New and Different?

Steveperrywriter

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Been using Southcoast's medium linears on my tenors, and they have reformulated the set again. Apparently, the basses are still polished wounds, but the new trebles are nylon instead of fluoros, for a "warmer" sound.

This is the third change in the last couple years, From ML-SW, to ML-WB, to the ML-WB v1.6, low-density trebles. I have several sets of the first two incarnations on hand, so I'm in no hurry to switch unless the new ones are way better.

Anybody try the newest ones yet? Want to put up a review?
 
Are you looking for a more mellow sound?
Also, Steve, do you have any information on the diameter difference between the treble strings that have changed to nylon?

Do you use bridge beads? I use them and can change out strings and keep the old set to put back on if I need/want.
(this is a great way to try out strings without having to throw away the old sets) I did this when I tried the Freemont blacklines on my Breedlove...those strings weren't going to work. Fortunately, I had used bridge beads and had enough length in all strings to put my classical set back on...thank goodness.
 
Are you looking for a more mellow sound?
Also, Steve, do you have any information on the diameter difference between the treble strings that have changed to nylon?

Do you use bridge beads? I use them and can change out strings and keep the old set to put back on if I need/want.
(this is a great way to try out strings without having to throw away the old sets) I did this when I tried the Freemont blacklines on my Breedlove...those strings weren't going to work. Fortunately, I had used bridge beads and had enough length in all strings to put my classical set back on...thank goodness.
Good idea with the bridge beads
 
I like South Coast and Dirk is always striving for improvement. But why mess with success, change is not always better, sometime just confessing. I liked the bright sound. I liked the old ML-WB which were not that old. I have no intention of trying these and will use Thomastik for the wounds and Worth CM for the trebles moving forward. Sorry for the rant but the constant change is frustrating.

I just recieved 4 sets of HML-WB in the mail so I do like South Coast products amd support the company. Maybe I better buy some more before they get changed as well. I still have 2 set of HML-RW, I hope these new ones sound the same.
 
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I am happy with the SC sound now, and I don't particularly like nylon on my ukuleles, compared to fluorocarbon. I do a lot of barre chord strumming and fingerpicking above first-position, and would rather keep the bright tone. Also not looking for higher tension, so I am not moving to the heavy gauges.

I like the SC wound basses a lot, they are almost squeakless, but I can Frankenstring sets using Oasis trebles if need be.

Dunno if the nylon trebles are bigger around, but I suspect that is so.

I have one one uke with through-the-bridge and beads, two with traditional classical guitar-style bridges.

I am willing to take a shot at the new set, but I don't want to buy three or four sets of something that gets orphaned if I really like them.. For me, they weren't broke, so I don't need them fixed.
 
Steve,

The current HML-WB uses the same wounds as the ML-WB 1.6. The trebles have a little more tension to even it out, leading Dirk to go in a different direction with the new ML-WB.

at least according to the bulletin, I'm not sure if the trebles on the new MLWB are actually nylon, but simply more "nylon like", due to using a lower density material. What's clear is that due to using lower densities overall one would expect a thicker more substantial feel and giving a warmer tone.
 
String 'Em Up

Been using Southcoast's medium linears on my tenors, and they have reformulated the set again. Apparently, the basses are still polished wounds, but the new trebles are nylon instead of fluoros, for a "warmer" sound.

This is the third change in the last couple years, From ML-SW, to ML-WB, to the ML-WB v1.6, low-density trebles. I have several sets of the first two incarnations on hand, so I'm in no hurry to switch unless the new ones are way better.

Anybody try the newest ones yet? Want to put up a review?

Okay, since nobody leaped at the suggestion, I did it my own self. Got a set of the ML-WB v1.6, with the new trebles, and installed them on the ukulele that was due the next string change, which happened to be the Moore Bettah koa tenor.

They've only been on for about thirty minutes and haven't settled, but my initial reaction is less about the sound than the feel.

They do feel different. One of the comments I heard with the older version of these was that the trebles felt a little thin, and while I didn't think that was a deal breaker, the newest ones do feel better to me. Completely subjective, of course.

I recorded a sound sample before the change, fingerpicked a little, and strummed through some barre chords, and as soon as the new strings stretch out and settle, I'll play the same pieces and record that, for a side-by-side comparison. To my ear, and it is early, they do seem to be a little less bright, but, again, it's me doing it and having been led to believe that will be the case, I dunno. Could be confirmation bias.

I have been using fluoro trebles on my ukes mostly, and while I like them, I don't have anything against nylon. When I was playing classical guitar, I found that the Nylgut strings by Aquila sounded best to me on that instrument. Didn't like them on my ukuleles at all, so I went hunting. I have tried a dozen brands, most of which I liked -- Worth's Browns and Clears, Living Water, Oasis, assorted singles for wound basses with Frankenstring sets, and have settled on Southcoast's. The squeakless wound basses work for me, and right now, the new trebles aren't looking bad ...

Stay tuned for further adventures in the Great String Hunt ...
 
Hi Steve,

Have you had a chance to compare the new ML-WB vs the LML-WB? I thought I had read a while back you strung up your Beau Hannam with the LML-WB. I just received a set but am probably going to also get a set of the new ML-WB 1.6 and may string up my Hoffmann with one of those.
 
Nah, I have been running the mediums on both the Hannam and the MB. I use the LML-WB's on my Carruth tenor, it's a bit more lightly-built than the others, and I like how they sound on it.
 
Stringery, Stringery



I meant to put this up sooner, caught a nasty cold just before Thanksgiving, didn’t get to it. So this is the comparison between the two sets of low-G linears from SouthCoast, the old and new, respectively.

Can’t say I can hear a whole lot of difference, but they do feel a little better under my fingers.

These are spendy, but I’m of the mind that if you buy a Maserati, you don’t worry about how much the high-octane gasoline costs to run it.
 
Thanks very much for doing that Steve. I know the new version is suppose to be a bit less bright. That is what I am hearing..........I don't know if it is the power of suggestion or not. They both sound very good, as does your Moore Bettah.
 
Hello Steve,

Thanks for posting the video. I had a feeing that if you took the plunge you'd like the new Medium Linears. But the new Heavy Medium Linears aren't much different than the old MLs you tested here. Basses are the same, but we felt the trebles lacked a bit of tension compared to those basses; when we changed them out, we changed the name as well. But between the new HMLs & new MLs the difference in tension really doesn't amount to all that much. I'd imagine that almost anybody that feels comfortable with one will be fine with the other as well.

That leaves the main difference in tone and feel. The new ML 1st string may be technically a nylon, but it would be a mistake to think of it that way in terms of sound. Different from either a fluoro or a true nylon, we describe the tone as "sweet". The ML 3rd is hand wound & hand polished with a soft alloy and thicker low density core to get something more akin in feel to a plain 3rd, but with more of the clarity of a traditional wound string. With both the 3rd & 1st having a bit more girth than high density sets, and the other strings being selected to blend with them, then the feel of the MLs is more substantial.

I think from the sample you can hear both sets are pretty nicely balanced, but to my ears, the HMLs, being a more traditional high density set, emphasize the highs and lows a bit more and the MLs are a touch stronger in the mid-range. That, along with the qualities of the 1st, seem to me to give the MLs an overall strong rich flavor. They seem to have a touch more volume as well, though projection will generally depend on the qualities of the instrument they're on. So your instruments needs in terms of tone and your preference in feel are the two main factors in choosing between these two.

And as far as all the changes go, well, we never thought when we started down the road of the material updates that it would take anywhere near this long. It's almost over, though, and was well worth the effort.
 
I am pleased enough with the sound and feel that I bought a couple more sets, and will try them on the Hannam tenor, as well. Spending more of my own money is about as honest a testimonial as I can offer a product.
 
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