Martin's new strings

Gotta say, I love 'em. Couldn't stand the old ones, but these new monofilament strings sound crystal clear, stay in tune, have good volume and feel great. I've strung up my custom spruce Pohaku with them and they sound superb. Previously strung her up with Aquilas, Freemonts, Worth Clear and Browns, and Savarez, but the Martins make her sing like never before.
Now going to put them on my Fleas - sop and concert - and, if I can get hold of a tenor set, on my Maui Music (pre-fire).

Luckydog

Aloha Luckydog as your user name impies,
Thanks for sharing your happy story with us on your experience with martin strings..I tried their Martin flurocarbon strings on the Martin I used to have
and for me I noticed the the old Martin Nylon Strings sounded better...don't know if I maybe I just got a bad set? MM Stan...

I'm using Martins on my vintage Lyra baritone. They give it a clear, guitar-like sound, in part because of the woods in the uke. I like what I hear.

When you say their "new strings" are you referring to the 630s?

I just put a set on my Kala KA C and I like the way they sound.

I've tried several vintage soprano & concert ukes (mahogany, koa & spruce) with the new Martin strings. Was skeptical until I started strumming, and changed my mind quickly. They have a nice clear, singing tone. I still like Aquillas for strumming newer ukes (laminate, or solid) and Worth browns for my feeble attempts at fingerpicking, and Worth clears on my Mahalo 320Tenor.

Martin's new strings are a great match for my vintage Martin style 1. Aquila's were just a bit too strident for this uke. I've also tried the Martins on my concert Flea and I liked them on that uke too.

Allen, the "new" Martin strings are sets M600 for soprano/concert and M630 for Baritone. They use fluorocarbon which is the same material Worth strings are made from. They don't make a set for tenor ukulele although I did have the M600 set on my Martin tenor for a while.

- Steve

i've tried them on a few sopranos and like them a lot!

Noticed these in a local music shop today and, since I was intending to try Hilos out on my soprano anyway, thought I'd give them a go - half intending them to maybe go on my concert.

I've literally just put them on and am still stretching them, but they sound nice on a spruce-top soprano - quite 'guitary'.

They seem very quiet, though - noticeably more quiet than Worth browns (and Aquilas, obviously, but like bassfiddlesteve I found Aquilas to be loud to the point of obfuscation on my Kala)...

I might whip 'em off and pop them onto my (cedar/rosewood) concert - I think they'd suit it.

I ordered some for soprano/concert and baritone. I look forward to seeing how the baritone sounds with them.

One wonders what took 'em so long, with that history!

I've tried a number of brands on my 1960's Martin O: Aquilas, Worth CM, Worth CD, and Martin Fluorocarbon strings. Generally speaking, while the Aquilas are the loudest, I don't think I can achieve a vintage sound with them (they sound great on my Kala cedartop). The Worths sound better, although I cannot ascertain much difference between the two tensions. A local dealer has a Martin O of the same vintage as mine. He has Martin fluorocarbon strings on it. I played this instrument and thought that it had a lot of presence and crunch. I believed my Martin was a bit lacking in these areas. I was reluctant to try the Martin strings, as I had read some negative reviews of them. But, when I did eventually try a set, my uke had the same tone qualities as I had heard from the dealer's uke. They are not as loud as the Worths when picked, but they are very clear sounding, and they are very punchy when strummed. I really like this dynamic contrast. Also, it seems that the longer I have them on, the better they sound - as if the instrument begins to resonate with the type of strings.

They are thin strings, even thinner than the Worths, so they take some time to get used to - the initial tendency is to throttle the neck since you can barely feel then under your fingers. You can produce a great variety of tone with them, not only by shifting from picking to strumming, but by changing where on the body or neck you are picking or strumming. They seem the most responsive, in this way, to me.

I'm not sure why they have gotten a bad rap, elsewhere I mean (not on this thread); perhaps it is the older nylon strings that people didn't like.

I think you are right about people being down on the old Martin nylon strings hmgberg. I cannot express in words how worthless I think their nylon strings are.

However, I really like their new fluorcarbon strings a lot! I put them on my vintage Martin O and they are richer than Aquillas (which were just to loud, bright, and punchy on this uke). Also, it seems like most music stores stock these strings now which is great since it makes a decent set of strings available now at local guitar shops.....which is nice. If you haven't tried these strings yet, IMO, they are worth a go....

I agree that the new Martin fluorocarbons are a great match for a vintage Martin uke. I also like them on my Favilla soprano. Aquilas are great strings but not my favorite for vintage instruments.

- Steve

I would try them on my Favilla too, if I had one! I've been interested in hearing/playing one, but have not had the opportunity. So, bassfiddlesteve, tell me - how does your Favilla compare to your Martin?

hmgberg said:

So, bassfiddlesteve, tell me - how does your Favilla compare to your Martin?

Click to expand...

As good as the Martin is, the Favilla actually sounds fuller. It's really the best sounding soprano I've ever owned. Here's a thread I started recently about this uke: Favilla thread

- Steve

Thanks, Steve! The hunt is on.

Steve is right! I am sitting here playing my Favilla while several other uke's hang on the wall. My Favilla has a fuller sound, is still bright and sounds like a uke but has a more lower end to it. I saw one for sale on the local Craigslist and almost posted it on UU just so someone here might pick it up as they are just exceptional ukulele's.