Strings, believe it or not they DO make a difference!

thejumpingflea

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So I have a Kamaka Concert Deluxe and love it to death. I've always used D'addario strings (because they were cheap, AND conveniant to buy)

The other day I was at my favorite music store (Dusty Strings for the win!) and decided to buy some Aquila Nygluts as I knew that I needed to re-string my uke. (Understand I had the same strings on for a year!)

I go home and put on the Aquilas. Only one word describes the difference. WOW! It has better intonations, overtones and the playability is much better. Who knew $7.80 would make that big of a difference.

So the reason I write this thread is for all you people like I who think that strings don't make a huge difference. Guess what? They do! So spend that extra couple bucks for those nicer strings, you'll be happy you did. :nana:
 
I wonder how many people on these forums really think that strings do not matter. I think it is more like common knowledge that even a lesser sounding uke can be helped by a set of good strings. Luck you though, for having a nice uke to start with.
 
I wonder how many people on these forums really think that strings do not matter. I think it is more like common knowledge that even a lesser sounding uke can be helped by a set of good strings. Luck you though, for having a nice uke to start with.

Truthfully I didn't think that strings didn't matter as much as they wouldn't make a huge difference in the sound the uke produces. Boy was I wrong!

Maybe it is just me though and everyone else knew that strings made such a drastic difference in the sound of the uke. In that case....

Dunce.jpg


:D
 
my brother needs to restring his concert, the music store i go to doesnt sell aqilla but i sw them online. wats the differnce between high c and low c

I believe that it means one will be a wound C string and the other will not. In my personal preference I like my C string to be not to be wound, but it is a matter of personal preference.
 
Sometimes guitar players can think strings don't make a difference, which is why my husband thinks me insane for discussing differences between sets of strings and why I look forward to restringing a uke. He just always picked out the closest strings at hand.

No, he wasn't a classical guitar player... in fact keyboard was mostly his thing but in his family you had to know how to play more than just piano or just guitar (Not that his parents were music taskmasters. I just mean that it was the done thing to pick up something and play.). :music:

I swear though, he hears no differences at all between the sets of string while with me it's like night and day. Right now I'm prefering the Worths, but with the koa Flea I think aquilas do just as well... just a different kind of well.

While we're talking about audible sound differences and strings, I'll throw out there that there are differences in sound depending on which cables you use in your audio setup. Now THERE is a can of worms for audiophiles everywhere. ;)
 
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the strings topic has been discussed in incredible depth. but keep in mind, no two ukuleles are the same. what will work great with one, may not be so nice with another.

in your case there are a couple of things to consider:
you had your strings on for a year. usually strings will go "dead" (meaning not sounding anywhere near as good as new ones) long before a year goes by (depending on how much you play). so at that point, you probably coulda put any new strings on there and noticed a difference.

on the other hand:
no one brand of strings is going to be awesome on all instruments. you will need to do some experimentation. i was a believer in worth strings, but when i put them on my pono, it made it sound waaaay too wiry for my tasted. but i loved how the d'addarios sounded. on my makala, the d'addarios were so-so, but the worths made the uke SING. i was hating aquilas for a long time because they werent sounding that great to me at all, but i had a spare set. and when i got my koa pili koko, i strung her up with them and maaaaaaaan.... butter.

keep in mind, im no authority on strings. ive just done a good amount of experimentation. trial and error. spent the money to find what "works" best, instead of what "is" best. coupled with the awesome discussions that can be found on these boards about this same subject, i was able to come to this conclusion.
 
i guess its like anything really.. anything that comes stock with most things isn't usually the best... when u buy something that includes batteries - normally they are pretty shabby. Tennis rackets are my example, they make a difference - its like.. instead of having a sword in a fight.. you have a gun..
 
Nukedoc has a point. I just recently changed strings after a year. I had GHS strings and i heard about the worth browns with a low G. It has a pretty warm sound but the low G has too little tension so it rattles. i'm gonna buy another set but with the high G which should have more tension on it. This is my first trial and error so far.
 
I assume that my Kala KA-S comes with GHS strings? I play almost everyday, so how often should I change my strings and any recommendations for what type of strings, so many names out there.
Thanks.
:confused:
 
I assume that my Kala KA-S comes with GHS strings? I play almost everyday, so how often should I change my strings and any recommendations for what type of strings, so many names out there.
Thanks.
:confused:

Unless you bought it from MGM, yeah, it probably comes with something like that.

I've got Worth clear mediums on mine. Sounds like buttah.
 
Ghs

Still though, a good player can sound good even with "bad" strings. Gordon Mark still uses (or at least as of a few years ago) the old black GHS strings that used to come with every uke you'd buy fifteen years ago. That said, for guys like me, strings make a huge difference. I'd be nothing without my super top secret strings! (thomastik-infeld classical guitar strings)
 
spent the money to find what "works" best, instead of what "is" best.

VERY well said.

i guess its like anything really.. anything that comes stock with most things isn't usually the best...

I need to disagree a bit here. I've seen too many occasions where a player takes an `ukulele, swap strings because they heard its the best, then complain about buzzing and intonation. I've even seen instruments returned to the factory under those circumstances.

On the other hand, there are clients who request a certain set of strings when ordering their Custom instruments, even after the builder advises them otherwise. I think its amazing that someone would want an instrument built around a set of strings, rather than match strings to the instrument.

One topic that always seems to be missing when discussing the subject of strings - what else needs to be done to the instrument. More often than not, the instrument should be set up again. This leads me to question: Had the instrument been properly set up after a string swap, would the player still say that the set was junk?
 
VERY well said.



I need to disagree a bit here. I've seen too many occasions where a player takes an `ukulele, swap strings because they heard its the best, then complain about buzzing and intonation. I've even seen instruments returned to the factory under those circumstances.

On the other hand, there are clients who request a certain set of strings when ordering their Custom instruments, even after the builder advises them otherwise. I think its amazing that someone would want an instrument built around a set of strings, rather than match strings to the instrument.

One topic that always seems to be missing when discussing the subject of strings - what else needs to be done to the instrument. More often than not, the instrument should be set up again. This leads me to question: Had the instrument been properly set up after a string swap, would the player still say that the set was junk?

Hmm i would say its a personal opinion then.. i haven't actually changed my ukulele strings but i was just referring to tennis rackets to be honest because i change my strings all the time.. and they always turn out for the better..

As for my LU-21T i was thinking of changing to aquillas but i don't want no buzzing noises and im worried that i won't be able to string it properly and never get strings back on my ukulele hahaha.

But these strings are fine.. im going to buy some soon actually just depends when i switch them or not..
 
i hate it when i get in conversations like this...

Kekani said that once people change their strings they get a buzzing noise, which i DON'T want when i change my strings..

FYI - I dont have Aquilas on my tennis racket.. and no they can't buzz.

i don't understand what u even mean deach..
 
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