New Ukulele strings ideas

oldden

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I know this subject has been brought up many times but there may be new opinions that have not been aired before.
I am interested in playing fingerstyle with melodies and considering changing my tenor Ukulele strings to low G to give the extra range.
The fun bit is what strings do I buy. Read the reviews and you get so many opinions that it is, at least to me confusing. Also, It would be interesting to know what strings not to buy for playing fingerstyle.

Oldden
 
Ken Middleton sells Living Water strings, low and high G. Good for all types of playing. They tune up quick, hold tuning after only a few hours(I overtune a full tone and leave for a few hours).
 
I think the first question should be do you want a wound or unwound low G string? If you prefer unwound there aren't that many options for you. The aforementioned Living Waters, all Worth strings, and Aquila Reds (at least the single string low G you can buy separately) come with an unwound low G. If you don't mind wound strings then the next question is what kind of sound you prefer. The general idea is fluorocarbon and nylgut for brighter sound, and nylon for a mellower sound, but that is quite a generalization and doesn't take into account personal preference at all. Personally, I would just buy a couple of different types of string sets and try which ones you prefer if you aren't that familiar with different strings beforehand. For fingerpicking specifically, I would avoid strings like Aquila Sugars or Martin Premiums simply because the feel of those strings is quite rough and squeaky.

If you wanted some general answer for what are the best strings for fingerpicking, then I don't think there's a right answer for that. It always comes down to preference at least on some level.
 
My go-to Low G setup for a tenor is Worth Brown Fluorocarbons with a Fremont Soloist "squeakless, polished" wound Low G string. Living Water non-wound Low G sets are also good but I missed the Fremont wound G string.
 
All great suggestions. I personally prefer the Fremont Soloists with Worth Clear Fluorocarbons. As the saying goes, "different strokes for different folks."
 
Note that different folks like different low Gs. Now it's your turn. Buy a few different ones (consider it the price of an education) from the great suggestions here and try them all. What matters the most is the feel and sound that you like.
 
I (just barely) prefer the Thomastik Infeld CF30 flatwound string over the Fremont Soloist for low g. They are both great strings, but I find the TI to be slightly less boomy and blends well with several different fluorocarbon sets that I’ve tried. It is also squeakless like the Soloist.
 
I (just barely) prefer the Thomastik Infeld CF30 flatwound string over the Fremont Soloist for low g. They are both great strings, but I find the TI to be slightly less boomy and blends well with several different fluorocarbon sets that I’ve tried. It is also squeakless like the Soloist.
Okay, HERE is a good place to find & buy Fremont low G single string (which I heartily recommend).

I found your recommended Tomastik low G's at Strings by Mail. Ordered 2 for testing. They are ~38% more expensive than the Fremonts so I hope their sound sends me straight into an ecstatic coma. (^_^)
 
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Okay, HERE is a good place to find & buy Fremont low G single string (which I heartily recommend).

I found your recommended Tomastik low G's at Strings by Mail. Ordered 2 for testing. They are ~38% more expensive than the Fremonts so I hope their sound sends me straight into an ecstatic coma. (^_^)

If you really like the TI, the CF27 makes a great C string if you like a wound C. I know they’re a bit more expensive, but they’re worth it for me. YMMV though. Hope you love ‘em, but not so much that you end up in a coma!
 
I prefer Aquila Super Nylgut for fingerstyle as they are fairly thick and facilitate precise play. I did not have to unwind a string for a good sounding match as the plain Aquila Red fits nicely in terms of tone, and so far it has lasted more than five years. Other low G strings may only last for hours or days of vigorous playing but your mileage may vary of course.
 
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