ukuleleJared
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Hey UUers, I was wondering, if I want a Low G string, do i have to get steel/guitar strings? Or can I still use the nylon GHS strings that came with it?
Low G
- Thread starter ukuleleJared
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jinny
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they have separate low g strings. wound/steel and plastic... or some DIY'ers will go with the proper guage fishing line. using the existing string will be too slack to work properly. the proper guitar string could work... but with any wound/steel string (even those made specifically for uke) you will probably have to make the notch in the nut bigger... and depending on the bridge type you might have to make some adjustments there too... meaning, if you have to modify, you may not be able to go back to reentrant tuning easily. I was able to go with a uke specific Low G plastic string without modification on the three ukes I've done it to.
look around. there's plenty of talk/discussion about it. have fun.
kissing
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Most low G strings are wound with steel (they're not "steel strings", they're silk wound in steel I think - like on Classical guitars, not steel-string guitars).
The reason is that nylon strings as thick as low G tend to not sound very bright/loud.
Try the Aquila low-G string set. I had one on my Soprano, and they make the low G quite thin. I didn't need to do any adjustment to my uke
The reason is that nylon strings as thick as low G tend to not sound very bright/loud.
Try the Aquila low-G string set. I had one on my Soprano, and they make the low G quite thin. I didn't need to do any adjustment to my uke
Brewerpaul
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I just put brown Worth low G strings on my Lanikai ST tenor and they sound great. Very easy on the fingers too. The low G is NOT wound.
Boozelele
Well-known member
Correction to one of the above posts. You don't normally have to make the groove in the nut wider. I have gone back and forth with no trouble at all. Steel low G strings are not that much bigger in diameter than nylon high G. I recently changed my low G steel to flourocarbon also with no trouble. You should be able to try low g, and if you dont like it go back to high G, with no nut modification. Besides no one likes to modify their nuts.....well, i can't say no one...but i sure dont.
jinny
Well-known member
hee hee... "modify their nuts" I like my nuts the way they are too.
I'm guessing that your correction was to my post... and I've been able to swap back and forth on most of my ukes too... but I do have one old soprano from the 40's siting around with some unusual tuning/intonation problems that began after I tried some Aquilla wound Low G strings. the wound string is definitely thicker than the original plastic. I sort of forced it into the nut and bridge... the wood at the bridge where the string pulls thru has clearly abraded to accomodate the thicker string... and the nut too... switching back is not possible now... well, it doesn't sound quite right... so I keep it as low g. Moral of the story- don't force it. Be gentle to your nuts.
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hee hee... "modify their nuts" I like my nuts the way they are too.
LOL, spitting up coffee!
Boozelele
Well-known member
hee hee... "modify their nuts" I like my nuts the way they are too.
I'm guessing that your correction was to my post... and I've been able to swap back and forth on most of my ukes too... but I do have one old soprano from the 40's siting around with some unusual tuning/intonation problems that began after I tried some Aquilla wound Low G strings. the wound string is definitely thicker than the original plastic. I sort of forced it into the nut and bridge... the wood at the bridge where the string pulls thru has clearly abraded to accomodate the thicker string... and the nut too... switching back is not possible now... well, it doesn't sound quite right... so I keep it as low g. Moral of the story- don't force it. Be gentle to your nuts.
Oh yeah, I can see where you might run into that with a soprano. I was thinking tenor.
And there should be a completely separate thread specifically addressing nut care. You would think an important topic like that wouuld have been covered. I'll do a search....oh wait, I found it... it's just on a different website.
