3 weeks w/ new Kanile'a tenor & can't coax the lovely plink & sustain as from Kamaka tenor which took a few weeks adjustment over Cordoba tenor. Still Cordoba & Kamaka seem more 'forgiving'. Can strings make a difference?
Strings can make or break a uke.
If you don't like what a set is doing for your uke then try another set.
I had the much raved Worth brown tenor low g set on my Pono MGT for about 2 hours before I took them off. They made my uke sound muddled and hollow. Yuk!
I have been liking the D'Addario strings lately, specifically: J71; EJ65; and EJ65TLG low G.
I also have some other strings in reserve: La Bella no. 12; Ko'olua Mahana (A favorite of mine on the mango); D'Addario J71 and another set of D'Addario EJ65TLG.
I usually buy two sets when I get strings, just in case I really like what they do to my uke. If not, i can always send a set to a friend so they can try on their uke.
Many people seem to never swap out strings even before they put a uke up for sale. Seems odd to me.
I've used Living Water, Worth Clear, Oasis Bright & South Coast strings with great success on my Kanile'a. It can be frustrating finding the strings that work the best, hang in there, it's all worth it when you find the right ones.
okay re this matter i have a question for you. with a quality brand such as kanilea, and on an 'in general' and not 100% basis, are there dud units or are things a matter of finding the right strings for the particular instrument. i walked into the string instrument store in santa cruz played a kanilea and walked back out. nothing special and it felt unresponsive. i know they make magical stuff. i sure wouldn't have parted company with cash for the couple i played. there are reports here of some of the k brand instruments being a bit muted. you wonder how much of this is inherent instrument quality.
Chuck, I've read on the boards here that some Kamakas sound better than others, although they say the line as a whole is better than it was say 20 years ago. There was someone here who got a Kanilea for the holidays who wasn't happy with the sound. And then a prominent uke seller/performer told me that the Koaloha line is the most consistent regarding sound.
It may be down to what the luthiers say, the variations from instrument to instrument even when building from the same wood. However there are more knowledgable people than me on here who may have better answers.
yeah. it's a bit discouraging for buyers. i like the kamaka and kanilea sound, more lyrical perhaps, than the koaloha. i don't live near where you can walk in and play things and don't have a trusted friend at a dealer. what are my odds? standing back and having a bit of perspective, we would not treat any consumer purchase differently. a GE fridge maybe they have a 1 or 2 percent reject rate, good enough you can ignore the possibility and figure you can return a lemon to the dealer anyway. i would take a good kamaka tenor in a heartbeat, if i could be assured of getting a good unit. it's just a business proposition and right now no sale the odds do not balance.
this situation has made me set up to build my own having a cabinet shop to start with. it's not necessarily a bad thing.
I've used Living Water, Worth Clear, Oasis Bright & South Coast strings with great success on my Kanile'a. It can be frustrating finding the strings that work the best, hang in there, it's all worth it when you find the right ones.
Diaddario Nlytech works well same compound as Aquilla but made in US,,,,but I have Oasis warm with a Fremont soloist Low G on my Kanile'a I like it the best
I've used Living Water, Worth Clear, Oasis Bright & South Coast strings with great success on my Kanile'a. It can be frustrating finding the strings that work the best, hang in there, it's all worth it when you find the right ones.
I know is a old post but for me, after some test with d'addario t3, Martin black and living water, I go back with Aquila new nylgut. I prefer the sound of the Aquila strings with kanile'a tenor!
Before I bought my Kanile'a tenor from HMS, I asked Corey if he would play the choices that I narrowed down my preference for and let me know which one that he thought sounded best. He mentioned that one sounded much better to him and that was the one I bought. When I received it, I noticed that it was strung with the Aquila nylgut which I had just replaced on my Lanikai with Martin flurocarbon strings, making it sound much better. I ordered a set of Oasis bright with a smooth wound low G and it made the Kanile'a sing. I have had my Kanile'a for over two years now and am really happy with it.
hello everybody, the new AGxAQ by Aquila has been developed by Aldrine Guerrero and Aquila after three years testing on KANILEA's tenor. That should be the set you are looking for!
I bought new Kanile'a PKE Tenor and it had intonation problems at 1st and 3rd strings; factory strings (I think Aquila).
I am good in Math and I have perfect pitch so I was thinking... what's wrong with that? including compensated TUSQ saddle? Why at 12th fret 1st and 3rd strings are out of tune and slightly flat (instead of being slightly sharp because I increase tension by pressing strings down!)
And why 1st and 3rd strings? why not 1st and 2nd for instance (in which case I'd suspect incorrect angled setup of the bridge or nut)
So... the answer: Aquila strings had uneven tension, uneven diameter, uneven quality.
I changed strings to new Oasis Warm and I have super perfect intonation at all four strings!
I am glad I didn't go with pre-sales free setup, they would unrecoverably break this Ukulele using faulty strings as a baseline and filing saddle!
Of course I'd expect perfect intonation with *new* Aquila too but I just don't want to waste time on such experiment. Oasis Warm sounds like golden bells and I like it.
Not sure what you mean by "Curated" set of Worth strings. Are you referring to strings developed in conjunction with Kanile'a? Or made to Kanile'a specifications? Or strings just repackaged with Kanile'a brand?
Not being a troll or anything, I'm honestly interested in what the strings are on a Kanile'a tenor pineapple I bought from a charity auction last year.
Not sure what you mean by "Curated" set of Worth strings. Are you referring to strings developed in conjunction with Kanile'a? Or made to Kanile'a specifications? Or strings just repackaged with Kanile'a brand?
Not being a troll or anything, I'm honestly interested in what the strings are on a Kanile'a tenor pineapple I bought from a charity auction last year.
I'd like to know myself .
That's how Kanile'a described them to me .
The strings on your Kanile'a from a charity auction could be anything .
Before the current Worth Clear , AFAIK , they were using Aquila Super Nylgut , and I think there was a short period before or after those with Aquila Lava .
