Hi guys, i currently have a solid spruce top uke kala concert with aquilas on it, i feel they are too boomy if that makes sense and it actually has a boom sound when strummed. Is this the spruce at work or will a different set of strings relieve it a bit?
If so what would you lot pair with spruce? Thanks joe
I'm not a fan of Aquila strings either. Sound is so subjective though, so it's always hard to offer opinions on what sounds good. There are lots of strings I haven't tried yet, but I do have a spruce top baritone now that has Ko'olau Mahana's on it and think it sounds great. I'm a fan of Ko'olau strings though, especially their "golds" which I think have great tone and intonation. The Mahana's are just a little warmer in sound than the golds, which goes well with my spruce anyway. I also liked D'Addario Pro Arte J71's, I thought they had a real nice bell-like, but warm tone and are silky smooth, a really nice feel to them.
You'll get lots of suggestions, but you just have to try a couple and find what's good for you. It's actually kind of fun trying out different strings and interesting how much a difference they can make.
Living Water strings have been working beautifully on my soprano, certainly a less booming sound than the Aquilas I used before. Indeed, when we tried a set on my girlfriend's ukulele they toned it down a little too much and lost a lot of volume. Made and sold in the UK, so pricing isn't bad.
Thanks guys, i know sound is subjected to preference, just thought some of you may have experienced a nice sound with spruce and a certain type of strings. More suggestions welcome
Not a fan of Aquilas for the exact reason you stated. Went through every string set I've ever heard of and I've settled on Southcoast G650's and PhD strings. To my ear, they have the best balance of any set I've tried especially from low g to c.
Haven't tried the living water strings because I've been so happy with these two string sets. Oh, and I'm using them on two spruce tops and one koa. Second "oh"- the G650's are wound g & c, the PhD's are all unwound.
Although I have an adoration for Southcoast strings, and use them on most of my instruments, for spruce (like my Pono below on my signature), Worth Browns are superb. I know what you mean, the spruce has a tad "boominess", as you say. Perhaps some could call it a lack ot string distinction---crisp and clean, but muddiness string to string. The Worth Browns for me kept the spruce sound, but took the "pucker" out of it.
Hi guys, i currently have a solid spruce top uke kala concert with aquilas on it, i feel they are too boomy if that makes sense and it actually has a boom sound when strummed. Is this the spruce at work or will a different set of strings relieve it a bit?
If so what would you lot pair with spruce? Thanks joe
I tried Aquilla's on my Pono ATD tenor.... and they were awful! Kept them on for a week to see if they would settle... they didn't. Changed them out for D'Adarrio Titanium and they seem to work fine. Funny thing, the Aquillas sound great on my Lanakai Mango Tenor.... in fact, they enhanced the sound of it. Go figure!