Hi everyone,
I wanted to explore Bb tuning and, following some advice here, I opted to try it with Worth Brown Fat strings.
Just wanted to share my experience, if anybody is interested.
Re-Entrant
I mounted the Re-Entrant Worth Brown on my beloved Kala Ka-SRT-SC. I was little worried that the strings could be too tight or too floppy. I didn't know exactly what to expect. I was worried Worth Brown was not a good choice for a spruce top uke, but I always liked the Brown more than the clear, so I took the risks.
Well, nothing to worry about it seems.
On this uke I tried Aquila Nylgut (stock strings) but after a couple of weeks I realized I did not liked 'em at all (I am not a fan of Nylgut so it is not a surprise for me), then Living Water (that I love on other ukes, but here I was not so convinced), Red Series (liked 'em until a string broke).
The Worth brown sounds amazing on this uke.
With Fat set, Bb tuning is just perfect. Not too tight, not too floppy.
And with Bb tuning this uke has become really resonant and alive (at least, to my ears).
After a week, the strings are yet stretching a little bit, but they seems great so far.
I have to say I prefer thinner strings, but if I want the Bb tuning I have to compromise.
Linear
I mounted the Worth Brown Fat Linear on my "old" Fluke tenor.
Tension-speaking, the 4th strings is a little too floppy for my tastes (The 4th string Fat set has the same thickness of the tenor set) but nothing unplayable.
The silver lining is that the 4th string has little less volume than expected (but just a bit) but more sustain, perfect on some style (I think "alternate bass" country strum/pick is great with this setup), but if you apply too much strength the 4th strings becomes a little "twangy" (sometimes I can be a "too entusiastic" picker/strummer so I need to take care)
And with a wider neck the "thicker" strings problem is not an issue.
I have to say Bb tuning did not made the "resonant and alive wow" effect I experienced on the other uke on the Fluke. Maybe it is the smaller body, the materials... or just my ears.
It's not bad, not bad at all, but not that "awesomeness".
I will keep 'em for a couple of month and we'll see then.
Probably, if I went back, I'd buy the Clear CF-LGEX instead of BF that is the only set with a thicker 4th string (so I think tension would be less floppy on that string), but I don't know if I like that much how the Bb tuning sounds on the Fluke.
Anyway, thanks for your time and hope it could be of some help.
I wanted to explore Bb tuning and, following some advice here, I opted to try it with Worth Brown Fat strings.
Just wanted to share my experience, if anybody is interested.
Re-Entrant
I mounted the Re-Entrant Worth Brown on my beloved Kala Ka-SRT-SC. I was little worried that the strings could be too tight or too floppy. I didn't know exactly what to expect. I was worried Worth Brown was not a good choice for a spruce top uke, but I always liked the Brown more than the clear, so I took the risks.
Well, nothing to worry about it seems.
On this uke I tried Aquila Nylgut (stock strings) but after a couple of weeks I realized I did not liked 'em at all (I am not a fan of Nylgut so it is not a surprise for me), then Living Water (that I love on other ukes, but here I was not so convinced), Red Series (liked 'em until a string broke).
The Worth brown sounds amazing on this uke.
With Fat set, Bb tuning is just perfect. Not too tight, not too floppy.
And with Bb tuning this uke has become really resonant and alive (at least, to my ears).
After a week, the strings are yet stretching a little bit, but they seems great so far.
I have to say I prefer thinner strings, but if I want the Bb tuning I have to compromise.
Linear
I mounted the Worth Brown Fat Linear on my "old" Fluke tenor.
Tension-speaking, the 4th strings is a little too floppy for my tastes (The 4th string Fat set has the same thickness of the tenor set) but nothing unplayable.
The silver lining is that the 4th string has little less volume than expected (but just a bit) but more sustain, perfect on some style (I think "alternate bass" country strum/pick is great with this setup), but if you apply too much strength the 4th strings becomes a little "twangy" (sometimes I can be a "too entusiastic" picker/strummer so I need to take care)
And with a wider neck the "thicker" strings problem is not an issue.
I have to say Bb tuning did not made the "resonant and alive wow" effect I experienced on the other uke on the Fluke. Maybe it is the smaller body, the materials... or just my ears.
It's not bad, not bad at all, but not that "awesomeness".
I will keep 'em for a couple of month and we'll see then.
Probably, if I went back, I'd buy the Clear CF-LGEX instead of BF that is the only set with a thicker 4th string (so I think tension would be less floppy on that string), but I don't know if I like that much how the Bb tuning sounds on the Fluke.
Anyway, thanks for your time and hope it could be of some help.
