Adventures In Flourocarbon - The (Savarez) Alliance Strikes Back - Fluoro Singles

jollyboy

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This is kind of a tangental continuation of my other recent thread. My ongoing quest to find the perfect string set for my new baritone uke has led me down a few rabbit holes of late and I'm starting to think it's time to explore some "frankenset" options. I have been reluctant to do this primarily because it means buying full string sets and only using half the contents, which seems horribly wasteful to me. It's not really the cost, it's really the wastefulness. However, I may have discovered a potentially awesome solution.

So... Savarez Alliance KF strings. They're fluorocarbon. According to the Savarez marketing machine they were the very first carbon instrument strings available. They're made by Kureha Corp in Japan, who were one of the first large-scale manufacturers of PVDF (aka fluorocarbon). Kureha also make Seaguar fishing line (cue ominous organ music). All of which may be the long way round of saying that they have a good 'pedigree' and seem to be generally well regarded.

And?

And they are available to buy, in a very wide selection of gauges, in single 1 meter or 2 meter lengths.


Having only recently made this discovery myself I feel like I want to ask the question... "Didn't anyone ever think of mentioning this before!?!" :p

A google site search of UU pulls up a couple of passing references, but not much more.

While others may now be thinking "meh" this feels like a pretty significant revelation to me. I can now buy singles of the carbons that I want in pretty much any of the gauges that I want. And... that... is... so... cool... :cool:

Having managed to find a German online supplier I've since ordered two 2 meter lengths of the exact gauges I was looking for to use as trebles on my bari (namely 0.0244 inches and 0.0319 inches). I plan to match these with D'Addario silver wound basses (also available as singles). This may be the most excited I've been over Christmas this year - just got to patiently wait for them to arrive in the post now.

Anyway, the main point here was really to share the info about the Savarez singles. Hopefully, others who like me had no idea that they were available may find this helpful. Cheers.
 
LOL. You made me laugh and grin with the opening remarks. Sounds like a win to me.

So you are going to pair the Alliance KF 0.0244" and 0.0319" as your E and B strings respectively with the D'Addario NYLW030 and NYLW035 as your D and G strings respectively??

or have you sourced a vendor/distributor to get the pvdf strands from Kureha, without the Savarez 'branding'?

For the first time I just put a set of the Martin M630 strings on a Lanikai LU-21B, having previously only used the middle four strings from the Thomastik-Infeld CF127 string set since I really like the chrome flatwound strings in that set, and their nylon aint too shabby and seemed balanced tension across all four, the M630s are still breaking in, and the trebles are fluoro and not nylon and seem a bit loose just yet, but we shall see...

Prior to that, like you with the frankensets, I had used the B and E strings from the Worth Baritone set (same gauges as the BF and BS sets) with the Thomastik CF35 and CF30 singles for the D and G strings respectively.

I've not yet tried ANY Savarez strings on ukulele, but I have a set of Savarez "RED CARD" classical strings in the que for my Cordoba Mini SM-CE (dont recall the set #)...

I will be following your progress with interest. :)
 
I love you man!!!!!

Check out the same website for Oasis singles. They come in normal and high tension gauges. I have used them for trebles on baritones and they work great. So do the wounds which you can buy as singles as well.
 
I love you man!!!!!

Check out the same website for Oasis singles. They come in normal and high tension gauges. I have used them for trebles on baritones and they work great. So do the wounds which you can buy as singles as well.


I love you too. (no homo) :)
 
So you are going to pair the Alliance KF 0.0244" and 0.0319" as your E and B strings respectively with the D'Addario NYLW030 and NYLW035 as your D and G strings respectively??

I am initially going to try a NYL028W and a NYL033W. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, these are the gauges that Mya Moe uses on baris (and those guys seem to know what they are doing). Secondly, my own calculations (based on the admittedly-less-than-reliable D'Addario unit weight charts) would suggest these gauges will give me more evenly matched tension.

or have you sourced a vendor/distributor to get the pvdf strands from Kureha, without the Savarez 'branding'?

No... but how cool would that be? I think you might have to buy by the kilometer though if you were sourcing straight from the manufacturer :p

For the first time I just put a set of the Martin M630 strings on a Lanikai LU-21B, having previously only used the middle four strings from the Thomastik-Infeld CF127 string set since I really like the chrome flatwound strings in that set, and their nylon aint too shabby and seemed balanced tension across all four, the M630s are still breaking in, and the trebles are fluoro and not nylon and seem a bit loose just yet, but we shall see...

My own experience with all Martin strings is that they do seem to balance tension very well. But, yeah, the M630s do feel ever so slighty loose/floppy.

I will be following your progress with interest. :)

I'll be sure to report back when I'm in the process of getting my bari's bridge glued back on :)
 
I love you man!!!!!

Check out the same website for Oasis singles. They come in normal and high tension gauges. I have used them for trebles on baritones and they work great. So do the wounds which you can buy as singles as well.

Thanks for the tip Dave - I've heard good things about the Oasis wounds :)

I love you too. (no homo) :)

I thought he was talking to me! :p
 
Having only recently made this discovery myself I feel like I want to ask the question... "Didn't anyone ever think of mentioning this before!?!" :p

Anyway, the main point here was really to share the info about the Savarez singles. Hopefully, others who like me had no idea that they were available may find this helpful. Cheers.

Actually, I have mentioned this several times in various other string threads. I have found searches don't always reveal everything you might be searching for.

I am using the same set up on my baritone right now. The same Savarez trebles and I went with the 030 and the 035 for the bases. The silver wound 035 is what D'Addario uses in their own baritone set, but they use a carbon for the g string instead. I prefer a 50/50 string set so I went with the 030 silver g based on other sets using a 030 for the g string.

I like the set Savarez set, but will give the D'Addario carbon baritone set a try next. I will swap out the carbon g string that they use with an 030 silver wound as well. I am fond of the D'Addario tenor carbon strings, so I want to try their baritones as well.
 
I thought he was talking to me! :p

Maybe. Sorry for the interception. If it's any consolation, I am glad that we are all 'brothers in arms' with all things ukulele...

I promise not to be jealous if the affection was meant for you, but I admit that I would be a little disappointed if Dave no longer has any affection for me...LOL :)
 
Actually, I have mentioned this several times in various other string threads. I have found searches don't always reveal everything you might be searching for.

Hi hammer40 :)

Actually IIRC it was mostly your comments that I found - just not much of anything else. It can't hurt to mention the Savarez singles again. As you say searches don't always turn up what you're looking for and if you google 'ukulele strings' you're unlikely to find them (since they seem to be marketed as being for 'early instruments'). So, maybe someone will find it helpful that this thread exists.

I am using the same set up on my baritone right now. The same Savarez trebles and I went with the 030 and the 035 for the bases. The silver wound 035 is what D'Addario uses in their own baritone set, but they use a carbon for the g string instead. I prefer a 50/50 string set so I went with the 030 silver g based on other sets using a 030 for the g string.

Good to hear that you went with the same gauges for the trebles :) I also prefer two wound basses, and that .030/.035 combo certainly does seem popular. I still think I'm gonna try .028/.033 first, then we'll see where we go from there.

I like the set Savarez set, but will give the D'Addario carbon baritone set a try next. I will swap out the carbon g string that they use with an 030 silver wound as well. I am fond of the D'Addario tenor carbon strings, so I want to try their baritones as well.

Since the D'Addario set has the exact same treble gauges it will be interesting to see if you feel there is any significant difference. You should report back with your findings :)
 
Maybe. Sorry for the interception. If it's any consolation, I am glad that we are all 'brothers in arms' with all things ukulele...

I promise not to be jealous if the affection was meant for you, but I admit that I would be a little disappointed if Dave no longer has any affection for me...LOL :)

The ......I love you Man!!!! was intended for jollyboy for bringing the Saverez single strings to our attention.

But no worries Booli I love you too Man!!!!
 
The ......I love you Man!!!! was intended for jollyboy for bringing the Saverez single strings to our attention.

But no worries Booli I love you too Man!!!!


LOL. You guys are GREAT. Shaka & Mahalo. Made my day. :love:
 
I'm curious why you decided on the D'Addario wounds and not Savarez? I have been thinking of doing exactly what you are with my Cordoba 32T, though I think I will get both flouro and nylon trebbles to see which I like better, but was thinking of using all Savarez strings. Nothing against the D'Addario as I have used them on other ukes. Is there something about the Savarez that makes them less appealing? Even doing the advanced Google search idea I couldn't find anything about their wounds on ukes.

John
 
I'm curious why you decided on the D'Addario wounds and not Savarez? I have been thinking of doing exactly what you are with my Cordoba 32T, though I think I will get both flouro and nylon trebbles to see which I like better, but was thinking of using all Savarez strings. Nothing against the D'Addario as I have used them on other ukes. Is there something about the Savarez that makes them less appealing? Even doing the advanced Google search idea I couldn't find anything about their wounds on ukes.

John

I'm going with the D'Addarios for quite pragmatic reasons. Firstly, they're easier for me to get hold of here in the UK (unless anyone knows any different - in which case I'm entirely happy to be told I'm wrong). Secondly, I have used them before, with good results, as basses on a low-G tuned tenor. So they are the devil I know, so to speak.

I'm sure the Savarez wounds would work perfectly well and might even result in some magical all-Savarez-strings synergy :)

With regard to the D'addarios, I would suggest doing a google site search of the UU forums (try site:forum.ukuleleunderground.com D'addario wound). Just copy/paste into your google search box and some stuff should show up :)

Edit: Also Mya Moe use the D'Addarios as wounds in their custom sets.
 
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Also...

If everything goes to plan and the gauges I have selected work out as well as I'm hoping they will then I may well try some Seaguar fishing line next. I've already checked and my chosen string gauges match their 40lb and 80lb blue label leaders. The upfront cost is higher, obviously, but the cost-per-string is quite a bit less.
 
Thanks Jollyboy. I agree about the D'Addario being easier to find, I can often find a wound that'll work for low G at my local guitar shop. It was the Savarez wounds I was having problems finding any info on, even using the Google method. I think I'll just order some and see how I like them and post my opinion here.

John
 
It was the Savarez wounds I was having problems finding any info on, even using the Google method.
John

Apologies - I misread your previous post. It may possibly be that, because the Savarez singles are marketed as being for 'early period instruments', it makes them less 'visible', in the sense that they won't show up on searches for ukulele strings or even guitar strings.


I think I'll just order some and see how I like them and post my opinion here.


That sounds like an excellent idea :) Report back with your findings.
 
I just thought I would post about the situation I saw two days ago--went to a local Martin dealer who had five or six Martin ukuleles in stock...and did not have any Martin strings. That seems odd to me...having instruments over $1600 on hand and not offering the strings...
 
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