String replacement time

dkp

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North Okanogan Valley
Our band did three performances in three days and by Sunday the E and A strings on my custom tenor were buzzing - a clue they're about to snap. One of them (A) was a Nylgut from Aquila, and the C and E were Aquila reds. I had recently replaced the low G with a length of Seaguar Blue Label 80 lb flourocarbon.

With the replacements all the strings are now Seaguar:

A: 30 lb
E: 40 lb
C: 50 lb
G: 80 lb

Here's some additional specs:
Code:
100yd 80lb $90
 "        60    $75
 "        50    $62
 "        40    $53
 "        30    $40
 "        25    $33

      diameter
80lb .810mm/.032" - tenor low G
60   .740mm/.029" - tenor C
50   .660mm/.026" - tenor E, soprano/concert C
40   .620mm/.024" - tenor g, soprano/concert E
30   .520mm/.020" - tenor A, soprano/concert g
25   .435mm/.017" - soprano/concert A

I don't have any soprano/concert that need strings at the moment but I am curious if this chart works for them.

Anyway - unamplified, the uke has a sweet sound and nice sustain. I normally play with two effects pedals so am not looking for a jumping flea Hawaiian sound, but I do like the sound these strings provide.

I have a tension board I built with a gang of digital scales for measuring string tension and these Seaguars have a little less pull than the Aquila strings I have used in the past. I'll see if I can find the numbers I got from Aquila reds vs the Seaguars. The tension rig is similar to Kawika's Left Handed Luthier book.

So then I plugged it into my Fishman Pro and Fender Acoustasonic SFX II amps through the FX pedals and the sound is perfect for our eclectic music. Very airy with the phaser and tremolo plus a little reverb in the Fishman. I also use a gain pedal to manage dynamics. I like the MiSi Trio volume control but it can be awkward when playing medleys.

I did do some rework of the nut for these diameters but I replace nuts quite often across all my instruments. Not saying this is for everyone but this setup works nicely here. Mileage varies for a reason :)
 
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