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Hi guys from Bluegrass. What are the best strings for a 1987 Gibson banjo? Thank you
Except for the wound fourth, they are all pretty much the same. I tend to find the cheapest I can. I like bronze-wound fourths, and have found no huge differences in brands. Others will disagree, but that’s my take.
Banjo strings work great and as Bill said, they are all pretty much wire and there is no real significant difference. The wrap on the 4th is the largest difference and I find nickel lasts better in the humid south.
GHS strings sound cleaner and feel more responsive to me overall.
Been a GHS person for over 50 years. Usually the cheapest as well, if you shop around. Plus a large variety to choose from.
GHS PF 155 are my favorite
Note that you can make up your own sets if you prefer gauges different from those available in packaged sets.
La majorité des joueurs de banjo semblent choisir les cordes GHS. J'ai fourni un lien vers le site web de GHS. Bonne chance !
I do notice a slight difference with Thomastik-Infeld strings.
It might be all psychological when you pay 10x the price of GHS ( which are always good!!)
stringsbymail.com/thomastik-in...iEALw_wcB
As rogerjohansen mentione Thomastik-Infeld strings are class of its own. Fairly recently I have put ony tenor banjo (in irish tuning) set of Thomastik-Infeld Spectrum strings (0.13 set in 80/20 Bronze). And I was surprised by that 2. String plain in 0.17" is bronze coated and my 1. String is plain (tin or silver coated) wire. Wound strings appears to be silk and bronze with way more treads per inch compared to other string brands (and I have tried and tested many of them).
Only downside of T-I strings is price, they cost arm and leg, but they last very long.
Jack
My favorite strings are the Jens Kruger set sold by Deering Banjos, or the Sonny Osborne set. Both are 11, 12 13, 22, 11 and made by GHS. The Jens Kruger set has a nickel wound 4th instead of a bronze wound 4th in the Sonny Osborne set.
Strings are cheap compared to what a quality banjo cost, buy what sounds best to you on your banjo.
I prefer the GHS J.D. CROWE SIGNATURE - Stage, Medium Light PF 135s. Clear, clean.
There is no best.
If this discussion goes on long enough, just about every string made will be mentioned.
Tongue-in-cheek Ken, maybe this could [should?] be approached from t'other end ..... start with the worst and see what's left standing at the end. 
I have always felt that strings that sound good on one banjo may not sound good on another. I use three different types of strings on my five-string banjos. Find what sounds best on your banjo and use it.
For years, I used D'Addario light-gauge strings. Then I tried using strings of a different gauge and found I liked them better. D'Addario doesn't make a set in that gauge, but GHS does, so I started using them. I don't see any difference in tone. I would still use D'Addario strings if they made a set in the gauge I prefer.
It would be my contention that the set of gauges in a set would have far more impact than differences between brands (especially for the plain steel wire that makes up 4/5 of the set).
Thank you kindly.
I'm curious to hear anyone's impressions of the "StringJoy" banjo strings and Roger Siminoff's "Straight Up" strings.
They're both on the pricer side compared to other "commodity" brands..........anyone, anyone ?
GHS are the best sounding in my opinion
Does anyone still use AMB Cryo strings? 15 or so years ago they were all the rage here.
Thank you to everyone for participating in this question. I'm starting to get an idea that you have to try several types of games to find the right simple c. Thank you again ??
I use slightly heavier strings than normal, but I play two finger technique on an openback. Bluegrass, which you seem to play, typically uses lighter strings (but not always).
For what it's worth, I normally use 10-12-14-22w-11, which is almost the same as GHS PF150. I have some PF170 sets that I need to find a new home for.
GHS all day long. For some reason they stay in tune longer than many others I've tried, and their cryo strings seem to be the best of the bunch and easier on the fingers as well. I've used their mediums, almost mediums and others. All worked well. YMMV (but I doubt it).
quote:
Originally posted by Dean TDoes anyone still use AMB Cryo strings? 15 or so years ago they were all the rage here.
I still do on occasion. I like that I can have customized heavier gauge sets (from their single string offerings) made for me when I want to string a banjo ala 'John Hartford' style, but without the wound 3rd string that John preferred.
I looked to see if AMB still had the “build your own set” option, and they still do.
quote:
Originally posted by banjoT1I'm curious to hear anyone's impressions of the "StringJoy" banjo strings and Roger Siminoff's "Straight Up" strings.
They're both on the pricer side compared to other "commodity" brands..........anyone, anyone ?
I use Stringjoy strings and love them. For me, they stay bright much longer than the GHS strings that I was using. I became a dealer for these and have set up several other people's banjos with them. Everyone reports that they are great with a couple of "changed my life" comments. I visited their facility in Nashville last year and they are winding strings in-house and employ dozens of local workers.
The Bluegrass weight guitar strings are also very popular.
S.I.T. Cause they're made in America....
....and I have a buddy who works there and gets me a deal on bulk.
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