Tenor Strings on Concert?

UkuEroll

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
2,155
Reaction score
0
Location
Hampshire, UK
Hi Guys
Sorry if this has been answered before, I did a search but found nothing.
I've recently got a pack of Tenor Worth clears and the sound is just what I've been looking for. As these come in double length packs, I was wondering if it would be OK to put them on my Concert, they are very very thin, so I was guessing the tension wouldn't be much of a problem.
Has anyone tried this? any input would be gratefully received.
 
Tension should be lower than if you used Concert strings, but other than floppy strings it won't hurt anything. They might work better if you tuned up to "D" tuning (A D F# B)
 
Tension should be lower than if you used Concert strings, but other than floppy strings it won't hurt anything. They might work better if you tuned up to "D" tuning (A D F# B)

This is an interesting topic:rolleyes: Generally, concert strings are thinner than tenor strings, so I think tenor strings on a concert would have higher tension than concert strings. But the tension would be lower than the same strings on a tenor. Does this make any sense?

Also, I've heard that fluorocarbon is much denser than nylon, so stings made of fluorocarbon (e.g. Worth) need to be a lot thinner to have similar tension as nylon strings.

Is there a real concern about fatter strings adding enough tension to damage an instrument? I've always wondered about this.
 
Tenors have a longer scale, but are tuned to the same pitch, so it stands to reason they'd be thinner, not thicker. Brands vary, so YMMV.

Think of a concert scale being a tenor with a capo. Shortening the scale using the same strings will raise the pitch. You have two choices: Slackening the strings to lower them back down to standard, or use heavier strings on the concert to lower the pitch.

So, to my way of thinking Tenor strings will typically be thinner than the same tension Concert strings, not thicker. Or, as you said they can play with the density of the material to do pretty much the same thing. That's why different brands give different results.
 
Hmmm. I'm confused. I totally understand your reasoning, but when shopping for strings, wherever string diameters are listed, it seems tenor strings are thicker than concert strings. This is true for D'Addario, GHS, and Worth.

I understand that this means more tension on a tenor than on a concert. Maybe scale length has something to do with perceived tension:confused:
 
Maybe with the larger body, it needs proportionally more tension to "activate" the face to get the best sound. In that case, ignore all I said before. :eek:

EDIT:
I just too a quick look at www.juststrings.com and it seems you're right. For comparison, the Tenor Aquila "A" string is .67 with a tension of 6.7 Kg. The same brand in Soprano shows .60 and a much lower tension of 3.7 Kg

So it seems you're right. Although what I said was theoretically correct assuming you'd want the same tension, it seems the Tenors generally have a much higher tension than their smaller brothers and sisters.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom