Thank you for my admission in your forum. I hope you will excuse my english...

I own a 5 strings banjo since some weeks and very interested in classical banjo but I have a big problem : Classical guitarist since 30 years I have long nails and it's not negociable to cut them. Is this really incompatible to play classic banjo?

My other question is : my banjo has metallic strings, is it possible to change with nylon strings ?

Thank you for your answers and have a nice day.

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My apologies, Marc, I hope you can see my intention to try to be considerate.

Obviously, your English is very good.  I've always tried to be a "when in Rome" kind of guy.

I didn't mean to de-rail Francis' topic for this thread, but since the discussion had gone toward strings and I had thoughts on it, I continued, but also in thinking to try to keep each thread on topic, made my suggestions to deal with the strings and set up subject a bit better for the future maybe.

On Francis' journey...there is a nice Windsor banjo with neck adjuster on banjohangout classifieds in UK now for $350....seems it may be a better option than the banjo Francis was thinking about.

The banjo Francis is thinking about....the cordier should be destined for the dust bin....it's totally worthless and not worth de-burring for nylon, though the Rickard "no knot" where you would loop tie the strings would be a cheaper and nice alternative should he buy the original banjo in the links.

Francis, to get on your banjo trek, maybe it's better to spend a bit more money to have a banjo that will serve you better as well as have some equity should you decide to sell it someday.....I'm supposing since you are an accomplished musician already and intrigued with this music, getting a "better" banjo with some re-sale value right off may be a better option????

I have preferred Aquila's "nylgut" for many years. I tend to like a thicker string that has a harder feel to it. I've tried the LaBella lightweight strings but they just don't feel right to me. I'm pretty insensitive to the sound/tonal differences but if the strings don't feel right under my fingers, I just can't play them.

I've never had a "false" string, so I don't know what that's about. I am probably the least picky player in the world when it comes to such things.

Years ago, I switched to CE gut strings, just because I liked the idea of playing on gut. They have the feel I like and they sound like banjo strings.

On the nylgut sets, I usually buy extra 4ths (from CE) as the silver wrap on the nylguts wears quickly. "Quickly" to me is less than a year. The CE 4ths tend to last me well over a year.

I've tried many, many types. Fishing line, fluorocarbon, etc. The newer Nylgut solid 4th strings didn't do anything for me, the 4th felt like a rubber-band, very flexible and 'flabby'. I tried a few of the "Red" sets but again, I had to swap out the 4ths as I couldn't deal with their feel.

I haven't purchased strings in several years...so I'm not up on the newer stuff. I tend to buy in bulk once I find a set I like.


yes good idea  , Rich , i 'm gonna do that , and also for the woods
Richard William Ineson said:

Hi Marc, It would be very useful if you could compile a list of 'banjo' words translated into French for us, peg head, hoop/pot, fingerboard, nut, frets, vellum/head, etc. 

marc dalmasso said:

Chris , don ' t use the automatic translation , it ' just  meaning Nothing ( sentence & words )

for instance bridge  is " chevalet "in French when we are speaking  ' bout a musical instrument

bridge is " pont " on a road  or freeway ….Lol

Gosh Marc S., I am lucky to get three months out of a 4th on a banjo I regularly play.  I just changed the 4th on my GFVE last weekend as it started to fray-- that is a record for me... 7 months on a daily player! 

Francis, thanks for this. All the names make sense to me. They mostly are descriptive.  But what does "Stelling" mean?  Sorry that was a silly joke.

Francis said:

If this can help ...

Richard William Ineson said:

Hi Marc, It would be very useful if you could compile a list of 'banjo' words translated into French for us, peg head, hoop/pot, fingerboard, nut, frets, vellum/head, etc. 

marc dalmasso said:

Chris , don ' t use the automatic translation , it ' just  meaning Nothing ( sentence & words )

for instance bridge  is " chevalet "in French when we are speaking  ' bout a musical instrument

bridge is " pont " on a road  or freeway ….Lol

Don ' t agree with Gilles for

" collerette " , we said " flange "

 "cercle tendeur " ….. ?  never heard  we say " cerclure de tension "

"repose bras " is never employed , we say " armrest "

" tendeurs " is not exactly the word used , we say " tirants "

and barette is wrong , it is " barrette " , from the same origin  of the word " barré " on the guitar

Head : tête
inlays : incrustations
tuning pegs : mécaniques
neck : manche
fingerboard : touche
pot , rim : fût
tension hoop , bezel : cerclure de tension
hooks , brackets : tirants
head : peau
vellum : peau animale
tone ring : tone ring
nut : sillet
bridge : chevalet
tailpiece : cordier
strings : cordes
armrest : armrest
case : étui
heel : talon , crosse
resonator : résonateur
frets : barrettes , frettes
volute : volute
hex nut : écrou
shoes : shoes

Thank you for the proper French words....I will make notes of this for myself.

I love  "incrustations".

Marc-Is there a name/nickname for the fifth string nut itself that has been nicknamed "pip" to differentiate it from the 4 string nut at the volute?

Jody...."Stelling" means "too heavy, too bright...get a Gibson".  Sorry, a joke to follow a joke.

Joel-I've noticed consistently that the winding on nylon fourth strings gets worn by the barrettes pretty quickly, and sometimes at the sillet.  I have started "polishing" my sillet slots with woven kevlar or some similar string that is about 0.020" to try to deburr the sharp edges after slotting a sillet.

Inlays made from crustaceans is an amusing idea. Crabs, crawdads and barnacles between the frets!   The shell of mollusks (snail, abalone) has been the usual thing.  Except for Winnie Winston's Boom-a-Phone banjo, that is. It had a abalone fingerboard "with distinctive ebony inlays".

Chris Cioffi said:

I love  "incrustations".

yes , i know the word pip ;  in French , it 's   " sillet de 5 ème corde ."

In fact ,  the names given  by translation in French is very important for us , French banjo players  ; as i used  to explain , some words like " tone ring " , are the same non translated words in French . More , we can discover the scammers who  try to sell on eBay  stolen or allready sold instruments , this just because of the wrong translation

It is by the same or similar method, Marc, that I know what musicians steal my musical arrangements. They copy errors I made in the recording studio. One British music journalist I know did a more extreme version is his record reviews.  He was suspecting some European reviewers (*not* in France!)  of stealing his reviews and translating them into the language of the journal for which the thieves were writing.  To prove the theft he would mention a song or tune that was not actually on the record. He would write something like this:  One of the best tracks on this LP is track 8 on side one. It features Joel Walker Sweeney and Fred Van Eps in duet playing "Jailhouse Rock".  And the review thieves would copy and translate it and publish it.  

marc dalmasso said:

yes , i know the word pip ;  in French , it 's   " sillet de 5 ème corde ."

In fact ,  the names given  by translation in French is very important for us , French banjo players  ; as i used  to explain , some words like " tone ring " , are the same non translated words in French . More , we can discover the scammers who  try to sell on eBay  stolen or allready sold instruments , this just because of the wrong translation

Waouh Jody , may i have a copy of this recording ? …… Lol

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