What Gauge Banjo Strings Should I Use?

What Gauges of Banjo Strings Should I Use?

Banjo Strings normally come in sets with different gauge combinations called light, medium, medium light and heavy gauge.

I use a medium light set but there are many choices and I have tried lot’s of different combinations. If you are new to banjo, how do you decide?

Everyone is different, and as in everything you develop a preference through experimentation. I’ll do my best to explain some differences and my preferences to help you decide what's best for you.  A heavier gauge string when tuned to pitch will be tighter and give more resistance. In contrast, the lighter strings are more slack and require the lighter touch or you could overplay them, or push them down too hard on the fret board, pushing them out of tune.

I use GHS banjo strings because of the many options for string gauge combinations. I'm not an expert on string metallurgy but I think it's safe to say when it comes to metal strings they vary very little brand by brand. Nickel and bronze wound guitar strings brand by brand likely vary enough to develop a preference for tone but to me, with banjo strings, the string gauge choice is more important than the brand.

Banjo strings as things go are very low priced. Strings after awhile will sound lifeless and become hard to tune or won't stay in tune. Wiping them off extends the life but strings are so low priced I would just use and abuse them and don't be afraid to put a fresh set on. Five packages will last most players a year. That will vary depending on how much you play or practice. We have them at a discount when you buy more than one package. String Discounts

GHS Strings
GAUGES listed in this order 1st-D 2nd-B 3rd-G 4th-D 5th-G
PF135 - L10-11-12-20-10 - (medium/light gauge)
PF140 - L09.5 L11 L12 LW20JD L09.5 - (light gauge)
PF145 - L10 L11 L12 LW22 L10 - (Medium/light gauge)
PF150 - L10 L12 L14 LB22 L10 - (medium gauge) - phosphor bronze 4th
PF160 - L11 L13 L16 LB26 L10 - (medium/heavy gauge) - phosphor bronze 4th
PF170 - L09 L11 L13 LW20 L09 - (light gauge)
PF175 - L11 L12 L13 LW22 L11 -(medium light gauge) what I use
PF180 - L11 L13 L16 LW24 L10 - (medium/heavy gauge)
PF185 - L10.5 L11.5 L13 LW20JD L10.5 - (medium light gauge)

For many years I've used the GHS PF 175 set, they are Sonny Osborne signature set.

These are the string gauges in the Sonny Osborne Set.
5th .11 4th .22 3rd .13 2nd .12 1st .11 On a banjo you want a balanced tone.The GHS PF175 set has a slightly heavier than normal gauge on the 1st and 5th strings and a medium light gauge in the middle. An example of an unbalanced set would be if you have light gauge strings on the 5th and 1st like a 9 or 10 gauge and a heavy string on the third like a 15 or 16. With those gauges you will likely get too much sustain on the 1st and 5th and not enough on the 3rd string which could result in an unbalanced tone, or simply put, you are hearing too much 1st and 5th string and not enough 3rd string.

I also like the PF 135's and PF 145's for a lighter gauge. The GHS PF150's are what we set the banjos up with that we sell because they are the most common, and middle of the road. That is the set I would recommend if you are not sure or have not developed a preference yet.

A couple of simple tips to help you decide what to start with is,  if you are heavy handed or have a tendency to hit the strings with force and push down harder, use a medium or heavier gauge. If you like to play with a lighter feel, then use lighter strings. Playing closer to the bridge with light strings adds more resistance and a tighter feel.

If you are somewhere in between, a best place to start is a medium light set like the GHS 150's

GHS strings have the most gauge choices and are what I recommend.

Thanks,
Ross Nickerson

 How to change strings on a banjo