$25 Drugstore "Student Guitar" becomes STEALTH BANJO

Step 3 Coming Unstrung

Yank those two strings out.

Toss that thick E string across the room like it was a G string.

Install the thin one on the thumb side where the thick one used to be. Repeat the knob-swinging operation in the reverse direction to tighten the string.

Tune it so the four low strings sound like a bugle call.
Fret the thickest (4th) string at the 5th fret. Tune the next thickest (3rd) string open to match the sound.
Fret the thickest (4th) string at the 9th fret. Tune the 2nd string open to match the sound.
Fret the thickest (4th) string at the 12th fret. Tune the next 1st string open to match the sound.

The 1st string looks lonely with an empty neck next to it where you pulled the skinny string from to move to the thumb side. Fret that 1st string at the 5th fret.
Tune the skinny (5th) thumb string you just moved to match that.

That's how Pythagoras and his angels intended instruments to be tuned. With strings that represent integer multiples of something.

A STEALTH BANJO HAS BEEN BORN!
Play it like a banjo! If you don't know how, just pretend, it's the same thing!
Experience Joy!

Comments

[cobbtothejay]

just made a "stealth banjo"!

[Yenuze]

That tuning part would be so much easier if you just said the tones