It is usually tuned and often played like the five-string banjo but there are some significant differences both when it comes to construction and to sound, so it deserves a page of its own here at Irish Banjo.

The zither banjo is said to have been invented by Alfred D. Cammeyer, an American living in England, in the 1880s. The claim has some value, although many of the details that makes this banjo so unique was developed by others before him.

What makes the zither banjo different is that it has a complete wooden body instead of the "pot" of a common banjo. It also usually has a smaller rim (typically 8-9 inches diameter while regular banjos usually are 11-12 inches) and is stringed with a comination of metal (1st, 2nd and 5th) and nylon/gut (3rd and 4th) strings . This gives it a much softer and mellower sound than other banjos. Another distinctive feature which is commonly, but not always, found on the zither banjo is that the short fifth string runs in a tunnel under the fretboard up to a tuning peg placed on the peghead with the tuning pegs for the other strings. Many zither banjos also have an extra tuning peg (apparently just to create balance in the look with three tuning pegs on each side of the peghead).
There were also six- and seven stringed zither banjos and even a tenor model, but the five-stringed zither banjo is by far the most common one.

This is the kind of instrument the early Irish banjo players like Margaret Barry and Pecker Dunne used and the zither banjo's characteristic tone forms an important part of their sound.

The zither banjo

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