Thank you very much for all of the information that you provided in the Collectors Corner on my banjo. It is truly amazing as to the amount of knowledge and patience that you guys have to provide to new banjo owners. From the information that you provided, I have a low-end starter Kay manufactured Truetone 5 string open back banjo made in Chicago around 1965 and sold by Western Auto.
I tried to find a good banjo shop in the Dallas area, but could not locate one. I did find locally at a guitar store some John Pearse light gauge banjo strings for $3.50. I made a temporary 5/8 bridge with string slots out of some scrap wood, positioned it correctly, and the banjo does sound pretty good to my untrained ear. I adjusted the neck so that the strings are a little less than a 1/8 inch above the 12th fret. Fortunately, the banjo neck is not bowed. It definitely sounds a lot better than it did with the 3 old strings and the pencil bridge that I had positioned incorrectly.
I ordered a Grover bridge for $7.00, a thumb and 2 finger picks for $9.00 from the internet. With shipping of $4.00, these items and the strings cost about the same as the $25 that I spent on the banjo. I would have bought these items locally, but could not find a shop in Dallas that sold them. I am confident that when I receive the Grover bridge the banjo will sound even better.
After I receive and install the Grover bridge, I guess the next step will be to adjust the head and tune the banjo. I am hoping that you can provide your knowledge and experience on the best way to do this. At this point, I plan to try to learn the "old time" style of banjo playing. If there is anything that you can tell me in relation to tuning and adjusting the banjo head, I would be greatly appreciative.
Thanks again,
Steve