Aquila Classical Banjo Medium All Nylgut 5B, Full Set

I bought these strings in mid 2024. Took me a while to get them on my banjo (Deering Goodtime). These had surprisingly good sound. I am a fingerpicker, and play guitar and ukulele without finger picks. However, on my banjo, picking steel strings without picks was tearing up my nails. I read an article about how people had used nylon strings on their banjos, and found a set of Nylgut strings (actually two different sets) manufactured by Aquila here on Strings By Mail, so I thought I'd give them a try. I am currently working with the Aquila Classical Banjo Medium All Nylgut strings, and I am impressed. It was a little bit of a challenge to get the loops tied for the hooks down by the bridge, but I managed to get it to work. The sound is not as loud as steel strings, but is still very "banjo", and will work fine for my purposes. My overall reaction is that I am surprised at how well Nylgut strings work on the banjo. I should also mention that I had to cut slots in a new bridge that are wider than the standard steel string set. This required purchasing files, and a couple of bridge blanks. It was easy enough to do, just be sure to not cut any of the slots too low. I am writing this review after using these strings for about a year. I thought I should wait till I had given them the acid test. The only downside is that the 5th string is to large to fit under the spikes in the neck so changing key can be a challenge.

I've been thinking about trying these nylagut strings on my banjo, but had my doubts. I even hedge my bet by ordering some lighter gauge ones with the Aquila Red 4th, just in case I wasn't happy with all nylgut strings. Well they're GREAT. My worries were unfounded. My Goodtime Americana never sounded better. As always, it was excellent and quick service by Strings by Mail.

My Wildwood open back banjo is WAY too loud to actually play clawhammer style with steel strings- it hurts my ears! These nylgut strings have a lovely rich, soft tone and I can hammer away on them.

I always recieve my order early and the service and product is always good.

As described. Quick delivery. Work well on fretless banjo