Tenor strings on a Soprano

rvabdn

rvabdn

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I mistakenly bought a set of Aquila Tenor strings to put on my soprano. The strings I have on it are fairly crappy so I'm wondering of it's worth sticking the tenor ones on anyway while I wait for the sopranos to turn up.

What's the likely result of using stings which are two thick?
 
They will probably feel too loose and not work very well.


My recommendation:
Save the strings and get a Tenor too later :D
UAS.. infectious..
 
Ha yeah I had thought about that. I've just ordered another soprano though so it might be a little while until they get used. I'll probably just buy some more soprano strings.
 
Another concern is the slots in the nut would probably have to be filed to get the thicker strings to the correct hieght. The slots in the bridge may have to be enlarged too, so I'd get a soprano set and just keep these until you get a tenor ( it's inevatable, you know!).
 
Tenor strings will be too tight on a soprano. You might actually risk damaging it. In any case, as someone has already pointed out, the nut slots will not be wide enough. Just wait for the proper strings would be my advice.
 
Ken Middleton said:
Tenor strings will be too tight on a soprano. You might actually risk damaging it. In any case, as someone has already pointed out, the nut slots will not be wide enough. Just wait for the proper strings would be my advice.
Click to expand...

:agree: With the same scale length and string material, thicker strings will need higher tension to produce the same frequencies.

But it has always confused me why tenor strings are thicker than soprano strings. Since the scale length is longer, don't you need even more tension to produce the same frequency:confused:
 
eldaddy007 said:
:agree: With the same scale length and string material, thicker strings will need higher tension to produce the same frequencies.

But it has always confused me why tenor strings are thicker than soprano strings. Since the scale length is longer, don't you need even more tension to produce the same frequency:confused:
Click to expand...

String thickness needs to be in proportion to the body size of the instrument. You could certainly use thinner strings on a tenor, but you would not get the volume or tone.
 
eldaddy007 said:
:agree: With the same scale length and string material, thicker strings will need higher tension to produce the same frequencies.

But it has always confused me why tenor strings are thicker than soprano strings. Since the scale length is longer, don't you need even more tension to produce the same frequency:confused:
Click to expand...

I was looking at the specs on Aquila strings and noticed that the GCEA for Baritone are the same as for the Soprano/Concert. The Tenors are the thick ones.
The Aquila BanjoUke strings come with a wound C, I switched to all plain soprano, I like the feel and sound. I have used concert strings on a tenor, it is like using a lighter guage string, a little less full/volume, but feels good.
 
Ken Middleton said:
String thickness needs to be in proportion to the body size of the instrument. You could certainly use thinner strings on a tenor, but you would not get the volume or tone.
Click to expand...

So I guess the actual measurement of tension isn't the same thing as the feeling of hardness or stiffness. In other words, compared to sopranos, tenors need more tension to produce a similar feel. I think I can live with that.
 
I use tenor strings (RISA Premium fluorcarbon aka Worth Brown Tenor) on my sopranos. I never experienced any problem, neither with tension nor with the nut slots. The RISA strings are one-size-fits-all and work perfectly fine.
 
There are three things which affect the note a vibating string will produce (four if you count what the string is made of).
1- the LENGTH of the string. The longer the string, the lower the note and vise versa.
2- the DIAMETER of the string. The thicker the string, the lower the note.
3- the TENSION on the string. The tighter the string, the higher the note.
All of these together play their role in selecting the right string for the right instrument.

Ken Middleton said:
Tenor strings will be too tight on a soprano. You might actually risk damaging it.
Click to expand...

Right you are Ken, but might I add that it would only be a problem if tuned to GCEA. Tuning a few semitones flat would probably work.
 
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