Pro Arte Strings?

afeistyfiesta

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I ordered a set of tenor ukulele pro arte strings, and the pack that they are in gives certain gauges for which is which, but the strings themselves say "classical guitar strings" and give different gauges...anyone else run into this? Which one is actually which?
 
Take a look on the backside of the package and you'll see a listing of the strings and it's diameters. (A - .028 E - .032 C - .041 G - .029) Now look at the individual string packets and look at the top right hand corner and you'll see the string diameters. Match them up with the info on the backside.
 
They're classical guitar strings that are packed for ukuleles. I strongly dislike this brand on my classical guitars and definitely not on my flamenco. I've tried D'addarios on my Martin as well. They're the worst sounding strings. But, some of the greats use them on their ukuleles. So, I decided to give them a shot. They made my Sceptre sound dead. Worths are definitely the way to go for ukuleles.
 
They're classical guitar strings that are packed for ukuleles. I strongly dislike this brand on my classical guitars and definitely not on my flamenco. I've tried D'addarios on my Martin as well. They're the worst sounding strings. But, some of the greats use them on their ukuleles. So, I decided to give them a shot. They made my Sceptre sound dead. Worths are definitely the way to go for ukuleles.
I have had a different experience wth the Pro Arte's, and really like them on my mahogany concert, I have a set of Worth clears for it but haven't had time to try them yet, so can't compare. I do like them better on that uke than the Aquila's I had on it before, but really prefer Aquila's on several of my other uke's. But as has been said before "your results may vary".
 
I much prefer the clear worth strings. After using only worths for over a year I tried the pro arte's again and I reconfirmed that the worths are better (for me).
 
On my tenor I like playing soft and sweet. I have never used worths but I know I sure love my Pro Arte's. The aquilas were louder but I love the feel of Pro Arte's under my fingers and the sweet sound they make. The ones I get from the UU store come with an insert that explains what goes where. You can always just go by size on string sets. GCEA in order G= 2nd thinnest, C is thickest, E is second thickest, and A is thinnest unless you have a low G of course. Kind of hard to confuse low G strings though.

Here is a picture
 
obviously you normally find the correct gauge on the strings and compare it to the box, but they don't match up in this case...the pack says

A .0285 in. 12.5 lbs
E .0327 in. 9.5 lbs.
C .0410 in. 9.8 lbs.
G .0290 in. 10.3 lbs.


The strings say:

E .029 in. 15.8 lbs.
B .041 in. 12.0 lbs.
G .033 in. 12.4 lbs.
E .028 in. 16.4 lbs.


Should I guess that the weights aren't right, and just match up the diameters as closely as possible?
 
It is confusing, this is why we insert this extra slip of paper into all of our orders for pro arte strings. Here it is if you want to download it and print it
daddariotenorinsert.gif


Pro Arte String Guide
 
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They're classical guitar strings that are packed for ukuleles. I strongly dislike this brand on my classical guitars and definitely not on my flamenco. I've tried D'addarios on my Martin as well. They're the worst sounding strings. But, some of the greats use them on their ukuleles. So, I decided to give them a shot. They made my Sceptre sound dead. Worths are definitely the way to go for ukuleles.

I use D'Addario Pro Arte lightly polished strings on my classical guitar. I've always considered them to be almost a reference string, quite good all around sound not too bright, not at all muddy or plasticy sounding. This may not appeal to everyone but I have consistently good results with them. Haven't yet tried 'em on a ukulele. Both my ukes came strung with Aquilas and I also like those, although the slightly rough texture does make a unique sound of its own when my RH fingers move along a string.
 
They're classical guitar strings that are packed for ukuleles. I strongly dislike this brand on my classical guitars and definitely not on my flamenco. I've tried D'addarios on my Martin as well. They're the worst sounding strings. But, some of the greats use them on their ukuleles. So, I decided to give them a shot. They made my Sceptre sound dead. Worths are definitely the way to go for ukuleles.

The reason many ukulele professionals use the pro artes is because they are sustain junkies. They want notes to ring out as long as possible when played. The pro artes are some of the best when it comes to this.The are very much strings for the soloists and those who do a lot of finger picking. They also don't "blow out" when strummed (is that a word) really hard which is nice for intense strumming.

If you're just looking to strum and sing along casually, worths and aquilas are probably a much better option.
 
The reason many ukulele professionals use the pro artes is because they are sustain junkies. They want notes to ring out as long as possible when played. The pro artes are some of the best when it comes to this.The are very much strings for the soloists and those who do a lot of finger picking. They also don't "blow out" when strummed (is that a word) really hard which is nice for intense strumming.

If you're just looking to strum and sing along casually, worths and aquilas are probably a much better option.

That's interesting that you say this as I use classical and flamenco techniques on my ukes, and classical and flamenco guitars. Finger picking makes up at least 90% of my playing, even on my steel string. The D'addarios sound very stiff and don't give me much sustain at all. They're dull and dead to my ears. I've tried quite a few packs of these because I was determined to like them. I do have a "beater" uke and flamenco, but I've only used these strings on my high quality instruments. My Sceptre sounds like a cheap thick laminate with these particular strings on it.

Brittle is the best word to describe these strings, IMO, like they'll shatter at any moment. I also think it sounds like an instrument's true sound potential is blocked by these strings. I can hear it when played and it usually sounds like something is missing from the sound, even when the most talented musicians are playing their custom instruments. Just my opinion though.
 
obviously you normally find the correct gauge on the strings and compare it to the box, but they don't match up in this case...the pack says

A .0285 in. 12.5 lbs
E .0327 in. 9.5 lbs.
C .0410 in. 9.8 lbs.
G .0290 in. 10.3 lbs.


The strings say:

E .029 in. 15.8 lbs.
B .041 in. 12.0 lbs.
G .033 in. 12.4 lbs.
E .028 in. 16.4 lbs.


Should I guess that the weights aren't right, and just match up the diameters as closely as possible?
I couldn't tell you if the tension are right or wrong. I usually match up with diameters and have never had a problem with tuning them.
 
I'd agree that the D'addarios aren't suited for simple strumming. But if you're into the fancier stuff, they seem to do pretty well for me.
 
That's interesting that you say this as I use classical and flamenco techniques on my ukes, and classical and flamenco guitars. Finger picking makes up at least 90% of my playing, even on my steel string. The D'addarios sound very stiff and don't give me much sustain at all. They're dull and dead to my ears. I've tried quite a few packs of these because I was determined to like them. I do have a "beater" uke and flamenco, but I've only used these strings on my high quality instruments. My Sceptre sounds like a cheap thick laminate with these particular strings on it.

Brittle is the best word to describe these strings, IMO, like they'll shatter at any moment. I also think it sounds like an instrument's true sound potential is blocked by these strings. I can hear it when played and it usually sounds like something is missing from the sound, even when the most talented musicians are playing their custom instruments. Just my opinion though.

Sounds like a case of different strings for different ukes which is pretty common. It's pretty hard for anyone to have experience with every uke string combo, which is what makes trying them out part of the fun i guess (or maybe part of the frustration :) )
 
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