Deering Solana 6 string banjo?
 

Anyone had a chance to play one of these? I like the idea of nylon strings and online videos sound good.

Todd

Yes. It was a pretty thunky, dead sounding instrument in my hands. The lack of a drone note was evident and made it sound even less like a banjo.

But there are great players like Michael Miles who do wonders with nylon strung banjos:

I have one! It's basically a nylon string guitar with an open back banjo body.
I like it very much and will use it in a recording someday.
https://vimeo.com/167512247

Todd, I've played one and liked it a lot. And with respect, ukejon, criticizing a guitar-banjo for lacking a high 5th string drone is like criticizing a five string banjo for not having the low notes that a guitar-banjo can get. Guitar-banjos are a valid musical instrument in their own right.

Full disclosure: I've owned and played a succession of guitar-banjos since around 1980, and have found a lot of different musical styles that they're good for. Personally, I feel that Greg Deering took what was a problematic banjo family instrument and figured out how to fix the intonation and tonal problems that had previously plagued it. I got a Deering B6 guitar-banjo in a trade in the late 1990's, and consider that to have been one of the most fortunate trades I've ever made.

Incidentally, I own and play a five string banjo, too, as well as a pony five string banjo and a mandolin-banjo. They're all "real banjos," just different from what comes to mind for most people when the word "banjo" gets mentioned.

Anyway, Todd, the Deering Solana is a good instrument that does what it's supposed to do. It's definitely worth checking out.


Wade Hampton Miller

I did end up buying one, then I customized it a bit. Now I'm quite happy with it. I'll try to post up a better picture later. All I have right now is a picture of me with most of the banjo shown. Ignore my ugly mug and just look at the banjo.

I added a vintage banjo pick guard I found on EBay, and a wooden arm rest I already had. Since I mostly flat pick and strum, the pick guard helps keep my pinky off of the head and that annoying rubbing sound.

The Solana really does have a unique tone. It's not overly banjo like or guitar like. It's just kind of somewhere in the middle. So far, I'm really enjoying it.

Todd

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a4efc38805.jpg

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Please forgive this stupid question but on a 6 string banjo is the tuning and fretting the same as a guitar?

Yep, exactly the same.

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