My main banjo is an Ome Juggernaut Standard Jazz model, with engraved black chrome, made from curly maple. It is a 4-string plectrum banjo (a different creature from a 5-string or tenor banjo).
The beautiful armrest on my banjo was made for me in Germany by Norbert Pietsch.
I also have another Ome Juggernaut Standard Jazz plectrum, made from mahogany. It came with nickel plating, but I added gold hooks and a gold armrest so now it has a nice two-tone look.
Tuning:
I use standard plectrum tuning: C-G-B-D (low to high)
Resonator:
Strings:
I use ball-end strings because I find them faster to change than loop-ends if I break one while performing. My banjo tailpiece accepts both ball-end and loop-end strings, as is common.
My gages are: .012, .015, .020w, .028w. w = wound. I prefer to order bunches of strings by the gages, not by the pack, since I don’t use them up evenly.
Pick:
I use Blue Chip picks, the TD 40 with a “speed bevel.” I think they are fabulous. I used to use Tortex 1mm picks (the blue ones) – also good.
Pick-up:
I finally found a pickup that has the natural acoustic sound and response that I want – The Realist by David Gage. This is the best banjo pickup I have ever heard on my banjo. I’m not saying this because they asked me to endorse … I would use it no matter what.