Hi, just looking for some advice on banjo strings i'm not playing too long, Last night i changed my tenor banjo strings from Tom Cussen phosphor bronze strings to DADDARIO nickle wound strings,since Ive done this the sound coming from my clareen Celt is terrible compared to the older strings , Is this because of the poorer quality string or because of the string material,also roughly how often should strings be replaced.Thanks in advance for any replies.
recently I've switched from D'Addario to Newton Strings http://newtonestrings.com/
that I've bought from gentleman that sold me my previous banjo.
gauges are
012, 017, 028, 038
I must say that I really like sound of my banjo now.
you can always buy a set of string from Tom he has them on his website.
i reckon you've become accustomed to the mellower tone of old strings, and as the current set get all clogged up, you'll prob come to like them better. unfortunately, this is also when the tuning problems and intonation start to go wrong. . . .
i like d'addario best for regular playing, and spectrum bronze hands down for recording / sunday best. they're too expensive for day to day use. but it's all down to personal preference. it takes a bit of work to find the right gauge for the player too, but at least it's not the most expensive search to conduct.
Mix O'lydian; don't know where you are, but themusicroom.com will make up custom sets. they're not d'addario, but strings are very similar.
i currently have 40 30 20w 10 phosphor bronze strings. i'd prefer a bit heavier, but it's a compromise as the banjo i play has no truss rod and plays like a cheese grater with any weight on it...............
I use GHS Stainless Steel .036/.026/.018/.012. The type of plectrum you use also makes a significant difference to the tone. In a quiet setting I'd normally use a .60mm nylon, but when I require a bit of extra volume and sharpness I use a tortex .60mm. I've also tightened the head a fair bit so I get a brighter tone.
I use D'Addario J80 Octave Mandolin phosphor bronze (12,22,32,46) for both my OM and Bacon & Day Silver Bell. I haven't been motivated to look for anything better, as they sound fine for both instruments. Change them every three months, if I remember. (Note my name!)
Different banjos react differently to different strings. I haven't liked Phosphor Bronze on too many banjos, but a couple I've had sounded really incredible with them. My Ome reacts better to Nickel wound. My Orpheum and Paramount banjos seemed to prefer Stainless Steel, but the SS don't sound good on the Ome.
I tried both nickel and bronze NewTones on my Orpheum (thanks to a bet I won about baseball a few years back with JNE), but I hated them, and took them off within a day.
Other things can come in to play, too, like the gauges. I would say that if you had strings that you really liked on your banjo, try to find those strings again, and stick with it. (Nothing wrong with a little experimentation, of course).
Oh, and I buy bulk guitar strings from juststrings.com in the gauges that I like, so I try to change my strings about every 2 months, give or take. But I know people who go more like 2 years on a set of strings...
"Brass - An alloy of 80% copper and 20% zinc. Some manufacturers label their brass strings as brass, but most popular brands labelled as 80/20 Bronze are in fact brass. The marketing double-speak for this is that they are bronze with zinc substituted for tin. Quite bright and clangy they last well and are more corrosion resistant than bronze. To make matters more complex some brass wound strings are plated with Bronze."
D'Addario's 80/20 bronze are also described as brass, and they're meant to be bright in sound described on their website as "the original acoustic string alloy selected by John D'Addario Sr. and John D'Angelico in the 1930s. 80/20 Bronze strings are popular for recording due to their crisp, bold, and projecting tone and appeal to many traditionalists for their historical significance"
Peavey do 4 different sets of brass-wound strings: http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm/action/list/cat/203/item/115394/Acoustic.cfm
I don't suppose they are available loop-ended.The clam-shell type tailpiece on my tenor banjo takes both types of string, which is useful because I have bought so many strings over the years that I can usually put together a set.
The phosphor bronze wound ones that I have tried have a copper-coloured appearance.
The brass-wound ones that I've tried have a more "golden" colour. I prefer the sound of them on my particular instrument, but they do seem to blacken after quite a short time in use.
KK I always find that banjo strings seem to have a much shorter life span than strings on any other instrument.
For me they're unbearably bright for a week or two when they first go on. Then they have a good playable sound for about a month. Then they start to get progressively more dull until I can't stand them any more. That's about 10 weeks of playing.
I know a player who takes the strings off and gives them a clean to try and extend the life. I'm too lazy for that, and I always worry that one might snap with all the on-and-offing.
I have always prefered nickel and mostly used Ernie Ball 12, 16, 32, 42. I found Phos-bronze too mushy on my instrument. HOWEVER, I soon realised that I hated the tone if I changed an entire set in one go - it was just all too resonant. So I change the E & A first, play them in for a night and then change the other 2.
I've tried many different types of strings and then I tried chromes flat wound from: http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/dchflwoelsis.html.
and looked no further. It's a lovely warm sound, try it to believe it A 21,D 38,G 46.
As padre said; newtone are fantastic and do; bronze, Pbronze, stainless, nickel, ball end or loop end (nice and big at that) to your specification.
Minimum order 4 sets and you wait around 14 days for your order, you can also mix n match so you can try direct gauge and material comparisons with the minimum order ; )
Also their less than half the price of Clareen sets but newtone don't do the 0.19 wound Clareen provide in their short scale set , even numbers only.
banjo strings
banjo strings
Hi, just looking for some advice on banjo strings i'm not playing too long, Last night i changed my tenor banjo strings from Tom Cussen phosphor bronze strings to DADDARIO nickle wound strings,since Ive done this the sound coming from my clareen Celt is terrible compared to the older strings , Is this because of the poorer quality string or because of the string material,also roughly how often should strings be replaced.Thanks in advance for any replies.
# Posted on April 2nd 2009 by kk cats
Re: banjo strings
recently I've switched from D'Addario to Newton Strings http://newtonestrings.com/
that I've bought from gentleman that sold me my previous banjo.
gauges are
012, 017, 028, 038
I must say that I really like sound of my banjo now.
you can always buy a set of string from Tom he has them on his website.
# Posted on April 2nd 2009 by padre
Re: banjo strings
I've found that brass-wound strings give a nice sound - but they seem to be difficult to obtain as custom strings.
# Posted on April 2nd 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: banjo strings
i reckon you've become accustomed to the mellower tone of old strings, and as the current set get all clogged up, you'll prob come to like them better. unfortunately, this is also when the tuning problems and intonation start to go wrong. . . .
i like d'addario best for regular playing, and spectrum bronze hands down for recording / sunday best. they're too expensive for day to day use. but it's all down to personal preference. it takes a bit of work to find the right gauge for the player too, but at least it's not the most expensive search to conduct.
Mix O'lydian; don't know where you are, but themusicroom.com will make up custom sets. they're not d'addario, but strings are very similar.
i currently have 40 30 20w 10 phosphor bronze strings. i'd prefer a bit heavier, but it's a compromise as the banjo i play has no truss rod and plays like a cheese grater with any weight on it...............
# Posted on April 2nd 2009 by saltybrian
Re: banjo strings
I use GHS Stainless Steel .036/.026/.018/.012. The type of plectrum you use also makes a significant difference to the tone. In a quiet setting I'd normally use a .60mm nylon, but when I require a bit of extra volume and sharpness I use a tortex .60mm. I've also tightened the head a fair bit so I get a brighter tone.
# Posted on April 3rd 2009 by Tony O'Rourke
Re: banjo strings
I use D'Addario J80 Octave Mandolin phosphor bronze (12,22,32,46) for both my OM and Bacon & Day Silver Bell. I haven't been motivated to look for anything better, as they sound fine for both instruments. Change them every three months, if I remember. (Note my name!)
# Posted on April 3rd 2009 by oldstrings
Re: banjo strings
Different banjos react differently to different strings. I haven't liked Phosphor Bronze on too many banjos, but a couple I've had sounded really incredible with them. My Ome reacts better to Nickel wound. My Orpheum and Paramount banjos seemed to prefer Stainless Steel, but the SS don't sound good on the Ome.
I tried both nickel and bronze NewTones on my Orpheum (thanks to a bet I won about baseball a few years back with JNE), but I hated them, and took them off within a day.
Other things can come in to play, too, like the gauges. I would say that if you had strings that you really liked on your banjo, try to find those strings again, and stick with it. (Nothing wrong with a little experimentation, of course).
Oh, and I buy bulk guitar strings from juststrings.com in the gauges that I like, so I try to change my strings about every 2 months, give or take. But I know people who go more like 2 years on a set of strings...
# Posted on April 3rd 2009 by Reverend
Re: banjo strings
Saltybrian - thanks for the tip.
But I can already get phosphor bronze wound strings OK.
It's the brass wound ones that seem to be difficult to obtain.
# Posted on April 3rd 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: banjo strings
Hmm., brass eh - that's interesting - I have an unhealthy fascination for strings. Oh, here's some info on
http://www.stringbusters.com/stringfaqs.htm :
"Brass - An alloy of 80% copper and 20% zinc. Some manufacturers label their brass strings as brass, but most popular brands labelled as 80/20 Bronze are in fact brass. The marketing double-speak for this is that they are bronze with zinc substituted for tin. Quite bright and clangy they last well and are more corrosion resistant than bronze. To make matters more complex some brass wound strings are plated with Bronze."
D'Addario's 80/20 bronze are also described as brass, and they're meant to be bright in sound described on their website as "the original acoustic string alloy selected by John D'Addario Sr. and John D'Angelico in the 1930s. 80/20 Bronze strings are popular for recording due to their crisp, bold, and projecting tone and appeal to many traditionalists for their historical significance"
# Posted on April 3rd 2009 by RichardB
Re: banjo strings
Peavey do 4 different sets of brass-wound strings: http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm/action/list/cat/203/item/115394/Acoustic.cfm
I don't suppose they are available loop-ended.The clam-shell type tailpiece on my tenor banjo takes both types of string, which is useful because I have bought so many strings over the years that I can usually put together a set.
# Posted on April 3rd 2009 by RichardB
Re: banjo strings
Thanks, RichardB.
The phosphor bronze wound ones that I have tried have a copper-coloured appearance.
The brass-wound ones that I've tried have a more "golden" colour. I prefer the sound of them on my particular instrument, but they do seem to blacken after quite a short time in use.
# Posted on April 3rd 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: banjo strings
I'm wondering if the original poster may have inadvertantly used "tenor" banjo strings designed for CGDA tuning rather than a heavier gauge for GDAE.
# Posted on April 3rd 2009 by Steve L
Re: banjo strings
KK I always find that banjo strings seem to have a much shorter life span than strings on any other instrument.
For me they're unbearably bright for a week or two when they first go on. Then they have a good playable sound for about a month. Then they start to get progressively more dull until I can't stand them any more. That's about 10 weeks of playing.
I know a player who takes the strings off and gives them a clean to try and extend the life. I'm too lazy for that, and I always worry that one might snap with all the on-and-offing.
Andy Perkins http://www.andybanjo.com/ does good cheap strings in the UK.
# Posted on April 3rd 2009 by d0tter
Re: banjo strings
I have always prefered nickel and mostly used Ernie Ball 12, 16, 32, 42. I found Phos-bronze too mushy on my instrument. HOWEVER, I soon realised that I hated the tone if I changed an entire set in one go - it was just all too resonant. So I change the E & A first, play them in for a night and then change the other 2.
# Posted on April 3rd 2009 by gone
Re: banjo strings
I've tried many different types of strings and then I tried chromes flat wound from: http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/dchflwoelsis.html.
and looked no further. It's a lovely warm sound, try it to believe it A 21,D 38,G 46.
# Posted on April 4th 2009 by Sandy Holdom
Re: banjo strings
As padre said; newtone are fantastic and do; bronze, Pbronze, stainless, nickel, ball end or loop end (nice and big at that) to your specification.
Minimum order 4 sets and you wait around 14 days for your order, you can also mix n match so you can try direct gauge and material comparisons with the minimum order ; )
Also their less than half the price of Clareen sets but newtone don't do the 0.19 wound Clareen provide in their short scale set , even numbers only.
# Posted on April 12th 2009 by Solidmahog