Oasis GPX Carbons

2xbass

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In another thread I mentioned how I have recently been trying the Oasis GPX Carbon classical guitar strings and have been loving them.

Today I had another example of how great they are:

Today my wife got a Pono Pro Classic Series 5 Mango tenor. She had asked for Oasis Warm high G on it. We were both felt the sound was not living up to the potential of the instrument. We replaced them with the Oasis GPX strings. So this is using the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings and then another 1st string for the high G. Huge, huge difference. So much more tone and I believe the higher tension is also a better match for this particular uke.

I don't know for sure whether the fluorocarbon construction of the Oasis GPX is any different to the Oasis Warms but I strongly suspect it is. The gauges are certainly slightly different.

These have become my go-to treble strings, in combination with the Thomastik CFs on the bottom. I have this combination on my LFDM and my Pro Classic baritone and am very happy with it. Better than the Thomastik Nylons on the top and the tuning is more stable too. You can buy just the Treble sets to get the unwound strings and they are also available in normal and high tension.

I recommend trying these especially if you want a bit more guitar sound than uke sound.
 
Have you tried the Savarez 541R or 541J B/E with the Thomastik Infeld CF27/30 combo?
I am using the 541R(normal tension) but have some 541J(hard tension) to try, as well.
This string combo does well with my spruce/sapele tenor.
I haven't tried the GPX carbons but I will check them out per your suggestion. =)
 
I haven't tried those. I had read a lot of reviews where classical guitarists said the GPXs were the only carbons they would use because they found all others too bright or harsh. I personally had a similar view towards carbons and until now had been staying with nylon strings as I preferred the richer tones.
 
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Same string material just a larger diameter, which will yield a higher tension and warmer tone. The classicals you are using are .024/.027/.034/.024 vs the "warm" uke carbon of .023/.027/.030/.025
 
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Did you go with the regular tension GPX or the high tension? I has first tried these strings a few months ago when I switched the steel strings on my Pono UL4-20 tenor guitar to flororcarbon. Even though the instrument is braced and voiced for steel strings the GPX high tension did a great job and sounded really good. I have some regular tension in the wings waiting to go on something.

Are you still enjoying your LfdM tenor strung and tuned as a baritone?
 
Dave, this is the regular tension in this case.

Yeah still loving the LFDM as a baritone and am intending to keep it like that. I shared the info and lots of other details about it with Luis and he's very interested. I think I will make a video of me playing that vs my Pono baritone for comparison.

Of course this doesn't negate the need for a real baritone. It's nice to be able to play that tuning on a more portable instrument but I feel much more comfortable playing on the longer scale especially up high. I'm really looking forward to that 22.25" scale and having the 16th fret at the body.
 
So Dave Hepple from Oasis confirms the material construction is the same between the uke warm strings and the GPX+ normal tension guitar strings. I'm pretty surprised at that. As an example of the testing we did, at one point my wife had the high G (0.025") tuned to A while also having the GPX+ 1st string (0.024") on the uke and she alternated between various tests of playing the same passage on either string and I was able to correctly identify each string by ear alone.
 
Did you go with the regular tension GPX or the high tension? I has first tried these strings a few months ago when I switched the steel strings on my Pono UL4-20 tenor guitar to flororcarbon. Even though the instrument is braced and voiced for steel strings the GPX high tension did a great job and sounded really good. I have some regular tension in the wings waiting to go on something

Dave, one thing to note: On your UL4-20 I assume you're actually using the "correct" strings? In other words you're using the 1st string from the GPX high tension set for the E and the 2nd string for the B, etc.? Right now on Pono baritone (20") I'm using the 2nd string (from the regular tension GPX) for the E and the 3rd string for the B. I'm thinking for the coming 22.25" scales that I might have to go for the high tension but using the 1st and 2nd strings for the sets. I've ordered some in readiness for this. On the bottom I'm not sure whether CF30 and CF35 will still work or whether we might have to go down to CF27 and CF30.
 
Dave, one thing to note: On your UL4-20 I assume you're actually using the "correct" strings? In other words you're using the 1st string from the GPX high tension set for the E and the 2nd string for the B, etc.? Right now on Pono baritone (20") I'm using the 2nd string (from the regular tension GPX) for the E and the 3rd string for the B. I'm thinking for the coming 22.25" scales that I might have to go for the high tension but using the 1st and 2nd strings for the sets. I've ordered some in readiness for this. On the bottom I'm not sure whether CF30 and CF35 will still work or whether we might have to go down to CF27 and CF30.

Yes I did use the #1 and #2 strings of the high tension set for the Pono UL 4. I am thinking of the same high tension #1 and #2 for the 22.25" baritone as well. I will have some normal tension on hand as well. The thinner diameter always gives a brighter sound and that is something I strive for with a baritone. The diameters for high tension #1 & #2 are 0.25" & 0.28", normal are. 024" & .027"
 
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One thing to add from all of my own testing of 100s of sets of uke and classical strings...

Thicker or higher tension strings will also allow you to use a LOWER tuning on a given scale length, and in that lower tuning still maintain intonation.

I've found that if intonation is sharp at the 12th fret, using thicker or higher tension strings will usually lower the sharpness of the intonation, i.e., make it closer to being the perfect octave, and this is all WITHOUT any saddle or nut compensation...

Further, on a uke with a straight, uncompensated saddle, using strings that are closer to each other in diameter seems to also maintain intonation variance as you go up the neck, i.e., if your intonation is +2 cents on all 4 strings at the 12th, when you play chords up the neck without any open strings, all of your strings will be more in tune with each other, given that you are fretting them all with equal pressure...

I too have used the Oasis GPX normal tension strings on one classical guitar, the other has the Aquila RUBINO REDS for trebles, both with the Thomastik CF45, CF35 and CF30 'basses' and these are my go-to now for a classical guitar and I use the Thomastik strings wherever I might use a wound string on a uke or uke-like instrument, and been doing so for a few yrs now...

On my ukes, I have several with the Oasis BRIGHT High-G set and prefer both the tone and the tension to the WARM set, on all scale lengths where I have them installed.

Sorry to digress, but I thought some of this info might be helpful to you guys and any one else that might come to this thread later on...
 
Yes I did use the #1 and #2 strings of the high tension set for the Pono UL 4. I am thinking of the same high tension #1 and #2 for the 22.25" baritone as well.

What did you use on the bottom two strings? By the way, I'm not sure if I told you but I'm going with the 22.25" scale for the baritone Jay Lichty is making for me. I have some other crazy things planned for it too. :) Also, I just ordered the deluxe all-Acacia Baritone Nui with the 23" scale to get ready for the longer baritone scale.
 
What did you use on the bottom two strings? By the way, I'm not sure if I told you but I'm going with the 22.25" scale for the baritone Jay Lichty is making for me. I have some other crazy things planned for it too. :) Also, I just ordered the deluxe all-Acacia Baritone Nui with the 23" scale to get ready for the longer baritone scale.

I had used the matching high tension Oasis for the two wound strings. They were Oasis Sostenuto. 037" & .031" for the the D & G strings.

That Jay Lichty baritone with a 22.25" scale length should be pretty amazing. What is the wood combo you are going with again, port orford and walnut???? Sorry I can't remember

Lots of love for the Pono baritone nui. Search youtube for our very own wetigerukes, some great sounds and playing on the nui.
 
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I had used the matching high tension Oasis for the two wound strings. They were Oasis Sostenuto. 037" & .031" for the the D & G strings.

Hmmm, so just to be clear, you're using the 4th and 5th strings high tension basses? So this means you're skipping the 3rd string? How do you find the tension of the basses vs the trebles and how squeaky are the basses? I would have thought that the basses would be very high tension since they are both the high gauge and also tuned up (5th string as 4th string and 4th string as 3rd string).

That Jay Lichty baritone with a 22.25" scale length should be pretty amazing. What is the wood combo you are going with again, port orford and walnut???? Sorry I can't remember

Yes that's right, Port Orford Cedar top and neck and Franquette Walnut back and sides.
 
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Hmmm, so just to be clear, you're using the 4th and 5th strings high tension basses? So this means you're skipping the 3rd string? How do you find the tension of the basses vs the trebles and how squeaky are the basses? I would have thought that the basses would be very high tension since they are both the high gauge and also tuned up (5th string as 4th string and 4th string as 3rd string).



Yes that's right, Port Orford Cedar top and neck and Franquette Walnut back and sides.

Remember the Pono is a small bodied tenor guitar designed and braced for steel strings with a scale length of 22". I wanted high tension strings so I could drive the top to get a decent sound with non-steel strings. I did not find the tension too high, certainly less then the steel strings and the instrument did sound good with them.

I will go with the normal tension for the LfdM 22.25" scale length baritone. That won't be finished until early summer next year so I'll have lots of time to get Luis's input on strings and tensions
 
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Dave, this is the regular tension in this case.

Yeah still loving the LFDM as a baritone and am intending to keep it like that. I shared the info and lots of other details about it with Luis and he's very interested. I think I will make a video of me playing that vs my Pono baritone for comparison.

Of course this doesn't negate the need for a real baritone. It's nice to be able to play that tuning on a more portable instrument but I feel much more comfortable playing on the longer scale especially up high. I'm really looking forward to that 22.25" scale and having the 16th fret at the body.
I would like to try Oasis gpx on my tenors with high G.
Just to be shure, is this the set you used:
http://www.oasishumidifiers.com/product/gpx-carbon-3-string-set-normal-tension/
Also, how long are they? Do I have buy two sets to have sufficient for the A and G string
 
FinnP, yes but a few things to point out:

It appears that the Oasis GPX+ guitar strings are the same material as the Oasis GPX ukulele strings but just different gauge. So, for example, if we look at the Oasis uke strings, looking only at unwound strings:

Oasis uke brights (high G): 0.0215, 0.027, 0.030, 0.023
Oasis uke warms (high G): 0.023, 0.027, 0.030, 0.025
Oasis GPX+ guitar strings treble set: 0.024, 0.027, 0.034
Oasis GPX+ high tension guitar strings treble set: 0.025, 0.028, 0.035

When we replaced the Oasis warms on my wife's Pono Pro Classic Mango (high G) with the Oasis guitar strings, we were getting thicker strings on the 1st, 3rd and 4th (high G) strings and it sounded a lot better. Proof that sometimes small changes in tension (gauge) can make a difference. In fact on that particular uke we've since gone to all nylons using the CN27, CN31, CN39, and CN27 strings from the Thomastik-Infeld set and it sings a lot more now. I'm still using the Oasis guitar strings on a baritone and a tenor strung as a baritone and they are great.

So if you're looking for more tension for a particular instrument, going from the Oasis uke strings to the Oasis guitar strings may help.

To answer your question: Unfortunately all my strings are already on instruments and cut but I am pretty sure the guitar strings are not long enough for two tenor strings. Someone else may have some uncut strings they can measure to confirm.
 
This is no more than a single data point but it may be of interest.

For the first time, I recently used the .023 A string from the warm set in the 1st position on a 17" tenor. It lasted about 4 days before pulling apart mid-span. Given its thickness, it had to be pulled pretty tight to get to A. We know that sometimes a particular string can be defective and this doesn't necessarily mean that someone else will experience the same failure. Has anyone else had a similar failure? On the other hand, has the warm A string proven reliable over time for others?
 
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This is no more than a single data point but it may be of interest.

For the first time, I recently used the .025 A string from the warm set in the 1st position on a 17" tenor. It lasted about 4 days before pulling apart mid-span. Given its thickness, it had to be pulled pretty tight to get to A. We know that sometimes a particular string can be defective and this doesn't necessarily mean that someone else will experience the same failure. Has anyone else had a similar failure? On the other hand, has the warm A string proven reliable over time for others?


I have had no failures from any of the Oasis strings. I currently have 2 ukes strung with Oasis warm on the A & E, both a couple months now. Lots of playing time on them with no issues. I know Chuck Moore uses them as his string of choice for the trebles on the tenors that he builds.
 
This is no more than a single data point but it may be of interest.

For the first time, I recently used the .023 A string from the warm set in the 1st position on a 17" tenor. It lasted about 4 days before pulling apart mid-span. Given its thickness, it had to be pulled pretty tight to get to A. We know that sometimes a particular string can be defective and this doesn't necessarily mean that someone else will experience the same failure. Has anyone else had a similar failure? On the other hand, has the warm A string proven reliable over time for others?

I can provide another data point. I had an issue with the bright A string being pulled in a similar manner by the tuning post. I admit it may be user error, but it appeared my bright A string was getting pulled enough where you could see that part of the string turning whitish and starting to thin out. It never snapped, but I took it off and put another one one. However, in this scenario, it did it again! I ended up subbing one of my southcoast strings. This is on a 17" tenor/

Yesterday I put on a new set of oasis brights with smooth low g on my 17" tenor and I was a little more careful not to overtighten/pull on the A string, and as of last night it was all good. I haven't used the warms enough to provide a data point for you but the 1-2 times I've used them I don't recall having that issue.
 
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