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

(Courtesy of Larry)

 NEW !!  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  'RED SERIES' UNWOUND AQUILA BANJO STRINGS ARE HERE!

Who never dreamed of tuning the banjo without using a fourth wound string type?

Wound strings indeed, together with the quality of sound power shows problems that in ukulele are very considered:

1) shorter lifetime than the treble strings

2) sound power too bright and intrusive compared to the plastic treble strings

3) excessive sustain

4) noise caused by the fingers of the left hand

5) rapid oxidation of the metal wire in case of acid sweat

We are happy to announce that we managed to won a difficult technological challenge (already tried by many others but without success):

unwound fourth banjo strings now finally exist.

From now, you will finally be able to tune your Banjo ensuring sound power,sound quality and intonation on frets better than the fluorocarbon strings fully integrated with that of the upper treble strings.

Main Features:

Technical solution adopted: Nylgut made firstly  a bit elastic and then added with red copper powder in order to increase the density to about twice that of standard white Nylgut

-Color: red-brown

-Surface: slightly rough

-Intonation: accurate past the 12th fret

-Pressing strongly the string on the frets, the note does not became sharper

-It is not necessary to file the nut slot wider

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).

the New 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, New 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 New Nylgut:

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

-5 STRING BANJO DBGDG Tuning (all Nylgut + Red Series 4th ), Medium 8.30 Euros;  Code 5B     New!  RED SERIES 4th string

-5 STRING BANJO DBGDG Tuning (all Nylgut + Red Series 4th ), Light 8.30 Euros; Code 6B         New!  RED SERIES 4th string

-5 STRING BANJO DBGDG Tuning, Medium (1 wound) 8.90 Euros; Code 1B

-5 STRING BANJO DBGDG Tuning, Light (1 wound) 8.90 Euros; Code 2B

-MINSTREL BANJO SET 9.20 Euros; Code 7B (for Briggs dGDF#A tuning only)

-Single 4th wound, 5 STRING BANJO, Medium 2.50 Euros; Code 3B

-Single 4th wound, 5 STRING BANJO, Light 2.50  Euros; Code 4B

-Single 4th wound, MINSTREL BANJO, 2.60 Euros; Code 8B

-Single 4th RED SERIES, 5 STRING BANJO, Medium 2.50 Euros; Code 9B

-Single 4th RED SERIES, 5 STRING BANJO, Light 2.50  Euros; Code 10B

+ IVA - VAT - TVA - (except for non-EU customers)