darylcrisp - Posted - 12/12/2012:  20:18:44

say if i want to setup a banjo just for nylgut or nylon string use, are there certain things that go best with those string sets, such as:

tone ring-is there a certain one preferred

bridge weight or thickness,

what about scale length-do shortscale(23-24") work well with nylon?

totally naive to this so fill me in please.

many thanks

d

Bill H - Posted - 12/13/2012:  03:35:54

I have limited experience with nylon strings. I have installed them on two of my banjos.

The first was on my Vegaphone Artist and I hated them. The banjo sounded dead to me and seemed hard to play.

Next I put nylon strings on my 1890's Bay State banjo and was amazed at the result. The banjo has a metal clad pot with a Renaissance head. The tone is so much brighter with more volume than metal strings ever had. The bass tones are clear and the tone remains clear and bright up the neck on all of the strings. It did take a little gettting used to to play on them. The nylon strings can seem a bit slippery.

I definitely think that the bridge can have a great impact on the tone and volume, so you may want to experiment a bit there. I tend to like the sound when I play a bit closer to the bridge.

Check out the archives. You'll find lots of posts about nylon strings and banjo set up.

Best wishes.

jduke - Posted - 12/13/2012:  06:32:02

I've been using nylon strings for most of my 30 years of banjo playing.  While I have developed some conclusions about set-up and choice of accessories, it still comes down to the banjo.  Some banjos just seem to sound better with nylon strings and others with steel strings.  Any  more (when I get a new banjo) , I try it both ways and let the banjo itself choose.

When using nylon or Nylgut  strings, I prefer a Renaissance head , but with metal strings I like a Fiberskyn head.  Most of my nylon strung  banjos have had some type of tone ring, whether it be a simple spun-over or a Whyte-Laydie.  The Tubaphones I have had all ended up with metal strings.

With nylon and metal both, I like a No-knot tailpiece, but if are using nylon you have to be careful to de-burr some of the less expensive reproductions.  Like many of us who tinker with our banjos and the set-up, I have a big pile of bridges I try until I find one I like.  In most cases, I think I generally end up with some heaver bridges than the typical bluegrass player would like.  I also make some of my own bridges out of Osage Orange, which I like.

And finally, as I said, I usually try it both ways before making any  declension, but I don't fell it is necessary to widen the nut and bridge slots until I ultimately decide that I'm making the change.

These are some of my generalizations, but we each hear differently and each banjo sounds differently, so I'm not really sure how reliable any generalization could be.

Jeff

mbanza - Posted - 12/13/2012:  06:57:29

I put nylon (0.022, 0.027, 0.032, 0.024w, 0.022) onto an 11 13/16" x 24" Tubaphone, Fiberskyn head, after having had metal strings on it for decades.  Each string develops about nine pounds tension and the bridge is very light weight.  I liked the results so well that I strung my other banjo that way as well.  Contrary to what many expected, these banjos will hold their own in jams.

darylcrisp - Posted - 12/13/2012:  10:17:09

thanks for all that info guyz. really sage advice for what i have in mind. i will definitely try the nylon out. its on my jason burns walnut shortscale which is a tubaphone and has a goatskin head-it will be interesting and worthwhile to see how it sounds and feels.

d

Bart Veerman - Posted - 12/13/2012:  11:02:54

Bridges: they should be on the thin side and string slotting is critical - the slots need to have rounded bottoms, V cut notches are not acceptable. Make sure you tell your bridge maker exactly what string gauges you use, there are tons of variations, so they can cut the slots accordingly.

Short scale: no problem - think of ukuleles, balalaikas etc., they sure sound awfully sweet despite their short scale length.

Nylons aren't near as loud as steels and need all the help they can get so forget about fyberskin heads.

Good luck and let us know how you make out,

Bart.

trapdoor2 - Posted - 12/13/2012:  14:25:58

quote:

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Originally posted by Bart Veerman



Nylons aren't near as loud as steels and need all the help they can get so forget about fyberskin heads.

 

---

Gee, Bart, I especially like that combination (Fiberskyn and Nylgut) on my Flesher Cotillion. I have no trouble being heard in our jams. Most of my nylgut strung banjos are mounted with calfskin though.

I do agree that cutting the bridge slots is critical as well as bridge weight/config. I prefer them to be thin and very light. Reproductions of the S.S. Stewart style two-footed bridge in maple are my favorites for nylon/nylgut.

I have nylgut/nylon on banjos from piccolo (15" scale) to cello (29" scale). Scale length means very little. The Cello-banjo needs considerably thicker strings but I use standard "classic" nylgut sets on everything from regular (26" scale) down to piccolo.

I prefer nylgut for fingerstyle. For clawhammer, I prefer Chris Sands "heavy" sets; they're stiffer and feel better under my RH picking finger to me.

In the end, you're just going to have to experiment. You won't really know until you do so...'cause we're all different.

 

 

Bufo Bill - Posted - 12/13/2012:  15:09:24

I've linked this to the Polymer Strings Group Page, where there are links to many topics relevant to the discussion.

All the best from Bill. :D