Upgrading strings of a cheap ukulele

Marcel Prout · Sep 10, 2014

Hi everyone!

I have a soprano Stagg US-10 and the strings are terrible, even a spaghetti would be less flabby. However, I was wondering if it were the strings that are really bad, the instrument or both (the 9th fret sounds creaky).

I am thinking about changing them to Aquila strings but would that be worth it? Will the sound drastically change or is the instrument really bad and I should be looking for another ukulele?

Ambient Doughnut · Sep 10, 2014

Hard to say for sure but good strings can make a massive difference to a cheap uke.

I recently restrung a friend's Dolphin with Aquilas and it played pretty sweetly afterwards.

I *did* do a little bit off setup at the same time - filing the nut mainly.

DownUpDave · Sep 10, 2014

Different strings will have a different sound. Easiest way to change the sound of one's uke is to change strings. There is no guarantee it will sound better, just different. If you like the uke the 5-7 dollars spent for new strings is worth a try.

actadh · Sep 10, 2014

I put Aquila Nylguts on a couple of my less expensive ukuleles and they sounded ok. (They sound wonderful on my more expensive concert, so I am a fan of Aqula Nylgut, btw.)

But, when I put Aquila Reds on the Silvertone, which was an inexpensive one off eBay- wow, what a difference! Great sound and feel.

So, try different ones and have fun.

Marcel Prout · Sep 10, 2014

Thanks very much for your fast answers everyone! I'm off to get my new strings then

PhilUSAFRet · Sep 10, 2014

Very few low end ukes won't sound better with Aquilas

TheCraftedCow · Sep 11, 2014

Making new strings even better

Rather than tying the new strings to the bridge , in the notch which is in front of the section where the string runs through and ties....or the old style ! ! ! ! method, drill a small hole to insert the string directly into the body until the tail comes to the sound hole. Pullit up and tie a knot in the end, and pull it back up to the tuners and connect to the tuners as usual.[ A.] the sound is much better . one needs not worry about a bridge pulling off [C.] It is a much cleaner look

SteveZ · Sep 11, 2014

Marcel Prout said:
Thanks very much for your fast answers everyone! I'm off to get my new strings then

Plan on the new strings taking a couple days or so of periodic tuning before they stabilize. Aquilas (most strings it seems) sound better after some days after installation.

Rllink · Sep 11, 2014

Aquilas cost between less than eight bucks and are pretty easy to change. It is pretty much your cheapest option to start with. Maybe they will transform your uke, maybe not, but it isn't going to break the bank to give them a try.

1300cc · Sep 11, 2014

Ambient Doughnut said:
Hard to say for sure but good strings can make a massive difference to a cheap uke.

I recently restrung a friend's Dolphin with Aquilas and it played pretty sweetly afterwards.

I *did* do a little bit off setup at the same time - filing the nut mainly.

I did the same thing with my mahalo and i bet you its better than my loprinzi soprano

Marcel Prout · Sep 12, 2014

TheCraftedCow said:
Rather than tying the new strings to the bridge , in the notch which is in front of the section where the string runs through and ties....or the old style ! ! ! ! method, drill a small hole to insert the string directly into the body until the tail comes to the sound hole. Pullit up and tie a knot in the end, and pull it back up to the tuners and connect to the tuners as usual.[ A.] the sound is much better . one needs not worry about a bridge pulling off [C.] It is a much cleaner look

This sounds interesting but I am a way too bad luthier in order to pull that off!

So it's been 2 days since I changed my strings and it makes a big difference! The sound is way cleaner and the strings don't accidentally bend like the old ones. Still have to wait a few days in order for them to not detune easily Thank you all once again, it is amazing what changing strings can improve on a uke.

TheCraftedCow · Sep 12, 2014

Drilling a hole isn't difficult to do. The secret is to have the speed medium to fast and the penetration slow. Twist drills tend to grab and tear when the flutes can grab a big bite. My firsthand knowledge of that came about by drilling slowly into a peghead hole. When one of the two tips bit into the wood, I had the choice of letting go and watch the body hit the support shaft of the drill press, or hang on and try to get the wood away from the tip. The wood on an Johnson resonator's neck and headstock is so hard, the hole shattered. It was a three dimensional puzzle to re-place each and every chunk of wood, and then glue them back together. The mother-of- toilet seat was shattered, so the new face is a piece of black Morocco goat skin. The fret board is ebony colour, so black was first choice for front and sides of the head.

Upgrading strings of a cheap ukulele

Marcel Prout

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DownUpDave

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actadh

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Marcel Prout

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TheCraftedCow

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