ooops I meant my 1st string is .010

Oh, and what I meant by my banjo being loud was the fact that is has a tubaphone tone ring. It seems quite loud so I quiet it down with some foam stuffed in the back. Also, less reverberation occurs with using the foam.
Having lighter gauges on my 1st and 2nd strings seems to make them less dominant and offers a nice balance in the overall tone.

Bonnie