New to the low G scene

greatone88

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Howdy all,

I had the Uke that I got at the pawn shop setup and new Aquila low G strings installed. I have two issues and I wonder if this is standard with low G strings. Whenever I strum the low G is so loud that it drowns out the other strings and The low G string squeaks. The strings are the Aquila New Nylgut Concert Low G. Anything I can do about it ?

Thanks,
Jim
 
Howdy all,

I had the Uke that I got at the pawn shop setup and new Aquila low G strings installed. I have two issues and I wonder if this is standard with low G strings. Whenever I strum the low G is so loud that it drowns out the other strings and The low G string squeaks. The strings are the Aquila New Nylgut Concert Low G. Anything I can do about it ?

Thanks,
Jim
My aquila low G strings, new nylguts, were exactly the same. A boomy droning sound was was all you could hear. They went off when I realised I neved played that uke because of them. YMMV
I'm going to try Worth Browns low G soon on my tenor, hoping for a better sound!
 
Try to strum in a way that hits the 4th (low-G) string a little less strongly as the others or what you're used to, possible with more emphasis on the 1st string. Not all ukuleles sound good with a low-G, either, or with all low-G strings. My Barron River did not (at all) like the Worth Brown G, but it responds very well to the Aquila Red Series wound low-G. For me, I think a wound string is a must, the unwound ones sound thuddy and lifeless to me.

The squeak probably also depends on technique in part, but more so on the string itself. I tried a few different wound strings on my baritone and some squeaked less than others. On the tenor I find the red wound low-G to not be very squeaky. The little squeaks it does do actually sound good to me (not sure if that makes sense, but I think it's a nice accent).

Other forum goers often recommend the Fremont Soloist squeakless low-G string that you can get as a single string. I haven't tried it, but Janeray is a fan of it and that is all the recommendation I'd need if I didn't like the red wound one. I found her preferences to match mine frequently.
 
I 2nd Mivo as to the Fremont Soloist..............also, you might try Living Waters.......their low G set is very mellow.
 
I've got a couple of ukes and try to keep 1 strung with a high G and one with a low G for variety. I've been working my way through low G strings ever since to try to find one that works for me, starting with the Aquila, which I hated for the same reasons you do. I think you will find that with a low G, it will always be louder than the other strings, but that some are better than others. So far I have tried the following.

Freemont Soloist: I loved it. It ended up untying itself and I couldn't get it done back up, but while it was on, it was brilliant. It was loud, though. I definitely wouldn't recommend it for strumming, but for finger picking, it had a beautiful bell-like tone and no squeaks.

Aquila Red: I had one lying around when my Freemont untied itself, so I chucked it on to see what it was like. It is a lot duller than the Freemont. I was really disappointed with the tone, until I started strumming, when I realised it wasn't drowning out the other strings as much as other low G strings I have used. It definitely has its uses. Also no squeaks.

I also have a set of PHDs for when I decide to change strings next, but that won't be for a while.
 
I really like the Fremont soloist. DownUpDave suggested it for my Koaloha and there is no going back to the unwound for me. No thud and really resonant.
 
Aquila are boomy. I have never liked them.
The Freemont soloist is the way to go. I also like the freemont blacklines with the soloist. I have used them on Pono and KoAloha. Highly recommended.
 
I 2nd Mivo as to the Fremont Soloist..............also, you might try Living Waters.......their low G set is very mellow.

My favorite right now, (after a flurry of string experimentation), is Living Water with the Fremont Soloist, so +1 for that recommendation.
 
All wound strings over power the regular strings, well most. If you like the guitary twang clean tone high tension, it's for you
I rather stick to the non wound re entrant strings for a more balanced tone..
 
I dislike wound strings, so I put an Aquila Red Low G on with Aquila strings, but better still is to use Living Water flourocarbon Low G strings. :)
 
All wound strings over power the regular strings, well most. If you like the guitary twang clean tone high tension, it's for you
I rather stick to the non wound re entrant strings for a more balanced tone..

Stan, you know there is always an exception to the rule. :)
I am using the Savarez customer creations set on my Breedlove tenor and it is the most balanced set I have ever used. Absolutely zero boom.
This is a rare occurrence for me, as the other ukes I have owned will produce a booming G or C, depending on the string set and the uke.
 
Stan, you know there is always an exception to the rule. :)
I am using the Savarez customer creations set on my Breedlove tenor and it is the most balanced set I have ever used. Absolutely zero boom.
This is a rare occurrence for me, as the other ukes I have owned will produce a booming G or C, depending on the string set and the uke.
Aloha Johnson,
Yes I agree, some ukes will sound good with low G, not many though. .as I used the term well most overpower
 
No boom with the Red Series set and its included wound string. I think it really depends on the body of the uke and its dimensions, and on the strings. My tenor sounded really bad with a low-G Worth Browns set, and it sounded awful with LW dGBE tenor strings (and I love LW strings in general, just not with this uke), and yet with the Aquila Red Series it's incredible. It's a lightly built Barron River tenor (this one) with a wider lower bout, which probably accommodates the low-G well. The wound G doesn't overpower the sound on this uke and with these strings. I feel it's a very balanced set. (Would prefer a wound C string, but don't want to mix and match for this uke because I love the sound of it now).

If the Reds wouldn't have worked for me, I'd have gone back to re-entrant for this instrument. Was actually talking a lot with the builder when I experimented with the strings. He'd tried some other sets also that he hadn't liked too much on it, so I skipped those.
 
I solved the problem by discontinuing the use of low G strings on my strumming Ukes. LG strings are okay for fingerpicking except when one wants to play a chord with an open G string in it. :eek:ld:
 
I feel like a one-trick pony. With practice, you can de-emphasize (not a word according to spellcheck) string #4, picking or strumming. (Easier with picking)
 
The TI flat wound.. is even less boomy than soloist and about as smooth.
I've come to prefer it to soloist. It's mellower and blends better with non-wound IMHO.
 
The TI flat wound.. is even less boomy than soloist and about as smooth.
I've come to prefer it to soloist. It's mellower and blends better with non-wound IMHO.

Totally agree! The Thomastik-Infeld (CF30 for the G & CF27 for the C) when paired with fluorocarbon trebles are the best balanced set I've ever come across.
 
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