Will worth fat strings kill me uke?

ktsa5239

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Hi guys, I've just bought my first high end kanilea tenor and I absolutely love the clarity and the tone! I wanted to try the worth clear on it but the seller sent me the worth clear fat instead. So I though I might as well give it a try. Turns out it feels a lot tighter than before and i feel like I need to pluck harder to get the same volume as before. However, every note seemed nicer, it's richer in a way but I lost some clarity.

Is my kanilea tenor designed to withstand such high tension? Should I remove it before it gets damaged? I worried about the neck and the top warping.

Thanks everyone
 
as a general rule...

thicker strings = tighter playfeel = higher tension = less sustain = more stress on the instrument = more volume = warmer tone

and the opposite as well

thinner strings - softer playfeel = lower tension = MORE sustain = less stress on the instrument = less volume = brighter tone


if the tension is too high or you want more sustain, you can detune down a whole step to Bb tuning, i.e.

F-Bb-D-G and see how that feels and sounds and feels to you.

The result of detuning the Worth CF/BF strings sets are similar to the feeling, sound and performance of the Worth CT/BT tenor strings sets. I have used ALL of the strings Worth makes, see here for the full spec:

http://worthc.to/english/w_strings.html

(scroll DOWN that page to see them all)
 
Try some Living Water strings, they transformed my Kanile'a concert.
 
Well, on one hand, a reputable manufacturer is selling those strings for use on a tenor ukulele. So you would think/hope they wouldn't be selling 'uke-killing' sets. On the other hand, the fats do come in at around 57lbs of tension at tenor scale. And that's pretty high. My advice would be to email Kanilea and see what they think.
 
Hi guys, I've just bought my first high end kanilea tenor and I absolutely love the clarity and the tone! I wanted to try the worth clear on it but the seller sent me the worth clear fat instead. So I though I might as well give it a try. Turns out it feels a lot tighter than before and i feel like I need to pluck harder to get the same volume as before. However, every note seemed nicer, it's richer in a way but I lost some clarity.

Is my kanilea tenor designed to withstand such high tension? Should I remove it before it gets damaged? I worried about the neck and the top warping.

Thanks everyone

If you loved the "clarity and the tone," why did you change the strings? Were you striving for perfection? There ain't none.

Well, I'm old and addled. You'll be wise to skip this post unread. :eek:ld:
 
Jolly's numbers would definitely discourage me from trying this on my ukuleles. 57lbs is unusually high for ukuleles. As far as I know, the Kanile'a 4-string instruments do not have a rod (adjustable or non-adjustable) in the neck, so I'd say it's safer not to use those strings on your tenor. But as Jolly said, write to Kanile'a, or call, and ask them for advice (mention the 57lbs total tension).
 
if the tension is too high or you want more sustain, you can detune down a whole step to Bb tuning, i.e.

F-Bb-D-G and see how that feels and sounds and feels to you.

The result of detuning the Worth CF/BF strings sets are similar to the feeling, sound and performance of the Worth CT/BT tenor strings sets. I have used ALL of the strings Worth makes, see here for the full spec:
So when you lower the tuning like that, what happens when you play with other people? Wouldn't you have to change the fingering of chords? I mean, if you played a G the same way as you did when it was tuned gCEA, then it wouldn't be a G anymore would it? Anyway, I think that I understand that it doesn't make much difference if you are just playing by yourself, but if you are playing with others you would flat. I just always wonder about that when people talk about changing the tuning on their ukes.
 
Since you'd be tuning down you could just use a capo, on the second fret.
 
Although I enjoyed the more mellow tone and alittle bit extra volume, I'm really worried about the neck so I went back to living water strings. Thanks for everyone's input!
 
I briefly owned 3 Kanile'a concerts. I didn't like the sound with the Aquila strings, I changed them out several times for different brands and types. The instruments were dead without the Aquilas I returned two and sold the third.
If you like the sound you got with the Aquila strings, I suggest you put them back on.
 
So when you lower the tuning like that, what happens when you play with other people? Wouldn't you have to change the fingering of chords? I mean, if you played a G the same way as you did when it was tuned gCEA, then it wouldn't be a G anymore would it? Anyway, I think that I understand that it doesn't make much difference if you are just playing by yourself, but if you are playing with others you would flat. I just always wonder about that when people talk about changing the tuning on their ukes.

I have heard Dirk and a few others talk about the B flat tuning and its advantages, and my initial response/question was the same as yours. Capo on 2nd fret seems like the easiest solution. Of course, if it really is that much better, then we could try and convince everyone, around the world to change :)
 
Honestly, Worth Fats always seem to exert to much tension for me. I worried about the potential long-term health of my ukes whenever I had them on there. I don't use them anymore.

That said - I LOVE the regular Worth Clears.
 
I have heard Dirk and a few others talk about the B flat tuning and its advantages, and my initial response/question was the same as yours. Capo on 2nd fret seems like the easiest solution. Of course, if it really is that much better, then we could try and convince everyone, around the world to change :)
I don't experiment enough with strings or tuning to know. In fact I don't experiment at all with them. Maybe I should read Dirk's treatise on strings, it seems he is the authority on it. But I end up playing the ukulele with other people and we pass a lot of music around to each other, and I just wonder is all. I have used a capo before, but I always feel like it is just a patch. I mean, it is in the way and it just moves me up the neck farther. So I don't think that I would like to turn my ukulele into an instrument that always needs a capo to play anything.
 
So I don't think that I would like to turn my ukulele into an instrument that always needs a capo to play anything.

Bb tuning doesn't seem ideal for a concert or soprano anyway, and it depends on the instrument. But you wouldn't always need a capo. The chords are the same, so you'd "only" need to learn how to play, say, a C chord on the Bb tuned instrument, and it would be the same C chord that people play on their GCEA ukes. (But I'm not sure it's worth the trouble of rewiring one's brain.)
 
As far as I've been able to tell, Worth fat sets only change the diameter of the A string from a standard CH set. Looks like their specs on the site are wrong since I've compared the numbers on the packages before. To me, the extra diameter sort of kills the tone. Definitely not an upgrade from CH. Might be interesting if ALL the strings were thicker for down-tuning, but not when it's just the A.

If it's something you like sound-wise/feel-wise and want to continue using, then maybe think about the effect on the uke in the long run. But if a Kanile'a can't handle that tension for a week or two, all is lost.... Don't tune it up to D6 with those strings, but I certainly wouldn't panic in the course of a day. Worth isn't in the business of intentionally breaking ukes.
 
On my Kanilea tenor, I switched the Aquila nylguts to Oasis bright and really liked it. Much more clarity and sustain. They come in a length to provide to sets of strings in a package, and Elderly sells them for $6 and change.
 
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