NursingDaBlues
New member
I guess you could say that I’m pretty much a greenhorn in the ukulele world. I haven’t lurked on the Ukulele Underground Forum. I’m grossly uneducated on the nuances of ukulele. And I’m not sure if “Uke Talk” is the appropriate discussion area to post this; if it’s not, feel free to yell at me all you want.
But I’ve got a major question.
First, though, here’s a little background so you’ll know where I’m coming from. I have roughly 50 years of playing acoustic guitar, banjo, and mandolin. My primary gigging instruments are a ’43 Martin 000-18, ’67 Martin D-28, 2005 Ome Custom Deluxe Juniper open-back banjo, and 2008 Weber Custom Vintage A mandolin; occasionally I’ll use other guitars/banjos/mandolins based on the venue but these are my go-to guys. No pick-ups; all instruments are mic’d. The little group I’m in has centered its repertoire on country-folk along the lines of The Band, John Prine, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, John Hartford, and the like, with frequent forays into Laurel Canyon music. Not too long ago my two stage partners and I decided that a few of the songs on our set list would lend themselves to the inclusion of a ukulele. I have a c.1950s Martin Style 0, but after some experimenting we decided we needed a tad different/mellower voice for the music we offer. So I purchased a Martin 2K Tenor. Our little trio focuses on harmonizing and blending, both in vocals and instruments. While a vintage Martin mahogany tenor would seem to be more applicable to our style of play, the Koa on the 2K adds a really pleasing “chime” that so far seems well-suited to our purposes.
So here’s the question: the Martin fluorocarbon strings seem adequate, but I think I can get a little more “something” from the 2K. But I don’t know a thing about ukulele strings. What strings would you recommend that can serve performance duty with finger picking and strumming, while complimenting the existing warmth of the tenor body. I’ll be sticking with re-entrant tuning to maintain the ukulele feel. It’s just got to be able to blend with an ever-varying combination of instruments, from a concertina, to fiddle (well maybe not a fiddle, but you never can tell), to guitar, to penny whistle. And it’s got to be able to stand alone when called upon. If it helps, I use D’Addario phosphor-bronze mediums on the D-28; Elixer 80/20 nanoweb mediums on the 000-18; GHS nickel mediums (with a muted fiberskyn head) on the banjo; and Thomastik medium flat-wounds on the mandolin.
Thanks for any suggestions you offer!
But I’ve got a major question.
First, though, here’s a little background so you’ll know where I’m coming from. I have roughly 50 years of playing acoustic guitar, banjo, and mandolin. My primary gigging instruments are a ’43 Martin 000-18, ’67 Martin D-28, 2005 Ome Custom Deluxe Juniper open-back banjo, and 2008 Weber Custom Vintage A mandolin; occasionally I’ll use other guitars/banjos/mandolins based on the venue but these are my go-to guys. No pick-ups; all instruments are mic’d. The little group I’m in has centered its repertoire on country-folk along the lines of The Band, John Prine, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, John Hartford, and the like, with frequent forays into Laurel Canyon music. Not too long ago my two stage partners and I decided that a few of the songs on our set list would lend themselves to the inclusion of a ukulele. I have a c.1950s Martin Style 0, but after some experimenting we decided we needed a tad different/mellower voice for the music we offer. So I purchased a Martin 2K Tenor. Our little trio focuses on harmonizing and blending, both in vocals and instruments. While a vintage Martin mahogany tenor would seem to be more applicable to our style of play, the Koa on the 2K adds a really pleasing “chime” that so far seems well-suited to our purposes.
So here’s the question: the Martin fluorocarbon strings seem adequate, but I think I can get a little more “something” from the 2K. But I don’t know a thing about ukulele strings. What strings would you recommend that can serve performance duty with finger picking and strumming, while complimenting the existing warmth of the tenor body. I’ll be sticking with re-entrant tuning to maintain the ukulele feel. It’s just got to be able to blend with an ever-varying combination of instruments, from a concertina, to fiddle (well maybe not a fiddle, but you never can tell), to guitar, to penny whistle. And it’s got to be able to stand alone when called upon. If it helps, I use D’Addario phosphor-bronze mediums on the D-28; Elixer 80/20 nanoweb mediums on the 000-18; GHS nickel mediums (with a muted fiberskyn head) on the banjo; and Thomastik medium flat-wounds on the mandolin.
Thanks for any suggestions you offer!
Broadly, I find that ukulele strings mostly break down into two categories: nylon and fluorocarbon. While there are, of course, variations by brand, I find fluorocarbons strings tend to produce a tone that is described as "warm," "mellow" or "refined," whereas nylon tends to get descriptors like "brash, " "loud," or "pointed." Your mileage may vary.
