Strings

Nylon

Nylon strung Thumpy banjos are typically strung with extra-hard tension nylon strings made for classical guitars. The D’Addario Pro-Arte Extra Hard Tension strings are just great. For a brighter sound consider Hannabach strings. For a lighter feel or longer scale lengths, D’Addario Pro-Arte Hard Tension, Normal Tension, or Light Tension strings may be good options. For an extra-light feel, LaBella 17 Classic Nylon strings may be another good option.

I use different strings for different scale lengths. The shorter the scale length, the heavier the string. The ones I have listed below are for Extra Hard tension strings. Those are fine for a 22-1/4 scale length. But I find them to be too stiff for anything much longer than that. They are VERY thumpy. I think the D’Addario Pro Arte Normal Tension strings might be better for a 23-1/2 scale length. If those turned out to be too floppy in G, maybe try hard tension strings.

Individual strings can be ordered from Southwest Strings in a wide variety of gauges.

Here are the gauges for D’Addario Extra-hard Tension strings starting with the string nearest to the floor

  1. .0290 – This is the high E from a Pro Arte set – clear nylon
  2. .0333 – This is the B from a Pro Arte set – clear nylon
  3. .0416 – This is the G from a Pro Arte set – clear nylon
  4. .030 – This is the D from the Pro Arte set – silver plated
  5. .0290 – This the high E from the Pro Arte set – clear nylon

Steel

I’m currently using mostly La Bella Country Western & Bluegrass, light ball-end strings. 730PL-BE. I use ball-end because most of my steel strung banjos string through the rim. Here are the string gauges starting from the string nearest to the floor:

  • .010
  • .012
  • .016
  • .024 wound
  • .010