Hi! This is my first post!
I started playing banjo in November and last week, I attended my local bluegrass festival here in little Norway. I got to talking with this Dutch mandolinist and asked him about the rubber rings behind his bridge. Apparently, they were string gromets. Made to reduce noise. Any one here use them for banjo? Will it be useful for banjo or just ruin the "ring"? If this is something that could work please let me know!
-Mathias
Some people weave a piece of leather strip in and out through the strings behind the bridge.
Particularly with 'no-knot' tailpieces, a strip of leather is helpful between the bridge and tailpiece. It kills some unwanted tones. I haven't had that issue with longer tailpieces like a presto or kershner.
It won't have a negative impact, but the positive impact may be negligible. Try for yourself and see if it makes a noticeable difference. Mandolins tend to have a (relatively) long length of freely vibrating string behind the bridge, so they are prone to unwanted sympathetic resonance.
A piece of rawhide boot lacing is the low cost way to try the idea (for your No Knot tailpiece). Typically banjos don't need anything like this. Mandolins (and violins) often need something to dampen overtone from the bridge back to the tailpiece.
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