High Tension Low-G strings for a Concert Uke

guitarsnrotts

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Recently bought a Gretsch Resonator Concert Uke. I'm not a fan of the Nylguts it came with so I switched the strings out with Worth Medium Browns. It seems to need a higher tension to get the most out of the tone and volume. I tuned it up to A which is what it needed but would like a recommendation for some higher tension Low-G strings that I can tune to G.
 
I use a Fremont Soloist low G string on my concert. Seems to work well for me.
 
I don't like low tension strings in general, so what I've found is that for low G on a concert, a wound string is necessary. I use the aforementioned Fremont Soloist or a guitar D string - the guitar strings consistently project better than the Soloist, but unlike the Soloist, they certainly do squeak. In both cases, one Soloist or one guitar D string is actually long enough for 2 concert uke strings for me.

If you're looking for more volume, also consider trying tenor uke strings on your concert uke - I've done this on my concert Kamaka and it definitely does make a difference in volume and tone. I've been happiest with Martins, M600 soprano/concert or M620 tenor.

I'll have to keep in mind that GHS guitar string recommendation - the only GHS strings I've encountered were black nylon ones that came on my Ohana starter uke, which I didn't care for so I've never explored their other offerings.
 
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I'll have to keep in mind that GHS guitar string recommendation - the only GHS strings I've encountered were black nylon ones that came on my Ohana starter uke, which I didn't care for so I've never explored their other offerings.

To be honest, until last year that's all we had; the black nylon strings that everyone else has. The fluorocarbon sets came out last fall and premiered at Winter NAMM, and we've had a lot of really good feedback from them. Also, I've been working with Craig Chee and Sarah Maisel, and we've got a number of uke sets that they had a hand in putting together (that you can buy direct from them) as well as one that's still in the works.

So yeah, we've got a lot going now.
 
If I am reading you correctly you want to address the floro strings as well. Try Oasis floro which are high tension, one set only for all three scale lengths and they are double length, two ukes out of one set. Worth clear and D'Addario Titanium in tenor size are also higher tension strings. Visit South Coast strings website for a great education in strings, they have a lot of different gauges including heavy, which is real high tension
 
If I am reading you correctly you want to address the floro strings as well. Try Oasis floro which are high tension, one set only for all three scale lengths and they are double length, two ukes out of one set. Worth clear and D'Addario Titanium in tenor size are also higher tension strings.

FWIW - I know it depends on the uke and on the player, but I've tried every last one of those brands on my Kamaka concert and none of them beat plain old garden-variety Martin M600 (soprano/concert) or M620 (tenor) fluoros when it comes to tone and tension. Just putting this out there since the Martins are so inexpensive and easy to find. I really, really wanted to like the Oasis strings - they weren't awful, but definitely didn't project as much as the Martins, and on both sopranos and concerts the tension felt lower.
 
I use a Fremont Soloist low G string on my concert. Seems to work well for me.

This string seems to have fairly high tension on my concert as well, although it doesn't sound as bright to me as an Oasis low G string.
 
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If I am reading you correctly you want to address the floro strings as well. Try Oasis floro which are high tension, one set only for all three scale lengths and they are double length, two ukes out of one set. Worth clear and D'Addario Titanium in tenor size are also higher tension strings. Visit South Coast strings website for a great education in strings, they have a lot of different gauges including heavy, which is real high tension

Oh duh, I was only thinking about the G.

I've never tried the Oasis, but the Fremont Blackline hards have more tension than Worth Browns (those came on my concert), and I also tried Martin M600s on it. Lots of volume with those Martins! Currently I have Living Waters with the Fremont Soloist on my concert, which I like a lot--sounds very sweet and almost tenor-y. But it's a different make and no resonator. I also tried some Ko'olau Mahanas on it, a wound low G set, and I thought the nylon strings were a bit quiet and the G too boomy. But maybe on a different uke it would work better.
 
FWIW - I know it depends on the uke and on the player, but I've tried every last one of those brands on my Kamaka concert and none of them beat plain old garden-variety Martin M600 (soprano/concert) or M620 (tenor) fluoros when it comes to tone and tension. Just putting this out there since the Martins are so inexpensive and easy to find. I really, really wanted to like the Oasis strings - they weren't awful, but definitely didn't project as much as the Martins, and on both sopranos and concerts the tension felt lower.

I suspect Oasis strings are high tension only on tenors. The tension is not high on my concerts--more like medium tension.

As I play a 5-string concert, my constant challenge is always to find not only the nicest sounding strings, but also a low G that balances well with my high G set. So far I tried the following:
1) Martin soprano/concert with Fremont Soloist - Great combination
2) Fremont Blacklines soprano/concert medium tension with Aquila Red concert Low G - The Aquila Red low G overpowered the Fremont Blacks
3) Oasis Bright with Thomastik-Infeld CF30 - Brilliant, fantastic, awesome combination.

I will keep the 2394 GHS Smoothwound Bass string in mind when I next purchase my strings. I will also be experimenting with wound C strings when I next do a string change on one of my ukes. The problem with me is I normally stick to the strings that sound acceptable for about 6 months before I change, so my string experiments tend to take a while, and there are so many strings available to experiment with!
 
Any wound low-G string designed for tenors will have good tension on a Concert.

Or get a D'addario Pro-Arte classical D string on its own.
 
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