.

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Gold Tone CC-Banjitar Cripple Creek Banjo (Six String, Vintage Brown)Gold Tone CC Cripple Creek BanjitarA heavy, well-built banjo-style guitar that offers a great tone and all of the features a player is likely to need.

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6 String Banjo Guitar with Closed Back Resonator and 24 BracketsJameson 6 String Banjo Guitar With Closed Back ResonatorA budget-friendly banjitar that offers a good amount of value for the price you'll pay.

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What Is a Banjitar or Banjo Guitar?

While banjos traditionally have either 4 or 5 strings, there are many banjos being made today that feature a total of 6 strings. This banjo instrument goes by several names and could be called a 6-string banjo, a banjo guitar, or a banjitar.

Although these instruments aren’t incredibly common, they do seem to be rising in popularity as time goes by. The banjitar actually sounds like a banjo but can be tuned exactly like a guitar.

This means that players get the best of both worlds and will get the perfect mix of the banjo’s sound along with the guitar’s playability. The banjitar is a great 2nd instrument for guitar players to learn since they’ll be able to transfer their skills easily.

How Do You Play a Banjitar?

One of the selling points of the banjitar is that you’ll be able to play it exactly like you play the guitar. You can use the same chord shapes, play the same notes, and use the same techniques as you would when playing the guitar.

When comparing the 5 vs 6-string banjo, the 6-string banjo will be easier for guitarists to play. You’ll be able to make the guitar-to-banjo transition easily and can immediately access a new tone that will open up new musical possibilities. While learning a new instrument such as the banjo will be a lot trickier, learning the 6 string banjo will be incredibly simple and easy if you already have some experience playing the guitar.

Keep in mind that if you still want to get a classic banjo sound out of the banjitar, you can do that as well. With techniques such as fingerpicking and cross-picking, you can make the instrument sound very similar to a real banjo.

Top Banjitars and Guitjos – REVIEWED

So what is the best 6-string banjo for musicians? Here are our favorite options that are available today.

1. Gold Tone CC Cripple Creek Banjitar

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Best Guitar Banjo

The top choice on our list of the best 6-string banjo guitars is the Gold Tone Cripple Creek Banjitar. This is a very high-quality banjitar instrument that was built with care and has all the bells and whistles you’re likely to want from one of these special instruments.

This Gold Tone banjo offers a genuine banjo sound along with the tuning capabilities of a guitar. The Gold Tone CC Banjitar is simply a great guitjo instrument with plenty of features and a very acceptable price.

The banjitar has a really awesome natural mahogany look and players will love the playability of this banjo guitar. Players will likely be more than happy with the way this instrument feels.

A High-Quality Banjitar

This well-built banjo guitar is a little on the heavy side. However, this helps to give it a full, bright, and even tone. It’s also good to note that the banjo guitar offers great intonation. It sounds good straight out of the box and holds its tuning well.

This is an instrument by Gold Tone after all, and the company is known to make some high-quality instruments. Keep in mind that, for those who are interested, there’s also a left-handed version.

On the cons side, it should be mentioned that this is one of the more expensive 6-string banjo guitars on our list. It’s a bit more expensive than the other beginner options that are out there. However, the amount of quality and playability the instrument has and the amazing tone the instrument offers simply can’t be beaten.

Overall, the Gold Tone CC Banjitar is another well-built banjo-style guitar that offers a great tone and all of the features a player is likely to need.

2. Washburn Americana Series B6-A 6-string Open Back Banjo

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Washburn Americana Series B6-A 6-string Open Back Banjo

The Washburn Americana Series B6-A Banjitar is an instrument that really outshines the competition

Washburn is an amazing company that builds some of the finest professional bluegrass banjos in the world. It’s no surprise that they also outshine the competition when it comes to making great banjitars as well.

Overall, the Washburn B6-A is one of our favorite banjitar choices on the market and offers a lot for players that have the money to spend. It’s one of the best 6-string banjo guitars you’re likely to find.

3. Gold Tone GT500 Banjitar

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Best Banjitar

The next instrument on our list of the best 6-string banjo guitars is the Gold Tone GT-500, another high-quality instrument that comes in at a fairly reasonable price point. The instrument has a good mix of price and quality and is truly a well-built professional instrument.

This banjo guitar boasts a great traditional look due to the maple rim and resonator and the tone ring is made of steel. The instrument also has a maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard. The GT-500 guitjo provides a great amount of resonance along with some excellent sustain.

The banjo guitar is also acoustic-electric and features a Gold Tone SMP pick-up that greatly highlights the instrument’s bass notes and clear, crunchy trebles. You can easily plug in to get all of the additional resonance you need. Even with plenty of volume on this instrument, it doesn’t suffer from too much feedback and still sounds crystal clear.

A Beautiful Banjo Tone

We’re happy to say that this beautiful instrument has that warm banjo tone you would expect. This instrument also features great-sounding, crunchy highs. However, despite being a banjo instrument, this banjitar has some nice booming and resonant bass tones as well.

Another great thing about this banjo guitar is that it really holds its tuning well even when held in the case for some time.

While this isn’t the most “luxury” banjitar out there, it is the most well-rounded and offers plenty of value for the money you’ll spend.

Overall, the Gold Tone GT-500 is a great acoustic-electric banjitar that offers everything that most players will need at a mid-range price.

4. Jameson 6 String Banjo Guitar With Closed Back Resonator

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Best Budget Banjitar

If you’re looking for a high-quality banjo guitar but you’re on a budget, many of the above options might not be what you’re looking for. However, the Jameson 6 String Banjo Guitar With Closed Back Resonator is the cheapest option on our list. It’s a great budget option that won’t cost you too much to get a hold of.

The banjitar boasts a maple neck and a mahogany resonator along with diecast enclosed tuners and 24 brackets. The instrument has gorgeous wood grains and there’s also a maple bridge and a chrome-plated armrest.

A 6-String Banjitar That Offers a Great Value

As for the build, this Jameson banjo guitar features a stylish look and the tuners on this banjo guitar are also very nice. They have great accuracy and are higher in quality than you can find on a typical banjo. Keep in mind that this instrument works great using the standard guitar tuning but can also be great for other tunings as well.

This amazing guitjo has a great sound that has been influenced by its mahogany build and the instrument offers some very clear notes. The sound is a bit clearer than other banjitar options and each note sounds distinct.

The body of the banjo guitar also looks great due to its high-gloss finish. Believe it or not, this banjo also throws out plenty of volume and resonance. While the craftsmanship of this banjitar isn’t perfect, it offers a very nice amount of quality for the price paid.

One small issue with this banjitar, however, is that the string grooves aren’t quite a perfect fit. They leave a little bit to be desired to get them perfectly into position. The banjo guitar’s bridge is a bit on the cheap side and is a tad flimsy. Any serious player will likely want to install a better bridge if they want to get a great amount of use out of it.

Overall, however, the Jameson 6 String Banjo Guitar makes for a pretty good choice that gives you a lot of value for the price you’ll pay. If you’re for a budget-friendly banjitar, you can’t do much better than this.

5. Stagg BJM30 G 6-String Deluxe Bluegrass Banjo

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Stagg BJM30 G 6-String Deluxe Bluegrass Banjo

The Stagg BJM30 6-String Banjo is another option to consider and offers great value for the price you’ll pay for it.

When buying this instrument, you’ll get an authentic banjo tone and look. The banjo instrument features a nicely made resonator body made of mahogany, a nickel-plated brass tailpiece, a maple and ebony bridge, and a rosewood fingerboard.

This is an impressive-looking banjo instrument and owners believe that it plays well for the price. The banjo plays like a guitar but feels and sounds like a banjo. It’s a great instrument to use if you’re interested in getting started with the banjo.

Although it’s not the highest quality 6-string banjo option that’s currently available, it provides great value. The price is very reasonable. The quality is also suitable for the amount of money you’ll pay to get your hands on it.

6. Costzon 6-String Full-Size Banjo

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Costzon 6-String Full Size Banjo

The Costzon 6-String Full-Size Banjo is another instrument option that you might want to consider if you’re a complete beginner. This is a cheap 6-string banjo for beginners that offers a great amount of value for the price.

While it’s not exactly high-quality compared to the other options on this list, most beginners will be more than pleased with the playability and tone of this instrument. Beginners likely won’t notice a difference when comparing it to a more expensive banjitar.

This starter 6-string banjo has a premium Remo drumhead, decent tuners, and an open-back design. On top of this, you’ll get a complete package of beginner banjitar accessories. This includes a tuner, gig bag, banjitar strap, and more.

Whether you’re a beginner to the 6-string banjo or you’re an experienced musician that simply wants an instrument to mess around with, you might want to consider buying this Costzon banjitar.

7. Ortega Guitars Raven Series 6-String Acoustic-Electric Banjo

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Ortega Guitars Raven Series 6-String Acoustic-Electric Banjo

The Ortega Raven Series 6-String Banjo is an acoustic-electric instrument, so you’ll be able to plug it in while playing and get some extra volume. The pickup offers the instrument a lot of resonance without any fear of feedback. The pickup helps get the instrument’s acoustic sound across in a very clear way.

If you’re looking for a great 6-string electric banjo, you’ll be happy to discover that this instrument still sounds very much like a banjo when plugged in.

Choosing the Perfect 6-String Banjo to Buy

The banjitar is a unique instrument that is sure to turn a few heads when you’re playing it. If you’re looking for the absolute best 6-string banjo guitars on the market, the above list will tell you everything you need to know. Consider one of the above options if you want to make sure you have a great instrument in your hands that feels simply amazing to play.

Looking for a banjo ukulele instead? Check out our list of the best banjo ukuleles to get started.