A banjo guitar, also called a banjitar or ganjo, is a six-string instrument that uses the same tuning as a regular six-string guitar (E2-A2-D3-G3-B3-E4, from lowest to highest strings). This instrument is designed to help guitar players mimic the sound of a banjo without needing to learn the different tuning and finger techniques used on a standard five-string banjo.

The banjo guitar is different from the five-string banjo in the number of strings, the way it is played and tuned, and its slightly different sound. The first versions of six-string banjos were made in the late 19th century but were not popular. The idea was brought back again in the mid to late 20th century.

Banjo guitar players

Johnny St. Cyr was the first famous player of the six-string banjo. He played in Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven groups, with Jelly Roll Morton, and made his own recordings after World War II. Many musicians have played banjo guitars or instruments called guitjos, and one musician played a double-necked guitjo.