spookelele
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Excellent!
Wound C vs Unwound C on a Tenor Ukulele:
- Thread starter JJFN
- Start date
Excellent!
Recstar24
Well-known member
Chuck what are you doing to me!
I've had these strings lying around but never was that curious about installing them until chick just had to say they rocked. Just listened to the mermaid Moore bettah on HMS and noticed there was something a little extra special about the sound, maybe more richness, a slightly deeper resonance while still having that sparkle. Lo and behold it has the TI wounds.
Just installed them on my Hoffmann ML adi spruce and ebony. Holy smokes the sound just went up another notch. They feel fantastic with the oasis trebles, it is seamless and very trippy as the feel is perfect string to string. They do not feel like wounds, they have a soft smooth touch and truly feel like "normal" strings. The cf30 has zero boom whatsoever and the cf27 just sounds so perfectly balanced. Feel kind of silly I've had these for months and didn't bother until now.
Will add that compared to "normal" uke wounds like SC or daddarios they are a touch richer and deeper sounding and not as upfront or twangy, a little more laid back. On my uke, with the oasis trebles, it's a very smooth and perfectly balanced match both feel and sound wise. On my cedar Hoffmann a style it potentially could be too mellow and laid back sounding, but for now on the spruce ML it's starting off super strong.
I've had these strings lying around but never was that curious about installing them until chick just had to say they rocked. Just listened to the mermaid Moore bettah on HMS and noticed there was something a little extra special about the sound, maybe more richness, a slightly deeper resonance while still having that sparkle. Lo and behold it has the TI wounds.
Just installed them on my Hoffmann ML adi spruce and ebony. Holy smokes the sound just went up another notch. They feel fantastic with the oasis trebles, it is seamless and very trippy as the feel is perfect string to string. They do not feel like wounds, they have a soft smooth touch and truly feel like "normal" strings. The cf30 has zero boom whatsoever and the cf27 just sounds so perfectly balanced. Feel kind of silly I've had these for months and didn't bother until now.
Will add that compared to "normal" uke wounds like SC or daddarios they are a touch richer and deeper sounding and not as upfront or twangy, a little more laid back. On my uke, with the oasis trebles, it's a very smooth and perfectly balanced match both feel and sound wise. On my cedar Hoffmann a style it potentially could be too mellow and laid back sounding, but for now on the spruce ML it's starting off super strong.
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johnson430
Well-known member
Sounds like the "Chuck string set" might suit the koa, spruce, acacia tops (or any with a bright wood). Perhaps Cedar, Mahogany and Mango(the mellow woods) might need higher tension strings*
I find that low tension strings on my mango sound muddled and lack attack.
Does anyone know if TI makes a higher tension classical set. I will search, but if you know of any...
This has got me thinking their might be a classical string alternative for warmer woods as well.
Perhaps other Classical string makers have a high tension or hard tension string set that is comparable to what the TI CF do for the bright woods.
*I know I might be making generalizations about the wood characteristics.
I find that low tension strings on my mango sound muddled and lack attack.
Does anyone know if TI makes a higher tension classical set. I will search, but if you know of any...
This has got me thinking their might be a classical string alternative for warmer woods as well.
Perhaps other Classical string makers have a high tension or hard tension string set that is comparable to what the TI CF do for the bright woods.
*I know I might be making generalizations about the wood characteristics.
jollyboy
Well-known member
It looks like CF35 is the next gauge 'up' - if you shunted everything along one place, so that you had a CF35 for low-G and a CF30 for C, you'd be looking at around 15 lbs of tension on each course at tenor scale. That sounds pretty hairy to me...
I think build is an important consideration, as well as tonewood, when thinking about tension. I haven't personally reached the heights of custom/high-end uke ownership yet, but I believe that they tend to be characteristically light in construction (another generalization I know). As much as I love my Pono AC I do have to acknowledge that it's a pretty solid beast and I have found that higher tension strings tend to drive it better. So, I guess I'll be sticking with my D'Addario silverwounds for now
billten
Well-known member
Anybody have experience with the oasis / ti set playing at Bb tuning? Curious if it's good for both...
75% experience Bill. Here is what I mean by that. I had my Webber tenor spruce/cocobolo strung with Fremont low G, TI CF27 and Oasis warm E and A strings tuned Bb and it worked well and I liked the sound. There is always a bit of a sonic imbalance when mixing the different materials between two wound stings. But as fas as working with Bb tuning it was all good.
billten
Well-known member
Interesting, when i tuned the oasis warm string Bb recently i found the tension to be so low i couldn't play them, took them off right away. I will definitely give them another try.
johnson430
Well-known member
It looks like CF35 is the next gauge 'up' - if you shunted everything along one place, so that you had a CF35 for low-G and a CF30 for C, you'd be looking at around 15 lbs of tension on each course at tenor scale. That sounds pretty hairy to me...
I think build is an important consideration, as well as tonewood, when thinking about tension. I haven't personally reached the heights of custom/high-end uke ownership yet, but I believe that they tend to be characteristically light in construction (another generalization I know). As much as I love my Pono AC I do have to acknowledge that it's a pretty solid beast and I have found that higher tension strings tend to drive it better. So, I guess I'll be sticking with my D'Addario silverwounds for now
Thanks for this Jollyboy. You rock!
Also, which D'addario silverwound are you talking about. Can you post the product's full name.
anthonyg
Well-known member
I'm not sure that string tension is the best reason to choose a wound C string over an unwound C string.
The reason that you WOULD choose a wound string rather than an unwound string would be better intonation. Theoretical scale lengths are based on theoretically perfect strings. The problem is that the thicker a string gets the less its vibrations match "theory" because a thick string starts getting too stiff. A wound string gives you the string mass you need while being far more flexible ( a better theoretical string) than an unwound string.
Long story short. If the intonation of your unwound C string sucks then try a wound C string.
Anthony
The reason that you WOULD choose a wound string rather than an unwound string would be better intonation. Theoretical scale lengths are based on theoretically perfect strings. The problem is that the thicker a string gets the less its vibrations match "theory" because a thick string starts getting too stiff. A wound string gives you the string mass you need while being far more flexible ( a better theoretical string) than an unwound string.
Long story short. If the intonation of your unwound C string sucks then try a wound C string.
Anthony
spookelele
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Does anyone have measurements of tension of wound on ukes?
When I put say a freemont soloist on or TI 30/27 if I want 2 wound, the tension doesn't feel noticeably different to me.
When I put on titanium, or martin 620, that feels different to me
When I put say a freemont soloist on or TI 30/27 if I want 2 wound, the tension doesn't feel noticeably different to me.
When I put on titanium, or martin 620, that feels different to me
jollyboy
Well-known member
Yep, they are D'Addario silverplated copper wound on nylon classical guitar strings. Available as singles and in a wide-ish range of gauges, allowing for a bit of fine-tuning of individual tensions.
Mya-Moe offer them as a wound low-G option on new instruments, so they definitely have some street cred
However, although they are polished there is a little bit of squeak. From what I've read I believe that the T-I strings are very quiet.Anyway, I personally really like the D'Addarios and they are currently my own go-to choice for wound low-G and wound C. They have allowed me to add a little extra tension, which has really helped to open up my AC
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Recstar24
Well-known member
Excellent point regarding intonation. I would also add that if your unwound C is "thuddy" with significant less body and sustain than your other strings, that would be a good case to change to a wound C. In my experience, since I've been exclusively a flourocarbon user, I haven't had any issues with unwound C (concerts and tenors) being thuddy or out of tune.
With that said, I do like the sound and balance with a wound G and a wound C.
These are the single wound C's that I have but haven't tried yet. https://www.stringsbymail.com/daddario-nyl024w-classical-guitar-024-single-string-211.html
I also have a heavier gauge of these for my wound G which I have just put on my Boat Paddle ML. That sounds and feels very good.
I also have a heavier gauge of these for my wound G which I have just put on my Boat Paddle ML. That sounds and feels very good.
johnson430
Well-known member
Hollis,
Can you post a link to the G you are using. It looks like the wound C you linked is .024 which is a smidgen thinner than the .027 that most are using.
I think the thinner diameter wound might work well with my mango tenor.
jollyboy
Well-known member
PLEASE be careful about making apples-to-apples comparisons between strings of different materials :stop:
I wouldn't want to see any innocent ukes get harmed
The D'Addario NYL024W has a higher unit weight that the CF27 (.00007408 vs 0.00005448) and would actually result in a higher tension at the same pitch. Just over 15 lbs tuned to C at tenor scale, in fact.
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Moore Bettah Ukuleles
Well-known member
This is also true of fluorocarbon strings. Not all fluorocarbons of the same diameter will have the same weight or tension. It would be nice if it were that easy but it ain't!
johnson430
Well-known member
PLEASE be careful about making apples-to-apples comparisons between strings of different materials :stop:
I wouldn't want to see any innocent ukes get harmed
The D'Addario NYL024W has a higher unit weight that the CF27 (.00007408 vs 0.00005448) and would actually result in a higher tension at the same pitch. Just over 15 lbs tuned to C at tenor scale, in fact.
Thanks for the warning. I hear you loud and clear.
I will stick to what others have used.
I would hate to break my Pono.
johnson430
Well-known member
This is also true of fluorocarbon strings. Not all fluorocarbons of the same diameter will have the same weight or tension. It would be nice if it were that easy but it ain't!
We need to find some ambitious person/s with enough time and research skills to put together a string tension chart of all the known ukes strings.
Anyone?
Moore Bettah Ukuleles
Well-known member
If I'm not mistaken it's already been done and is on this forum somewhere. It is several years old though and probably seriously out of date now. It would also need to include guitar stings adapted for ukes.
BTW, Just Strings notified me this morning that they are getting their shipment of Thomastik-Infeld strings in tomorrow.
