The guitjo or banjitar is a six-string banjo with the neck of a guitar. It is tuned like a guitar and can be played by guitarists who desire the sound of a banjo. It was popular in the jazz and swing music of the 1920s. Old 6-string zither banjo For other uses, see Banjo (disambiguation) The banjo is a stringed instrument of African American origin, early or original examples sometimes being called the gourd banjo. Its name is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans. ... Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during the 1920s and solidified as a distinctive style during the 1930s in the United States. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Social issues of the 1920s. ...
12-string banjos are also made by the Deering Banjo Company.[1]
Most of these use the body of a banjo, often with a resonator, and the neck of the other instrument.
Examples include the guitar banjo, 'banjitar' or guitjo, the banjo mandolin and the banjo ukulele or banjolele.
Instruments using the five-string banjo neck on a wooden body (for example, that of a bouzouki or resonator guitar) have also been made, though these are not so common.