Millions,
I’ve got this grungy, generation-old Harmony banjo. I love the thing. Problem is, it’s had the same strings on it for ages, since I got it as a gift a year ago actually. Sad? Yes. But it’s true. Anyway, I was going to re-up, get some fancy new strings & was wondering if any banjo players out there were willing to go to bat for a certain brand. Any help would be appreciated.
I think anybody who bothers to make banjo strings anymore will make good ones - D’addario, Ernie Ball, Martin, John Pearse, the usual suspects. The important factor is whether you’ll need loops or balls. I don’t know if there’s a string type that’s more suited for clawhammer or picks.
I have a Washburn that I played for a couple years back in the 90’s that I never changed the strings on. I still pull it out once in a while and play me some June Apple and Clinch Mountain Backstep.
I loves me some June Apple…
Yeah, honestly, the old strings sound alright, but I figured that new ones would give me a brighter tone & make my Harmony sound all the more banjo-y.
Go for D’Addario strings - probably J60’s, which are the lightest gauge you can get for a decent tone. Unless you’ve got some real pickin’ time under your belt, you’ll want a light gauge string until your hands are used to playing, especially if you’re playing Scruggs style (bluegrass style).
If you’re frailing/clawhammer (old-time/mountain style) you could probably go a little heavier but I would still recommend against it - Harmony is not the greatest instrument maker, and a lower end banjo will do better with lighter strings anyway as a general rule.
You might look into a setup (esp. a new bridge) - try the nearest acoustic/traditional music shop near you.
picker: Thanks for tips. And I’m pretty sure I have to trust somebody named picker who’s located on the porch—hopefully you’ve got a mason jar full of brandy milk punch as well.
As for the setup, the bridge is going to help my action, right? Highly necessary, actually, as the higher frets (pretty much anything above the 8th) is a nightmare. And I usually play bass, so you know it’s bad. Since I’ve got you on the case, anything else you’d recommend, as far as learning my way around the banjo, nicer (yet affordable) brands? I’ve basically been using skills I’ve got on other string instruments, such that I can half-ass some fairly speedy bluegrass & can hang a little better with clawhammer, but I haven’t reached the level I’d like to. Obviously, practice, practice, practice is the answer, but, after a nice set-up, what do you think could help me make the jump from fairly mediocre to, say, good enough to get change thrown in my hat on some downtown street corner?
No brandy milk punch here - whiskey and corn liquor only… 
But yeah, I’m a full time professional bluegrass/newgrass picker - flatpick guitar is my main instrument but I do a lot of banjo and mando work as well. I’ve done a lot of tech work also, both on the road and in shops.
Anyway:
A new bridge might help your action - although a worn bridge is more likely to cause intonation issues than action issues. I’d look at the truss rod first for action problems. I would suggest however, that old beater banjos are very seldom any good to play above the seventh fret. Basically, they’re fine for mountain styles - frailing, two finger, drop thumb etc but it’s pointless to attempt any serious bluegrass pickin’ on them.
To really get into the heart (and the fun part) of Scruggs picking, you have to get up and down the neck with great fluidity and speed, moving through the inversions and playing the melody with the various rolls. For this reason, I strongly recommend not trying to get into the style without a quality banjo. This doesn’t mean not practicing rolls and such - you can do that fine with lower chord shapes - but you will drive yourself crazy trying to play up the neck on a beater.
First, banjos: IMO the best starter banjo, bar none, is the Good Time Banjo . At this stage you don’t need a resonator. Good Times play great, sound great, and are very well built. If you’ve got money to burn, try the Good Time Special, with or without a resonator.
If you’re gonna want to play more old-time (and have a little more money to spend,) I recommend the Vega . They sound amazing - I’d recommend the Long Neck or the Vega #2. If you want to play more bluegrass, the best reasonably priced one are made by Gold Tone, although again, you will never go wrong with Deering either - the Vega Bluegrass is very nice and reasonably priced.
Beyond that, you’re looking at real pro banjos, of which there are many, all sounding and playing wonderfully and costing anywhere from $1500-5000.
Practice is indeed the key. Recommendations for learning materials:
Bluegrass:
Janet Davis’ Books are excellent. I especially recommend:
The Banjo Handbook (beginner to intermediate level)
Up the Neck (beginner to advanced)
Old Time:
My favorite book is The Art of the Mountain Banjo
Also good is Basic Clawhammer Banjo.
On the Web:
Mickey Cochran’s site Folk of the Wood is a great resource, and has lots of great lessons to kick you off. Also, if you’re gonna buy a banjo online, I’d buy it from here - they set everything up beautifully and stand behind their work.
For some good clawhammer tabs, try Dwight Diller’s site. Dwight’s a picker in West Virginia who also runs some great clawhammer camps.
Well, that’s enough for now - I’ve got to load up for a gig. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask for more info or clarification.
P
Picker,
Again, thanks. Good recommendations all. I’m finally getting to the point where the Harmony is actually holding me back, which is both nice & costly. When I was contend thumbing through Gs and Cs, I could’ve hung with anything, more or less.
I may indeed hit you up with some specific questions in the future. In the meantime, I’ll probably head over to The Fifth String (the local acoustic shop—mandos, banjos, dobros, etc.) and let them do a set up. They carry those Janet Davis books, as I’m certain I’ve seen the one with the cartoon illustrated cover. I’ll probably look for one with a CD along with it, just so the lessons seem a bit more concrete. Bluegrass & country are definately new interests of mine but, the sheer enjoyment I get from a good hoedown is near orgasmic. Thanks again. I’ll be checking out Barleycorn at home, when my boss isn’t listening for the faint twangs I assume will be leaking from the eargoggles.