Anyone Got An Opinion On D'Addario Ukulele Strings ?

Leodhas

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Anyone Got An Opinion On D'Addario Ukulele Strings ?

I've recently got into ukuleles (Always been a guitar player) and simply have two cheap and cheerful soprano ukes, one that I bought offline from Thomann music and a light blue makala dolphin which I love almost as much as my Guild acoustic. It has to be the best value for money instrument ever ( I'm currently in the middle of recording a tune in my home studio which will primarily feature the Dolphin ).

Anyway, I'm starting to think about my first uke re-string, using the harley benton uke I bought ( As I've already referred to this is a very cheap and cheerful uke, the quality of which comes nowhere close to the dolphin so hopefully a re-string with some descent strings might up it's game a touch ) . I've noticed everybody sings the praises of the Aquila Nylgut strings. However, I use D'Addario strings on all my guitars and was wondering if anybody can tell me if their Uke strings are any good?

Thank You for any help,

Louie.
 
I don't like them. I've tried the pro-arte and black nylon.
 
I have Pro Artes on a tenor and I do like them for that particuar uke. Not sure if I'd like them for a soprano. You should give Worths a try. Brown or clear. I prefer clear, but like the browns too.
 
I think they are the exact same strings as their guitar strings. Just re-packaged. As for how they would sound, I have no idea. Try them and let us know.
 
cornfedgroove said:
I dont like them much either...also dont like GHS or Hilo. Martin fluorocarbons arent terrible. Kala Reds aren't bad...

I'd go with Worth Browns
Click to expand...

Yea but which worth brown for a tenor? I get confused by all the options. I was trying to get a set of worth browns that are somewhere near aquila tension. I never could figure it out.
 
Pro Artes really only sound good on a really nice uke that is being amplified in my experience.

D'Addario Titanium T2's are my favorite strings to use on a uke, but not on a soprano.

What sort of sound are you looking for? If you are just talking about restringing the dolphin stick with Aquilas.
 
I just put on some D'addario black nylons yesterday to experiment with a non-standard stringing (low-g with a high-g set). The tone's not bad but the tension is terrible. The slacky-ness makes it real easy to bend the strings out of tune when doing something challenging like the Dmaj style barrre chord. They're also really quiet, which I suspect is a symptom of their being so low tensioned. I just came out of some Worth clears that I liked ok, but I really miss the Aquila's that came with the uke in the first place.
 
I have limited input as far as uke strings go. I have used aquila, martin, and vinci. So far I like aquila. But in relation to this thread... guitar string debates is something I have been around for years. I would assume the uke string choices to be as such. It all comes down to a very personal choice no one can make for you. Your ears will hear it different than maybe mine would... what I consider to be a great tension and feel... you may find un-acceptable. Try em' all and let your ears and hands choose.
 
I like the pro artes a lot. Sound and feel. But I haven't tried a lot of strings yet. I have d'addrio pro artes classical guitar strings on my kanile'a
 
The Pro Arte and Titanium lines are probably the most worthwhile. But they are massively thick and wouldn't be good on a soprano. Aquilas are almost universally the best strings for inexpensive soprano ukes.
 
I have Pro Arte on my tenor right now and love them. I had Aquilas on before and they sounded horrible! I've also tried Salvarez and Worth. On my POS soprano I have Aquilas, which make it sound a lot better. It really depends on personal preference and how the different strings sound on individual ukuleles. Luckily strings are relatively cheap, so you can buy a whole bunch and just try them out!
 
i have d'addario pro artes on my not-quite-so-expensive tenor and they make it sound amazing. i have played sopranos with ghs and aquila and really like the aquila. my concert just game strung with aquilas and i'm really digging them. my cheapie soprano is strung with martin fluorocarbons and they really do make the instrument sing. i think next time i'll put on aquilas just to try them out. strings (especially for a uke) are farely inexpensive; if you don't like a set, change them
 
There are two types, clear Pro-Arte (J71) and black. I have tried both. I personally don't care much for the black, but then I have yet to find a set of black strings I really like from any manufacturer. They all seem to thin, too quiet and too soft.

The D'Addario clear set is okay. It's very smooth, with very little friction, so playing them is very nice. They are not as loud or bright as Aquilas, but they have a nice, lasting ring. And they're easy to bend.

If you want to brighten your sound and make it a bit louder, go with Aquilas. If you want smooth fingering and a more mellow sound, try the Pro Arte set. Since stings are not terribly expensive, it's not a big investment to get both and experiment.
 
i have the pro-arte j71's strung up on my kanile'a. i tried aquilas and worths and hated them. then i found the j71's and loved it. even better was when i heard about their titanium string set and i ordered those and slapped them on. tension is great as well as tone.
 
Here's the D'Addario Ukulele string listing. IMO, the Pro Artes and T2's seem to have the best feel and tonal quality. As stated above, instrument build is a factor.
 
Last edited:
ichadwick said:
There are two types, clear Pro-Arte (J71) and black. I have tried both. I personally don't care much for the black, but then I have yet to find a set of black strings I really like from any manufacturer. They all seem to thin, too quiet and too soft.
Click to expand...

Ian, you should try the Pro Arte J50 series. I too didn't the black nylons available, until I found them. On the right instrument, the feel of the string is closer to the T2's compared to the J46's (clear - this is where the J71's come from if I'm not mistaken), yet the black nylon provides a brighter, clearer sound. Unfortunately, when looking for Black Nylon D'Addario, most people think the `ukulele strings are all they have, and they stop looking any further.

Of course, we all know where the T2's stand in the lineup. Personally, I like the sound of Savarez Alliance (for about 90% of my instruments), but prefer the "feel" of the T2's. Both have the ability to play an instrument SOFTLY, cleanly, without issues.

As for the list of D'Addario, I usually order from here:
http://www.stringsbymail.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_41

-Aaron
 
Last edited:
Thanks to all for feedback, I think i'll try worth strings and give the D'Addario J65 a go (may aswell) I have both the soprano ukes tunes to g/c/e/a, can anyone suggest an alternative?
 
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