Unwound Low G?

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SonSprinter

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I am looking for tenor ukulele strings that have an unwound low g. I am tired of having to change them so often. I am afraid that when the steal gets unwound, it will poke me. I heard that Koaloha and perhaps Worth has them.

http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/woprukstbrfl3.html

http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/woprukstclfl3.html

This gentleman states that Aquila makes a red one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUgCYwHiI_E

http://www.aquilacorde.com/blog/2665/aquila-low-g-red-series-new-version/?lang=en

On Amazon, they report that "Aquila Red Series Tenor Ukulele String Set Low G Tuning, 88U" breaks very quickly.
 
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I'm just leaving a comment because I'll be interested if somebody has an answer for you. I have exactly the same problem.
 
I'd recommend trying Fremont Soloist wound low G strings first. For me they last as long as my non-wound strings, and I've never had one come unwound (unlike guitar strings I've used). I didn't care for the Worth unwound low G (or any other unwound low G) - it felt floppy and sounded thuddy, same as every other non-wound low G I tried.
 
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janeray1940 said:
I'd recommend trying Fremont Soloist wound low G strings first. For me they last as long as my non-wound strings, and I've never had one come unwound (unlike guitar strings I've used). I didn't care for the Worth unwound low G (or any other unwound low G) - it felt floppy and sounded thuddy, same as every other non-wound low G I tried.
Click to expand...

Aloha janeray1940: Thank you very much for posting. Where did you purchase your Worth unwound low g? I am not very particular at all about sound quality. Are these it:
http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/woprukstbrfl3.html#reviews-box
http://www.theukulelesite.com/acces...rings/worth-strings-ct-clear-tenor-plain.html

Also, from where else and what other brands have you purchased your unwound low g strings?
 
Bill1 said:
The wound strings are usually wound with silver or a silver compound. I have never seen steel used to wind strings. When it corrodes it crumbles, but it first changes colour and looks different. I don't know of anyone who has been poked in the fingers by wound strings.
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Aloha Bill1: Thank you very much for posting. Yeah, my winding splits after four to six months. Perhaps my frets are not smooth enough. After I got poked once, I make sure I change it once I see the winding, start to separate.
 
I use the Aquila Red's quite often, including the Low G. I have never broken a string and have used them on at least a dozen ukes. To me, they always sound at least good and often great. They're feel (papyrus-like) does take getting used to and they get more smooth (and less noisy) after they wear-in a bit.
 
SonSprinter said:
Aloha janeray1940: Thank you very much for posting. Where did you purchase your Worth unwound low g? I am not very particular at all about sound quality. Are these it:
http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/woprukstbrfl3.html#reviews-box
http://www.theukulelesite.com/acces...rings/worth-strings-ct-clear-tenor-plain.html

Also, from where else and what other brands have you purchased your unwound low g strings?
Click to expand...

The Worths came as a low G set - I tried them years ago so I can't recall where I got them, probably from MGM when he sold on eBay. It was the same set as your second link; I never tried the Browns in your first link because I know I don't care for the sound (too mellow!). Others I've tried that I can remember have included Living Water, PHD, and Fremont Black; there may have been a few others but it's been so long I don't remember. I almost gave up on low G entirely when I tried a wound classical guitar D string, and loved the sound and feel - that was when I realized that for me, wound strings were the way to go. I got by with guitar strings for a while, but they wear out pretty quickly. Then Fremont came out with the Soloist, and for me, that was the winner. You can get them here: http://www.theukulelesite.com/accessories/strings/fremont-soloist-polished-low-g-string.html
 
Well, I just ordered the PHD strings, and I'll let you know how they are when I've strung them. I might try the Fremont soloist if I'm not happy with the PHD. The Aquila low G started fraying as soon as I strung it.
 
I'll have to try those PHD strings. Sounds from the website description like they might be a good solution to the usual balance problems. Until then I have had pretty good luck with D'Addario Carbon Low G sets. https://www.stringsbymail.com/daddario-carbon-ukulele-strings-ej99tlg-tenor-low-g-full-set-15220.htmlThe low G is rather large at .0413" so you have to have a wider slot on your nut.

I also find that the Worth Brown BS-LG strings sound a little brighter than some of the Worth Brown tenor sets generally available.. https://www.stringsbymail.com/worth-ukulele-strings-brown-fluoro-carbon-strong-low-g-bs-lg-63-inch-7684.html It's only the open G that seems a little wimpy to me. Once I'm up the neck a little they sound fine.

I haven't had much luck with wound strings. I've had breakage problems with Aquila Reds and I don't care much for the tone. The Fremont Soloists seem too loud and "boingy", for lack of a better term.
I do find that single Savarez Red Card classical guitar 4th strings have less "boing" and balance better with the other strings than the Soloists do. https://www.stringsbymail.com/savarez-traditional-524r-4th-string-d-high-tension-0295-4156.html They're not as fat as an unwound string but there are always the problems of string noise and feel with any wound string that some people don't like.

Of course any set of strings has to sound good with the ukulele you're putting them on and that unfortunately takes experimentation to find the right match.
 
I have wound low G Aquila Nylgut strings as well as wound baritone strings on a number of ukuleles. I rarely change string sets in less than a year and some sets have been on for 2 years or even more.

I've NEVER had a problem with these strings. I don't know what you guys are doing. Maybe you need to smooth the nut slots.

Anthony
 
I have not had any issues with Aquila Reds for the three sets I have installed. I have read that there were some issues for a while and that they were addressed.

That said, I saw wear and tear on the wound strings on the baritone set almost immediately. This was expected based on how quickly the Martin baritone set had begun to wear. The old Silvertone Uke has narrow frets that are tough on strings.

The concert set on the Kala has not been on long enough to show any interesting wear.

The oldest set is on the Dixie, and if any would have broke it is this set. They have been on the Dixie, then the Kamaka, then back to the Dixie. Yes, I really should replace them.

Good luck, and let us know what unwound string works out best for you.
 
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