Tenor Banjo strings

[Hany Hayek]

When I got my Tenor Banjo, there were no strings on our local market. I had to improvise.
I used Acoustic Guitar strings light 0.12 / 0.16 / 0.25 / 0.34 and tuned it GDAE (one octave below mandolin) - Irish tuning.
These strings had a ball end that I had to remove, it was an adventure to fit them. I used the guitar tension calculator available on line.
The 0.34 G string got into it's slot on the nut rather difficult, so I figure that the 0.38 and 0.40 gauges will definitely not fit in the nut slot.
My question is what strings do I buy to match these, if I ever get a chance to buy them abroad. Irish Tenor Banjo tuning end usually with D of 0.3 and G between 0.38 and 0.40
Also does having a very light G string at 0.34 affect the sound.

[Iaen]

17 fret or 19 fret? 19 fret I use the D'Addario Irish Bouzouki J81 set. .011, .016, .028w, .040w. 17 fret will need heavier strings usually to get that plunky Irish sound. My 17 fret has D'Addario Octave Mandolin J80 strings on it. .012, .022w, .032w, .046w. on it. I had to play around with both banjos to find the string sizes and brands I liked. It really depends on how the banjo sounds. Head tension, strings and tailpiece can all effect the sound on a banjo.

I have heard of people using a .034w, but those were on some fairly long scale tenor banjos. I guess it would work ok but maybe won't sound as plunky as a heavier string. If the tension is alright it should work. Good luck on your search.

[Shelagh Moore]

Duplicate post removed

[Shelagh Moore]

I use .012, 0.22w, 0.32w and 0.42w on my Whyte Laydie 17 fret. I generally prefer nickel wound. A 19 fret will generally benefit from slightly lighter gauges

[Ian Rossiter]

On my 17fretter,I take a Daddario ITB set,discard the high E and start with the 2nd string as the "E" and buy seperate 0.44's for the low G.
0.16-0.24-0.36-0.44

[Hany Hayek]

Thank you all. It's a 19 fret 58cm scale. As I said the G slot on the nut will only accept a 0.34 gauge.
Do the GHS tenor banjo strings CGDA medium 11/14/24/30 fit on the 19 fret and would the G sound Ok or it will be too light.

[fox]

I think a 30 G string will be to loose, it can take some time to find the best strings for tenor banjos as they can be very fickle!
I recently changed my G string from a 38 to a 40 but from a different manufacturer as well & the difference was really surprising.
I have both 17 & 19 fret tenor banjos, I have found 38 G works ok on the 19 & a 40 sounds great on the 17!
It would be very easy to file away the nut slot anyway!
In the mean time you could try CDGA

[s11141827]

On my 17fretter,I take a Daddario ITB set,discard the high E and start with the 2nd string as the "E" and buy seperate 0.44's for the low G.
0.16-0.24-0.36-0.44

Why go with a 16 for the High E on a 17 Fret Tenor rather than a 12? Normally for 17 Fret Tenor Banjos, D'addario always has the High E String as a 12.

[s11141827]

Ian Rossister I really discourage that cause 16 isn't meant to be tuned up to an E4 on a 17 Fret Tenor Banjo. The 12 is meant to be an E4 for a 17 Fret Tenor Banjo from looking at alot of string sets (Irish Tenor Banjo = 17 Frets in Total).

[s11141827]

Good news D'addario now has Irish Tenor Banjo Strings that you can order online & they're fantastic.