Hey Mike! Welcome to the world of 6 string (low bass) banjos! I wrote up a blogpost a few years ago about how I use the 6th string that you may find helpful:

http://www.jeffnormanbanjo.com/weekly-banjo-blog/5-things-you-can-do-with-a-6-string-banjo

As for tunings, I employ standard 5 string tunings with the new 5th (low bass) string tuned one octave below the 3rd string. So open G would become gGDGBD, G modal would become gGDGCD, double C would become gGCGCD, and open C would become gGCGCE (capo to A and D tunings accordingly...).

Following this "octave below the 3rd string" rule is a good starting point for any weirder tunings as well.

Good luck and post some audio once you've got a 6 string in your hands!

Jeff,

Thanks for the info. I like your approach and will work with it.

My assumption is that the low string should be a 1 or 5 since the 3 would not be as flexible or as sympathetic as a drone.

I’m going to explore a few other tunings and hope the overall sound is not lame. ;-)

I just got my Pisgah 12” 5+1 banjo yesterday, so here are a few initial impressions.

This banjo has a walnut rim and neck, brass fittings, Dobson ring and a REN head. The paddle headstock has five tuners on it, one in the middle, and the +1 strings is a 30 best I can tell. The neck is wider to accommodate the extra string and I needed to use a guitar capo as a result.

Basically, a 5+1 is a different instrument, comparable to a mandolin vs mandola or piano vs an organ. They seem similar but when compared to each other are very different.

I spoke with a friend of mine who acquired one of Sonny’s Vega six strings and he told me that I should consider it a baritone banjo because the bass string has an overwhelming effect on harmonics and the width of the fingerboard requires a new technique. He also pointed out that as a result of the differences, a lot of casual users of his banjo don’t like it very much.

I have a similar 12” Dobson tone ring Pisgah banjo which has a maple neck. It has a lot of overtones which are tempered by stuffing the back of the head and is very focused when the overtones calm down. On the other hand, the 5+1 has far more overtones and is less focused in spite of my efforts. It is not terrible in any sense, just not what I expected when I got it.

The differences are many but boil down to the inherent overtone profile and technical differences in how it is played. In my brief experience the sound enhances modal tunings and tunes, is not as good at playing focused notes (due to the overtones) and requires a different mindset to play accurately.

This is a preliminary assessment, of course, and I don’t have enough experience with it to parse out all the differences and how it is better (or worse, for that matter) than my primary instrument. I still have to figure out how to tune the +1 string - I tend to hit it when I play the fifth string and it adds to the organ like sound) and I need to deal with the sustain that a specific note the +1 seems to add in some tunings.

There is no question that I have a well made and well designed instrument. It is a new experience and my mindset has to get away from my standard five string expectations. I suspect that after I work with it and consult others that I play with that I can figure out how to maximize the benefits of a +1 string.

More to come.

My 5+1

Thanks for the update! I hope you can post a video of it soon!

Jim