Picture nr. 1 : How to stretch Nylgut for a fast & stable intonation

Picture nr. 2 and 3 :  Aquila banjo's envelope

Picture nr. 4 : Minstrel banjo's player (late 19th C.)

to learn more: read our FAQ

For orders less of 40  Euros: please  contact our on-line shop:

www.mercatinodellukulele.it

INTRODUCTION

Until the mid-20th century Banjos were mounted exclusively in gut, a material that had been used for thousand of years and that combines excellent promptness of attack with brilliance of timbre - very different, in other words, from modern nylon strings. And until recently the typical sound quality of gut has been a constant point of reference for lute-makers, composers and performers alike. A fundamental aim of our research has therefore been to make a new synthetic product having the same acoustic properties as gut - but without its typical defects - (high cost, limited duration and high instability under varying climatic).

Nylgut® has precisely these qualities: allowing one, on the one hand, to rediscover the sonorities familiar to the great late 19th and 20th century masters; and guaranteeing, on the other, a stability of tuning higher even than that of the best gut and nylon strings.

Please notice

Just like gut, Nylgut® is liable to suffer from cutting edges. Before stringing the instrument do make sure the nut and bridge are free from sharp edges and the nut grooves not too deep and perfectly smooth. You can get rid of sharp edges with very fine grit sandpaper (600, for example) or the finest steelwool (000).

The best sound quality develops when the strings have completely set, which may ordinarily take sometime. To achieve a stable intonation in just a few minutes you can repeatedly pinch each string at midlength with your fingers, pull it decidedly sideways and tune it up again. Stop when the string does not pull out of tune anymore.

To learn more about Nylgut:

www.geocities.co.jp/HeartLand-Himawari/9169/genkonjaku3_E.html

-5 STRING BANJO DBGDG Tuning (all Nylgut), Medium 8.30   Codex 5B

-5 STRING BANJO DBGDG Tuning (all Nylgut), Light 8.30  Codex 6B

-5 STRING BANJO DBGDG Tuning, Medium (1 wound) 8.90  Codex 1B

-5 STRING BANJO DBGDG Tuning, Light (1 wound) 8.90  Codex 2B

-MINSTREL BANJO SET 9.20  Codex 7B

-Single 4th wound, 5 STRING BANJO, Medium 2.50  Codex 3B

-Single 4th wound, 5 STRING BANJO, Light 2.50   Codex 4B

-Single 4th wound, MINSTREL BANJO, Light 2.60  Codex 8B

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