Thumpy banjos are typically strung with extra-hard tension nylon strings made for classical guitars. The D’Addario Pro-Arte strings are just great. For a brighter sound consider Hannabach strings.
Individual strings can be ordered from Southwest Strings in a wide variety of gauges.
Here are the gauges starting with the string nearest to the floor
- .0290 – This is the high E from a Pro Arte set – clear nylon
- .0333 – This is the B from a Pro Arte set – clear nylon
- .0416 – This is the G from a Pro Arte set – clear nylon
- .030 – This is the D from the Pro Arte set – silver plated
- .0290 – This the high E from the Pro Arte set – clear nylon