Howdy gang! This is a great forum, very informative, and I've learned a lot already. I bought a used Johnson JB-100 this afternoon for $125, and it appears to be in all original conditions. The neck is straight, pot is in good shape, and all of the tuners seem to be working just fine. I removed the resonator and accompanying brackets because I'm wanting to go the Clawhammer/OT route. For the price I'm very pleased with this banjo. I know that the strings are old and badly stretched, but I was planning on probably replacing them anyway. So if you don't mind, please help a complete newbie out with the initial set-up. Here are my questions:
I really want the richer, more mellow tone associated with OT/Clawhammer, so which strings would be recommended for the tone I seek and the durability/forgive-ability for a complete banjo moron?
Are there any other simple tricks, such as bridge placement, head choice, head tension, that a brand new Claw player should know and/or fix before getting started?
Thanks y'all,
3rd of June