I like the idea of D tuning and have found it punchier on a soprano, but I haven't seen any sets for D tuning with a low A, which I think might suit my needs. I'm thinking of buying a low G set made for concerts and using that, but are there better options?
Best strings for Soprano Linear D/Low A Tuning?
- Thread starter bigsciota
- Start date
Jim Hanks
Well-known member
I agree a low G concert should work for low A soprano. You could look at the Southcoast LML-NW set. It isn't listed for soprano but tension wise it seems like it might work.
Croaky Keith
Well-known member
Most strings are sold for use on both soprano & concert anyway, yours will just maybe have a fraction more tension being tuned up to D, & after all, sopranos used to be tuned to D before the 'standardisation' on C tuning. 
igorthebarbarian
Well-known member
Most strings are sold for use on both soprano & concert anyway, yours will just maybe have a fraction more tension being tuned up to D, & after all, sopranos used to be tuned to D before the 'standardisation' on C tuning.
I've found this too - that most Sopranos sound better tuned "up" to D tuning.
I think Dirk/Southcoast has an article on it, about tuning above the resonance. The gist is that the lowest C string in standard gcea tuning is too low for soprano bodies. I'm in agreement.
Jim Hanks
Well-known member
And I'm sure that's why he doesn't recommend the LML set I mentioned for soprano. In fact I think the only linear set he recommends for soprano is the XLL in G tuning which starts at - wait for it - D - and goes up from there - so not the traditional "tune up to D" but an octave higher than baritone.
Still I know lots of people have put low G on soprano anyway and feel it works "ok enough" for them. I have a longneck soprano strung that way and I think it works quite well there, so going up to A on a shorter scale ought to be doable IMO.
Fooling around with D'addario's string tension calculator among other things, I've devised a (somewhat) elegant solution. I have a tenor, and the tenor low G strings seem to be the best fit tension-wise for a soprano in low A, so I'll get a tenor low G set and a soprano set designed for D tuning. That way, if it doesn't work out on the soprano, I'll flip the low string down to the tenor, and be none the worse off.
I know this is probably too much thought to save the extra $10 or so for an extra pack of strings, but the tenor needs new ones anyway, and my girlfriend gets mad at me when I leave extra strings lying around the place!
I know this is probably too much thought to save the extra $10 or so for an extra pack of strings, but the tenor needs new ones anyway, and my girlfriend gets mad at me when I leave extra strings lying around the place!
Jim Hanks
Well-known member
Yeah, but if it does work on the soprano,what are you gonna put on the tenor? Hmmm? : D
Another solution is that some low G strings can be bought as singles. Aquila reds here for example: https://www.stringsandbeyond.com/ukelele.html
Worth here: https://www.stringsbymail.com/ukule...lele-strings-1158/low-g-ukulele-strings-2953/
The Worth are really two strings.
Another solution is that some low G strings can be bought as singles. Aquila reds here for example: https://www.stringsandbeyond.com/ukelele.html
Worth here: https://www.stringsbymail.com/ukule...lele-strings-1158/low-g-ukulele-strings-2953/
The Worth are really two strings.
Actually, in the sets I'm looking at, the high B string of the soprano set is the same as the high G of the tenor. I hope it's the right length, but it should work if I like the low A on the soprano.
