String Thickness

Witters

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If this has been covered before - sorry, but could someone point me in the right direction please. Thanks.

If not, then I wonder if anyone can shed some light here.

Is there a difference in the diameters/circumference of one make of Concert strings to another?
And if so, which is the thinnest and best quality?

I have been used to a Soprano with both Hilo and Aquila strings, but it may be just me but the Aquila strings that came with my new Concert seems very large in comparison. So I changed them and put on Soprano strings which seems better.
Now, if this is in my head then its very strange, unless the Concert came with Tenor strings because they did seem very thick to me.

So is there quality strings out there in Concert size that are thin as the Aquila’s seem huge to me now?

Thanks.
 
Aquilas are pretty thick so thick in fact that it wouldn't fit thru the friction tuner hole of one of my 'ukuleles twice with thinning the line end. Also on some 'ukuleles the grove in the nut needs to be enlarged for the Aquila strings to fit right especially the C string. That being said I love Aquila strings as they make most 'ukuleles sound better. I have a set of Worth browns and clears that I want to try since I hear nothing but praise for them. They are smaller than Aquilas and I'm looking forward to giving them a try just as soon as my Aquilas wear out. ;)
 
See, this is wierd. I have found that Aquila's are thin compared to the strings I have used in the past (mostly GHS, and D'addario.) I have a set of aquila nylguts with no wound C on my tenor, and it's like they're not even there. These are literally the lightest thinest strings I think I have ever tried, and I have pretty much run the gamut of string makers.

Are you guys using the nylgut strings, or is there some other variety of aquila that you are using?
 
I've made the permanent switch from ukulele strings to guitar strings on my ukes. I love the Savarez, but only use them on my Ko'olaus (they're expensive) and D'Addarios on my Flukes & Fleas... The D'Addarios are from a regular tension classical guitar set.
 
Yes, string diameters are different. As to which is best, only your ears can tell you that. You can find the diameters of Worth strings here.

Aquila concert string diameters are; A = .024 E = .030 C = .037 G = .026

D'Addario J92; A = .028 E = .032 C = .040 G = .028

Hope this helps . . .
 
Worths are on the thin side (except for their low G, which is massive), and they sound similar to the D'Addarios. I like the Browns a little better than the clears. Not as loud and punchy as Aquilas, but they're easier to squeeze into a tight nut/bridge and the sound is great on a uke that's already loud.
Seems as though some manufacturers' soprano strings are actually thinner than their concert/tenor strings, while others just label them based on length. Either way, soprano strings will usually fit a concert.
 
This is weird.
Unless Aquila make their Tenor and Concert strings wider than their Soprano one's (which feel ok to me) then there is some kind of optical illusion going on because they are white...

Whatever it is I'm not a fan of whatever size there was on my Concert and feel more happy I changed then to Soprano.
 
Material density plays a part in all of this. Let's talk extremes so you can see the difference: The same diameter in a steel string would require a much higher tension to reach the same note as nylon, nylgut, or gut strings. Also, a thicker string of the same material would need a higher tension to reach the desired pitch. Looking at it another way, a low density Aquila Nylgut would be thicker than a stiffer, higher density nylon string to maintain the same pitch.
 
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I've made the permanent switch from ukulele strings to guitar strings on my ukes. I love the Savarez, but only use them on my Ko'olaus (they're expensive) and D'Addarios on my Flukes & Fleas... The D'Addarios are from a regular tension classical guitar set.

Do you have any vids of how they sound? I went to a guitar place that had some ukes and asked the guy if he ever would put guitar strings on his uke and he acted like it was the end of the world.. but I'm still thining about it.

soo right now i have the D'addario concert set on them and they're pretty good. but no string has really struck me hard and made me loyal to only that kind yet
 
Do some math first, so you find a string thickness that gives you a similar string tension to what you already have. The overall tension is lower than something like a guitar, but you don't want to run the risk of peeling the bridge off of your treasured Uke because of using the wrong strings.
 
...a low density Aquila Nylgut would be thicker than a stiffer, higher density nylon string to maintain the same pitch.


But they're not- as Kanaka points out they are actually .002" thinner than the D'Addarios- and the nylguts are about the lightest action string I've found, very low tension.
 
I've made the permanent switch from ukulele strings to guitar strings on my ukes.
That is interesting. Which strings out of the six do you use?

I found a post by "Will" over at the ezfolk forums where he states:

You can certainly use classical guitar nylon strings in place of hard-to-find baritone strings, but you will need to compensate for the much shorter scale length of the baritone (about 19") vs. guitar (about 25.5"). Generally, you'll want to try to select the thicker gauge strings to counteract the general lack of string tension caused by tuning up to shorter scale length. Try using the guitar A, tuned higher to baritone D; guitar D tuned higher to baritone G; guitar G tuned higher to baritone B; guitar B tuned higher to baritone E.
I am getting my first uke tomorrow (a tenor I won in a drawing). From the pic, it looks to be strung with a high G, as the C appears to be wound but the G doesn't.

What I would like to do is tune it to DGBE to take advantage of the fact that I already play classical guitar. My goal is really just to have some fun with fingerpicking on the uke, and maybe eventually even record some duets with guitar, so would like to have it up to pitch. I have a lot of duet material, but have never been able to wrap my brain around transposing on the fly. :eek:

Also, I have a nice stack of spare classical guitar string sets on hand, so if I can use them on the uke, that'd be a bonus. :)

So, do you think this will work okay? I'm really excited about getting my first uke and hope to be able to hit the ground running. :D
 
I had the exact same thoughts as you. The easiest way to do this is buy the Aquila Tenor "Guitar" set. The strings are made to measure for reentrant dGBE tuning. You can find them at www.juststrings.com and other places. They worked great for me, until my guitar "session" quit, so I put the standard strings back on... for now.
 
FYI, a d'addario pro arte ukulele string set (tenor) is just a repackaging of a selection of pro arte classical guitar strings.

The following strings are used:
Ukulele 1st = Guitar hard tension 1st
Ukulele 2nd = Guitar hard tension 2nd
Ukulele 3rd = Guitar hard tension 3rd
Ukulele 4th = Guitar extra-hard tension 1st

Normal tension guitar strings would be too loose on a uke.
If you have trouble finding a local d'addario ukulele strings dealer you can go to a good guitar shop and just buy single d'addario pro arte strings, prices are usually the same as a set and if you have a concert or soprano you can string up twice with these string lengths.
 
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