Banjo Sound (Zoom G3Xn) ?

Strumit

I would like to try a banjo sound from my strat copy via my Zoom effects pedal. ( I know- I'm barmy - see my username!).  Any suggestions or should I just get a banjo!

Musical_Mystery_Tour

Depends on what you are after. Is it just a whim? for one recording? or are you after doing that stuff a lot? If it's more than a whim, get a banjo, if it's just a bit of fun, either go with the pedal sound or maybe get a cheap banjo off ebay

As you may know, there are many different types of banjo, although the main types you'll come across most commonly are the four-string 'tenor banjo', the five string 'G banjo' and the six-string 'banjo guitar', and of those...

The four string is typically played with a plectrum (although there is of course nothing stopping you from doing otherwise). Tunings vary, but for guitarists, a common tuning on tenor banjos is to just do it the same as the top four on a guitar, which is known as Chicago Tuning, so it's a comparatively easy transition for guitrists if you tune it that way.

The five string has a number of tunings, but the gist of it is that the shorter 'G string' (which can be tuned to other notes) is used as a drone, then the rest of the strings are played with either a rollling percussive strum, or picked (but again, play it how you like).

The six string 'guitar banjo', can be tuned a lot of ways, but the obvious one is to tune it exactly like a guitar and then it's an flawless transition for a guitarist. As with the other types, you can play it however you like, but to get the typical feel of a banjo rhythm, you'd probably want to do 'travis picking' on it, where your thumb is alternating two bass notes of a chord and your fingers are picking the treble strings in a 'one two and three-and-four' type of rhythm. Throwing a lot of pull offs and hammer-ons with your chords helps to get that sound and feel too.

Last but not least, there are two different types to be aware of - open back and closed back - open back banjos are more mellow and quieter, closed back banjos are louder and 'twangier' so they are better able to compete in a mix of instruments.

Personally, I have a closed back G banjo, and that's because I was interested in learning the typical style used for playing those and playing whilst also singing, which is not too hard to master if you play guitar with your fingers frequently, as I do. Most guitarists who are used to playing solo and accompanying themselves with some reasonably complex rhythms would not have too much of a problem mastering it. 

You might also consider the ten-string Puerto Rican Cuatro, which is fun to play and sounds like a cross between a twelve string and a mandolin, so it has a similar 'bluegrass' feel if you play it that way and it always garners a bit of interest when you pull it out on stage because most people don't know what the hell it is. I use one to do a cover of Copperhead Road when playing live. Here's me doing that. The bass drum is a Korg KR Mini on a footpedal switch:

 https://soundcloud.com/lradbury/copperhead-road

Strumit

Thanks for the in depth reply there.  I've seen a six string locally and thought that it would be an easier transition as I am getting on in years and old dog and new tricks etc!  I wondered if anyone had actually tried to emulate a banjo sound with an effects processor (just for a play around at a "duelling banjo" type track). Love the Youtube!

Musical_Mystery_Tour

If you go with the FX and manage to get a decent sound, what I'd try, is get a rhythm going with that, then put it on a looper pedal, then switch back to guitar sound and you'd have your 'duelling' set up going nicely. I bet that'd sound pretty cool. All you'd need then is a canoe, a bow and arrow and a river.

Back being serious, it occurs to me that a miked up resonator guitar would probably be another interesting instrument to try that sort of thing with. The Recording King one is fairly inexpensive and sounds good.

borntohang

Difficult to get FX to negatively alter the sustain on a standard multi-fx, so I'd try a rubber or foam mute under your strings at the bridge to really kill the sustain and then maybe a very, very short reverb to simulate the resonator. I think the G3 has an acoustic simulator but the sustain is going to be the main thing. 

Musical_Mystery_Tour

Cheap Cuatro if you wana try one.

ICBM

The real irony is that for most electric guitarists, "banjo" is more or less a form of insult, and none of them in their right minds would want a banjo sound...

... and yet, one of the most desirable electric guitar sounds is the Strat bridge & middle setting, which - if used in a similar way - is actually remarkably banjo-like, most obviously that classic 80s tone with a compressed clean sound. EQ it to take away the bottom-end and it will be in the right ballpark for tone.

So I would start with that, and maybe try something to physically mute the strings and kill the sustain as borntohang said.

EricTheWeary

Like with a lot of these things if you play the right notes your brain fills in the gaps. Playing banjo rolls on a clean, bright electric guitar sounds reasonably like a banjo. Although the converse (guitar licks on a banjo) oddly less so. 

Sassafras

A piece of stiff crumpled up  paper put under the strings near the bridge approximates a banjo sound.

Strumit

Just tried a rolled up piece of writing paper, next to the bridge on my strat copy, on a clean sound and it's a pretty good take off of a banjo (and can be recorded without a mic).  Time to play with a track!  Thanks to all for your helpful suggestions.  The cheap banjo that I saw locally was snapped up within a few hours. Doh!  (However, won't need it now!) May also try the foam rubber.  Where's my canoe and hunting knife?