Posted by randyblair on Tuesday, November 13, 2007
For any of you who own or owned a Lotus banjo...any suggestions or recomendations for types of strings that sound good on it...also any modifications that you found helpful are welcomed. I really like the sound of this one and it plays pretty good too. the strings I have on it now are Gibson Lights and they are getting worn out.
Thanks
6 comments on “Strings For a Lotus Banjo?”
PaulKirby Says:
Monday, January 28, 2002 @12:51:30 AM
I Randy. I love D'Addario J-60s. Have just bought a few sets of J-60+ but haven't tried them yet.
PaulKirby Says:
Wednesday, November 14, 2007 @12:20:48 PM
and...I've had great luck ordering them at Janet Davis. P.S. Get a string-winder, too!
randyblair Says:
Wednesday, November 14, 2007 @5:30:59 PM
Thanks Paul
Are the J-60's a light string guage?
PaulKirby Says:
Tuesday, November 27, 2007 @2:34:03 PM
Hey Randy! Sorry I haven't been keeping up. Yes, the J-60s are lights, which you may know for yourself by now. Ciao!
DeanT Says:
Sunday, December 2, 2007 @12:11:11 PM
Hi Randy! I've had 3 aluminun pot banjos...including a Lotus! I've experimented with them a lot. I LOVE their light weight, which is why I have put a lot of time into getting mine to sound good. The mods I made to my Lotus were to install a geared 5th string tuner, a Fiberskin head, and a Lamson bridge and medium strings. It really sound GREAT when I passed it on to a new owner. My current aluminum pot banjo sounds even better than my Lotus did (after mods!). I'm addicted to the bright sound that even my $1500 banjo doesn't have. I installed a Remo Ebony drum (real drum) head on it and that made all the difference in the world! Other mods I made were new tailpiece, Lamson bridge, medium strings and duel co-rods. Since I made these mods one at a time, I can tell you the drum head was the major difference, the others being less significant. The Lamson bridge made the tone more balanced, and I went back to light strings (.10-.22) because they sounded better. Also...I have learned that the easiest mod to make on an aluminum pot banjo...is to simply put a piece of spongy foam between the co-rod and head, about half way between the bridge and neck. Just a small 3" square or so, just thick enough to hold itself in place. This dampens out some of the metalic overtones and leaves the sweet tones and volume in tact. I hope this gives you some ideas, and thanks for your comments on my Photo page! :)
randyblair Says:
Sunday, December 2, 2007 @12:35:25 PM
Thanks for the great ideas Dean...these aluminum pot banjos are fun to play and experiment with! Will certainly give your ideas a whirl!
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