High G vs. Low G--Pros and Cons

Okay all you more experienced, more talented and better looking uke players than I....Low G strings vs. High G strings...what are the pros and cons of each? There has to be more than just which sound the player prefers. Different styles suited towards different strings? I'm about to buy a new tenor and can't decide which strings to put on.

Thanks.

In my opinion, Low-G adds more depth to your arrangements especially when you performing solo or with a singer. The bad side is that the fourth string needs to be replaced really often... at least this is what happened with Aquila. That's why I keep the Low-G only on my Risa Electric Tenor with steel strings
I guess High-G is more charming... and also can be pretty distinctive for an ukulele player.

I use non wound low G Worth strings. I have never had one break on me.

The high G gives more of that classic ukulele sound. The low G gives you some extra notes for fingerpicking, and added richness. It makes the uke, especially with a tenor size, a little more guitar-like. If you like to play melodies/ harmonies, the extra few notes (using low G) gives you more options for suitable keys to play in without transposing. I think you might need two ukes sooner or later. It is easier to find tabs for high G, but if you are just playing chords, that won't really matter. The fingering for the chords will be fine for low or high G.

–Lori

With Aquilas,to avoid the wound string wearing out every couple of weeks,on my tenors,I use
another C string from another set of aquilas! It works,and is not too loose or 'floppy'! Having
been told in advance that it would NOT work,I was well pleased to discover that it does!!!

Just to piggy back onto Lori's excellent explanation above, your next decision will be wound strings.
So typically for High G, wound or plain 3rd and Low G wound or plain 3rd or 4th or both.
Think this is a matter of personal preference as to the sound your looking for. Generally speaking I think the wound strings sustain longer and probably have a fuller sound.
Am fortunate to have enough ukulele's where I can choose at my whim.
Have not experienced a breakage or extra wear with wound strings on guitar or ukulele.
Bottom line.... there's no wrong or bad choice here. Pick one and start playing. Try different strings and explore the choices. It's fun.

Just got my first low-G uke this week. It's strung with Aquila strings; wound G. I must say, I do like them. The sound is full and rich, but perhaps a bit less uke-y, if you know what I mean. Mine is concert sized, and I have another concert in high-G....I think I'll keep them this way, at least for now. It's nice to have one of each tuning and have the option to switch back and forth.

I thought (based on what I've read here) that I wouldn't like the wound string. People say they dislike the sound of their fingers sliding over the string. I've not found this to be a problem for me. I may eventually replace these strings with a set of Worth low-G (unwound), just to see the difference.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying experimenting....

There is room for both high G and low G and plenty of tunes to play on both. The simple solution is to have 2 tenors. One strung high, one strung low. Have you never heard of UAS?....do you need a reason to buy another uke?

There is no need to buy a different set of strings to experiment with low G tuning. Just move your high G string to the E position and move the C & E strings down one position. So string your uke C, E, G, A then tune it low G, C, E, A. This also avoids using a wound string for low G. If you don't like Low G tuning just switch the strings back at no harm or cost other than a few minutes of your time.

I've been using a wound low G, and I like the resonance, but I don't like the squeaks. My technique is limited, but I like to do slides, but the squeaks get annoying. I just ordered a set of Fremont Tenor low G just for comparison from Flea Market Music. I'll re-post after I've tried them.

Dougf said:

[snipped] I'll re-post after I've tried them.

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Just received the Fremont Black fluorocarbon string with unwound low G. The low G is not quite as resonant as a wound string, but it is pretty close. I tried the suggestion of using a C string for a low G, but for me it felt too slack. The fluorocarbon G is not as tight as my wound G, but tighter than using a C string.

These strings were expensive, with S&H close to $15, but if they last, they're probably worth it. I've gone through 3 wound G strings in the past 8 months.

fbrown627 said:

Low G strings vs. High G strings...what are the pros and cons of each?

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Biggest pro: they are an excuse to own more than one uke! Gotta have at least one tuned with each.

Okay: same note, different sound, because they're an octave apart. Low G give you more low-end and allows for downward runs to the G string instead of stopping on the C. More guitar music and more contemporary music is played with Low-G.
High G is brighter and sweeter sound. More traditional. A lot of Hawaiian and vintage 1920s-30s music is played on high-G.

Considering tenors even in High G sound "guitarish" or "less uke-ish": why fight it? For the sake of tradition? I have to say, that even while listening to truly great playing on a tenor in High G (best example: Jake) I hear "guitarish."

For me, tenors in High G always sound like they are tonally skating on the surface (even the best ones), while sopranos and concerts do not per their tuning (more compression related to body size, string spacing). Tenors in High G are really not that much louder than concerts (and even sops) and frequently the opposite is true. Would you buy a dreadnought guitar and put only treble strings on it? People talk about maximizing fretboard real estate. How about the tonal real estate of the instrument's body?

There are certain assumptions going into the discussion of tenors (actually nearly all discussions on strumming inc. sops and concerts), one big one is that rhythms/strums with ukulele and rhythm playing means always playing all the strings. Rhythm playing doesn't mean always playing all the strings. Some of the worst guitar (and uke?) playing involves folks always playing all the strings. As far as brightness, low G affords a brightness (to the A string) by way of contrast otherwise absent in High G. High G and A are practically the same string (like an annex or alt. address)...so the "fullness" of a tenor in High G can be cancelled out or limited for the sake of an overall brightness?. Is this why high G is recommended for "people who want to do mostly strumming" on tenors because the assumption is that you're always playing all the strings? Aren't tenors the size it's often said for instumentals and not the first choice for strumming anyway (not that I agree with all that talk? Why say high G is "better" for strumming? Reentrant cred? In short, there's a lot of nonsense around talk of tenors (and ukuleles in general).

Whether it's High G or Low G strings 1,2, and 3 sound the same if you know how to use them...

I really think that low G is more the natural voice for tenors, even for "strumming." A lot of the arguments for High G have more to do with preserving reentrant tuning integrity than making a tenor REALLY sound its best IMO. In stating pros and cons, is the starting point the dimesions of the instrument's body (and what someone actually prefers or sounds better?) or the idea of "ukulele playing?"

I began using strictly high-G's following tradition and trying to be 'different' from guitar.

But personally, I found that it kinda limited the kind of music I could play.
I like using my Ukes as instruments as respectable as any others; guitar, keyboards, etc - you name it.
And when it got lonely 'strumming' on my own, I decided I'd play my uke with other musicians for a range of music, be it rock, pop and contemporary christian music.

My conclusion is that low-G is far more versatile for these applications. The low-G is better at blending in and contributing to more genres of music (at least in my experience) than high-G which kinda stands out and makes everything sound cheery (whether it's due to my playing, or the tuning itself).

I still do keep my Risa concert stick tuned to high-G though. At the moment, I can only play Sweet Child O' Mine's arrpeggio on a high-G, and I absolutely love that song

I prefer low G tuning mostly, but also like re-entrant high G too.

I have a Larrivee spruce and mahogany soprano which sounds fantastic with a low G - it already has a darkness underneath the rather bright tone, and the low G really exploits that tonal characteristic. I also have my Ohana solid spruce top with laminated mahog back and sides strung with a low G - it sounds great and helps to balance the very bright tone of the uke. The low G gives the Ohana balast, so to speak.

My Kelii koa soprano and my LoPrinzi maple and spruce sopranos are definitely re-entrant ukes - they sound beautiful with the high G and I think they would suffer with a low G.

So it depends on what music I'm playign and also on the isntrument itself. Some sopranos are wonderful with low G, so don't prejudge based on the size of the uke. It's all about the tone and how the uke resonates, in my experience.

LoMa said:

I prefer low G tuning mostly, but also like re-entrant high G too.

I have a Larrivee spruce and mahogany soprano which sounds fantastic with a low G - it already has a darkness underneath the rather bright tone, and the low G really exploits that tonal characteristic. I also have my Ohana solid spruce top with laminated mahog back and sides strung with a low G - it sounds great and helps to balance the very bright tone of the uke. The low G gives the Ohana balast, so to speak.

My Kelii koa soprano and my LoPrinzi maple and spruce sopranos are definitely re-entrant ukes - they sound beautiful with the high G and I think they would suffer with a low G.

So it depends on what music I'm playign and also on the isntrument itself. Some sopranos are wonderful with low G, so don't prejudge based on the size of the uke. It's all about the tone and how the uke resonates, in my experience.

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Thanks for helping me stick to some of my own "rules" even when I don't. It does depend on the individual instrument not simply the size....

BTW, considering Loprinzi down the road for myself. Also my budget priced Lanikai (sim to the Ohana you mentioned): switching to low g like night and day (improvement, IMO).

I think BTW tunings more easily balance tonalities or improve things better than most excursions into string choices.

I do think however that when it comes to tenors the overall body size may point things more favorably even for various tonewoods more favorably towards low g than most people realize, kind of like a head start...I might also add that warmer string choices for larger sized ukes (tenors) when using high g might be better overall....