String recommendation
Chris
instrument on eBay and want to resume clawhammer playing. "Way back
when," I would buy whatever strings I could find in music stores in
rural northern New Hampshire. When I look at eBay today, there are
innumerable brands of strings. I'm at a loss to know what to try for
strings. I feel like Rip Van Winkle.
In the old days I played the heaviest gauge strings I could find and
hated the "spongy" feel of light gauge strings. I always left my
banjos at concert pitch tension and am probably lucky I never warped a
neck in the process.
My style is Round Peak. I've never played gut or nylon strings. I
would guess I have a fairly heavy right-hand attack.
If anything can be divined from the above, I'd be grateful for medium
gauge string recommendations (maker), or advice if a gauge or material
change might be an improvement.
Twibil
>
>
> After a twenty-five-year absence from banjo playing, I've bought an
> instrument on eBay and want to resume clawhammer playing. "Way back
> when," I would buy whatever strings I could find in music stores in
> rural northern New Hampshire. When I look at eBay today, there are
> innumerable brands of strings. I'm at a loss to know what to try for
> strings.
You might try starting out with a set of GHS PF-150's; my favorite
clawhammer string.
With an .010 1st & 5th and a bronze-wound 4th they are neither light
nor heavy, last well, deliver a nice bright tone, and are stiff enough
to provide that nice bouncy right hand feeling.
Should they be too light for you I'd recommend moving up just a bit at
a time, as heavier strings can cause neck problems even on high
quality instruments.
> I feel like Rip Van Winkle.
There's a song about that:
Well if ya wanna hear a story, and I think that you ort
It all happened back in the State of New York
In the Catskill Mountains Van Winkle laid down
And he slept 20 years on the cold cold ground.
Well, the way that it happened, Van Winkle got drunk
And when he got drunk he really drunk up a hunk
He drank red wine, whisky, corn brew and lager beer
And he slept off his hangover for 20 long years
Well, when he woke up he looked all around
He saw his old dog's bones there on the ground
His rifle all rusty and the ramrod gone
And he got up and shook himself and pulled for home.
Well, when he got back to his little old home
His wife she had died and his children all gone
He shook his grey head when he heard the news
He said "For 20 long years I've had the sleepin' blues!"
Well, if ya wanna hear a story, and I think that ya ort
It all happened back in the State of New York
In the Catskill Mountains Van Winkle laid down
And he slept 20 years on the coooooold, cooooooold, groooooound!
~Pete
Bob White
> instrument on eBay and want to resume clawhammer playing. "Way back
> when," I would buy whatever strings I could find in music stores in
> rural northern New Hampshire. When I look at eBay today, there are
> innumerable brands of strings. I'm at a loss to know what to try for
> strings.
>>You might try starting out with a set of GHS PF-150's; my favorite
>>clawhammer string.
>>With an .010 1st & 5th and a bronze-wound 4th they are neither light
>>nor heavy, last well, deliver a nice bright tone, and are stiff enough
>>to provide that nice bouncy right hand feeling.
>>Should they be too light for you I'd recommend moving up just a bit at
>>a time, as heavier strings can cause neck problems even on high
>>quality instruments.
I prefer the nickle plated steel wound 4th stirng, so my favorite strings
are the GHS PF-130's, otherwise the same as the PF-150's - inexpensive and
reliable. I tried a stainless steel set and they hurt my fingers.
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