Do strings on unplayed ukes stiffen?

kissing

kissing

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I just noticed this on my Oscar Schmidt guitalele with D'addario Pro-Arte nylon strings..

When I installed the strings, the strings were flexible amd easy to play. I only installed them a few weeks ago but did not play this uke for a while. The strings settled in tune.

I played it last night and it felt harder to play; as though the strings stiffened. Then I manually stretched the strings and voila, they instantly felt flexible and easy to play again. So I wondered whether unplayed strings simply stiffen up, and need a good stretch to bend well again..
 
I hope some of our naughty UU members do not run across this thread, I can just imagine where it would lead.....:eek:
 
Last edited:
I think they do. But I wouldn't have imagined a difference in three weeks.

When I buy a uke from someone's closet, they usually don't sound right for about the first 10 mins of aggressive strumming. Then they loosen up.

I don't think that includes Aquilas. I don't remember ever finding a uke that had Aquilas on that didn't loosen up with a few strums.
 
Originally Posted by Larry D. View Post

I hope some of our naughty UU members do not run across this thread, I can just imagine where it would lead.....

Fred Ukestone said:
Clearly your cat has not been spayed.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I had to bite my tongue when, in another thread, a UU'er asked if he should get a "Woodi"..at my age......oh, never mind.
 
I tried to find some bad reviews for those strings but did not locate any. They are very cheap $ in comparison to Aquilas and will try a set on my concert to see how they sound in comparison to the Aquilas that are currently on it.
Since I got my KPK I have ignored my Les Paul for a few weeks. I did break it out this past Sunday and did not notice any difference in the tension of the strings and was surprised that the Aquilas were pretty much still in tune. As many know Aquilas do take "awhile" to settle in but at least in my experience once they do they stay in tune great.
My KPK came with Worth's on. They settled in much faster. I haven't let the KPK rest since I got it so the Worth's haven't had a day of rest.
I did find this video which described the D'addario Pro-Arte strings as "hard" maybe that is just the nature of them.
Anyway you can check out the comparison with this link if you wish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix6wwepXRaw
 
PhilUSAFRet said:
Yeah, I had to bite my tongue when, in another thread, a UU'er asked if he should get a "Woodi"..at my age......oh, never mind.
Click to expand...

Did you think Pfizer had started making ukuleles?
 
Seems any plastic materials get brittle with age. How long does it take? Hmm....
 
It may be that you get some oxidation or other corrosion on the strings as time passes. The vibration and indeed the plastic nature of the materials would tend to breakup those deposits.
 
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