The American Made Banjo Company has launched a new fund raising effort based on their line of cryogenically-treated banjo strings. The program is called Cryos For A cause, and offers a dozen or more signature banjo string sets recommended by prominent pickers, with $.50 from the sale of each set being donated to the charity of the artists’ choosing.

For example, the Bill Evans’ signature set will benefit The Children’s Tumor Foundation for young folks who suffer with neurofibromatosis. Other artists who are participating in this program include Sonny Osborne, Brad Leftwich, Casey Henry, Charlie Cushman, Mary Z. Cox, Mike Scott, Peter Schwimmer, Rich Stillman, Todd Taylor, Ron Cody and Tony Ellis.

Each artist set is made up using the string gauge and winding they prefer, and sets suggested by both bluegrass and clawhammer players are part of this effort.

The treatment these strings receive involves exposing them to extremely low temperatures (below -300 degrees Fahrenheit), as is common in industrial applications to insure consistent hardness of critical metal components. American Made Banjos says that this extends string life and enhances tonal response.

Learn more about their banjos and banjo strings on their web site.