The difference of strings

Hi
Been playing for a couple of months now
I bought a lanikai concert of ebay and I am really enjoying it.
After reading a lot about strings and there differences I decided to
have a go at changing mine to see if it would make much difference.
I dont know what strings where on the uke they were see thru ones.
Any after watching a lot of string comparison videos on you tube
I decided to go with aquilas.
I set about changing them and got confused quickley they had coloured
dots on each packet and it said red is one the 1st string , but which is the
1st string I looked on the net and found no diffenitve answer so I worked on copying what was on the uke the second down was the thickest so I figured that this must be the 3rd string and it seemed to work.
It was quite fiddely changing them but I think I done a good job.
The real task was getting it in tune again and this took ages.
Using a korg tuner I kept getting it right but it quickly lost tune, this went on for ages about an hour or so.
Eventually I got it in tune now it was time to see if they made a difference.

MY GOD - This thing is fabulous now like a different instrument I thought it sounded nice before but now it just sings you can feel it in the body vibrating after playing a chord.Wonderful.
So I advise beginners like myself to go ahead and have a go at changing the strings it will be worth it in the end.

The thickest string (C) is the 3rd string. The one above that (G) is the 4th and the other two are your 2nd (E) and 1st (A)

New strings are more prone to falling out of tune as they need time to stretch and break in. If you're using friction tuners then make sure it's screwed in tight enough (not too tight though) Sometimes you'll tune a string and the tension is so high that it'll just pull itself back out of tune.

I'm glad it's been a positive experience though

Here's a video that helps a lot too for anyone else looking to take the plunge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Saxrv0y_XYI

upgrading your strings can do wonders for your instrument, and at about 5-7 bucks for premium strings I can't recommend it more.

sounds like you got there in the end!

if you are right handed, the 1st string is closest to the floor.

Once on, they will fall out of tune and need stretching. Tune them, but a couple of fingers under one string about halfway along its length and pull (gently) away from the fret board. re-tune, and repeat - you can speed up the break in very very quickly that way.

I'd also recommend to try different strings. It can make a huge difference.

I, for example, first used Aquilas on my Kanile'a tenor K1 (it came shipped with these) and liked them.

Then I tried Worth Browns which were really different: a lot thinner, have a different surface, more mellow, more difficult doing slides, etc.

Recently, I ordered Aldrine's DVD and took the chance to also get some D'Addario Pro Artes. I put them on and they were completely different as well: rather thick (thicker than Aquilas) which doesn't hurt your fingers as much as thinner strings, different to play (easier, I'd say: sliding is easier because the frets don't stick out that much, they tend to forgive mistakes more than the Worths, ...), and you don't get that much of an "in your face" sound (well, actually kind of muted, at least to my ears).

Then I finally tried Worth Clears a couple of days ago and ... wow! These strings really sound good on this uke. They seem to be louder, have better sustain and intonation is also great. I also like the look and feel (even though there might be strings that are easier to play). The only downside is that they make a bit of noise if you hit them with your fingers (similar to Aquilas; not the case with Worth Browns). So my string search seems to have come to end... hmm...

As a sidenote: regarding the "can you hear a difference between Worth Browns/Clears" discussions that come up often: with that particular uke and strings I've tried there's definitely a very notable difference, even though I often can't hear a difference in youtube videos.

Sorry for this much text (and my excessive use of parentheses...).

Btw, besides Aldrine's video about changing strings this video was of great help to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU42wHlS-NY