I need loud but not harsh sounding strings

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AJ Hill

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Any suggestions for my Kamaka tenor still sounding quiet with Martin 600 strings I am thinking of Lava strings but wondered what the good people of UU would recomend
 
Worth clears. They sing on my HF-3. There might be something louder these days, but I don't see a reason to change now.
 
Love Worth Browns with Southcoast smoothwound low G on my HF-3.
 
First of all what kind of uke is this going on and what woods we talking here.
Everyone has different preferences, some like aquilas and some like worth or martin.
Thinner strings tend to be brighter, while thicker warmer generally
Hell some like Hilo and ghs, while others detest them.
Some like the aquilas and lava and some don't. . How do you like wound strings
What size uke you talking? What style you play, strum or pick? Lots of factors
You like bright or warm.. how about comfort in string guage? Do you have a laminate
Or solid wood, I guess I'm saying, try a few strings, everyone usually had a different idea
On volume and what they consider brashness. I had a uke that was brash with any strings
 
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It's a standard Koa Kamaka with Martin 600s,,,,I had heard kamakas are on the quiet side with there own brand strings I was hoping the Martins would make a difference but no
 
My experience with the Lavas is that they are in the middle of fluorocarbons and traditional Aquilas in terms of tone and volume. I went from Martins to Lavas on my Ohana SK-25 and it was instantly not as loud and it softened that mahogany "bite" (which I like, so the martins are going back on). I put some Southcoast mediums on my Cocobolo concert and the difference in sound (vs traditional Aquilas) was amazing! If you are looking for volume and a clear tone Southcoasts would be my recommendation. But when it comes to sound everyone has their own preferences and perceptions, so YMMV with any given string set.
 
AJ Hill said:
It's a standard Koa Kamaka with Martin 600s,,,,I had heard kamakas are on the quiet side with there own brand strings I was hoping the Martins would make a difference but no
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Mostly all kamakas sound different.. you go in a store you play 5 kamakas, and they will all sound different... like most ukes..
you have to pick and choose the best one when buying new.. strings can only do so much.. if you didn't like the warmness and lack of volume on your kamaka when you first bought it, they are made in a sense for the traditional hawaiian sound and not some may expect now of the newer brighter louder tone some look for now.. you cannot change the stripes on a cat..
I'd stick with the aquilas.. I do agree on some ukes they may be brash...but they are medium gauge strings.. do you prefer higher tension strings... some add the volume there,
but you lose on playability and comfort.. its a trade off.. some thinner strings may sound thin, but have a nice tone and clarity..
 
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Buy about 7 different string sets and then just work though them. That's what I did. I ended up with southcoast and worth on my best ukes.
 
I really like the Oasis brights. They have slightly more tension than the Worth Clears (another favorite string of mine), with a bit more high-end boost. The added tension will also help give you a little more volume.
 
Hi, The best sound on my Kala Baritone is with Worth Clears. The browns are ok but sound muted and the sustain of
the note is much less than with clear. I have tried Martin, Aquila, Living Waters and D'addario and none can match
the volume, harmonious, and clear sound of the Worth Clears. Again this is just a personal taste issue. Worth Clears
will suit you fine. Regards
Norman2
 
A friend uses Aquilas on his Kamaka tenor and it sounds great, with good volume. You're right, the stock strings on Kamakas can sound duller (or "warmer" I guess some people might say, but to my ear it's just dull). I don't play tenor, but I've played Kamaka sopranos and concerts for year. On those, my favorites are the Martin M600s, but I think either Aquilas or D'Addario Nyltechs have a bit more volume and a good clear tone - so either of those might be good choices for your tenor.
 
janeray1940 said:
A friend uses Aquilas on his Kamaka tenor and it sounds great, with good volume. You're right, the stock strings on Kamakas can sound duller (or "warmer" I guess some people might say, but to my ear it's just dull). I don't play tenor, but I've played Kamaka sopranos and concerts for year. On those, my favorites are the Martin M600s, but I think either Aquilas or D'Addario Nyltechs have a bit more volume and a good clear tone - so either of those might be good choices for your tenor.
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I would have to agree with you. I have been primarily using various fluorocarbon strings on my sopranos for almost 2 years now, but I recently put a set of Aquila Super Nylguts on one of them, and was blown away! From reading other posts, Aquila's are no longer as favorable, compared to fluorocarbons strings, as they were 4 to 5 years ago, but I think they can really liven-up the tone of almost any ukulele. I also like the fact that, as a company, they are never satisfied with resting on their laurels, but are continuously improving upon their design. My only gripe is that they take a couple of weeks to fully "settle-in", while fluorocarbons usually take less than 1 week. But as always tone and sound are subjective, and what one person likes, another may not.
 
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AJ Hill said:
Any suggestions for my Kamaka tenor still sounding quiet with Martin 600 strings I am thinking of Lava strings but wondered what the good people of UU would recomend
Click to expand...

Did you mean 620? You say it's a tenor, but the 600 is for soprano/concert. 620's are thicker than 600's. I've come to hate 620's even though I like 600's on concert.

You might try d'addario carbon. They're slightly tighter than worth CT, but not hurty and nowhere near as tight as 620's. Their unwound low G blends very well if you play low G and don't like wound. They've a nice forward sound without being quite so thin as some FC's can sound. They might be a good choice if you want a louder slightly fuzzier flourocarbon sound.
 
Oasis Brights and Martins don't sound too different to my ear, so if you don't like the Martins you probably won't like the Oasis. I have Living Waters on a concert uke and love them, and Aquila Lava strings on my pineapple, which do give good volume. You'll probably go through several sets before you really decide for yourself what you like and what you don't.

No, my Kamaka pineapple isn't the loudest uke I own, in fact my Kala KA-S is louder (with the same strings on both ukes). What it does have is a fabulous traditional sound and excellent intonation that the Kala lacks. I find its volume perfectly fine for my tastes, though every uke is different.
 
Thanks for your replies ,,yes they are 620s ,,,the uke sounds good while playing on my own but when the gang arrive for a jam it seems to get lost ,,,and then my banjo uke comes out , I've also noticed the string tension on the martins is not to my liking , so I may just try the super nylgut and see how they go ,,I've got a Rob Collins Taropatch with pick up arriving in July ,,,,now that will be twice the cost to restring
 
Thanks Hawaii 50 that is a great link almost made for me !
 
You might also try growing your nails out, and experimenting with nail shape.
It can affect your volume alot.
 
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