Nylon/Gut string question

[5string]

I've been thinking about stringing a banjo with nylon strings --- I play
primarily clawhammer style. As much as I like the sound I hear when others
play nylon (or gut) strings, I am not sure if I want to do major surgury on
my banjo and then find out I don't like the sound. Are the following some
of the things that I would need to do to convert from steel strings to nylon
strings.

1) File the nut, pip, and/or bridge; and
2) Adjust the action over the neck.;

Also,

3) Can 5-Star geared tuners and a No-knot tailpiece be used for nylon
strings?
4) Or, would I just be better off trying to find an old "beater" banjo to
experiment on?

Finally,

5) If I do go ahead and convert to nylon, is there a brand and/or thickness
(i.e., heavy, med., light) of strings that you'd recommend?

Any advice?

Thanks in advance.

Rick

[Banjowine]

I have found that the Chris Sands nylon strings from Elderly for $8.00
each are the best nylon strings for the money. They come in three
guages (light,medium and heavy). I mainly use the medium gauge. I
have re-strung several different banjos with nylon strings and if I
use strings no heavier than the medium guage I have not had to fiddle
with either the bridge or the nut.

Hope this helps.

Hal

[Banjo]

The Nylgut strings seem to last a very long
time. I have had them on for over a year and
they show no signs of wear. They seem to be
closer to the gut feel than the nylon strings
which were on the banjo before.

I also had a surprisingly easy time knotting
them at the tailpiece. Sometimes the nylon
strings can be a real pain to knot so that
they stay put. The Nylgut seems to be a bit
less slick than the nylon.

All of my Nylgut strings are unwound. I really
like the feel of the unwound fourth string, and
there are no squeaky noises when I slide
up the 4th string.

I based my Nylgut gauges on a set of
real gut strings that was recommended by
Bob Thornburg a while back. The gut
strings that he sold me were very nice,
but my sharp fingernails cut through
them in short order, so I tried the
Nylgut to see if they would last a
bit longer. If you want to try real
gut, Bob is a great guy to do business
with, and he can tell you what sizes
to order. Go here for info:

<http://www.gourdbanjo.com/GBhtml/intro.html>

The gut sizes are in mm below, and the
Nylgut equivalents are the NG numbers.

Here are the gauges I ordered:

1st 0.45mm 46NG
2nd 0.525mm 52NG
3rd 0.675mm 68NG
4th 0.90mm 91NG
5th 0.55mm 54NG

However, you should keep in mind that my banjo
is a small banjo with a 24 inch scale. It is
tuned to A. So you might want to look into
slightly different gauges for a full size
banjo.

This is the only set I have tried because
they work great, and they have not broken.

Somebody told me recently that Aquila now
has a 5 string banjo set. Maybe you
could give them a call. Sometimes the web
sites are a bit out of date.

.... and don't forget........ these
strings stretch and stretch and stretch....

But once you have them stretched out, they
are very nice.

YMMV

Brian K.

[5string]

Sorry I didn't get back to everyone quicker concerning my question about
switching over to gut/nylon strings, but I've just finished mid-terms
(fortunately, correcting -- not taking them). I appreciate everyone's
advice and/or comments regarding nylon/gut strings.

Rick
Rochester NY

"Banjo" <briank...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
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