Fremont Blackline Strings for a soprano

J_Tay81

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I've never heard of these strings but MGM recommended them for a Flea I own. How do they compare to Aquilas (besides not being white!) :)
 
They seem very similar to ORCA carbon strings or Worths. Very thin compared to Aquilas & probably closer to the sound of Worths.
 
They are thin and it took my fingers awhile to get used to them after the Aquila, but I love them.
 
Are they designed for gCEA tuning or for 'D' tuning? I prefer the 'C' tuning personally. It seems when I buy strings made for 'D' tuning and tune them to 'C' they are always a little loose-feeling.
 
They were fine on a mahogany soprano I have but a little higher tension that the Worths and a little less sustain. I had them on a hog tenor though and hated them, but on Worth Brown mediums instead, much happier, the Worths bend better, have more clarity and sustain on the tenor. I expected them to pretty much be a black Worth comparable and they weren't, at least on that tenor.

Aquilas are fatter and rougher feeling. They are great on the right uke. I'd have MGM set me along a set of each of the others, try them all. Different ukes can change dramatically with different strings.
 
Don't have a soprano, but have them on my KoAloha tenor. They are clear and bright sounding, but definitely are tough on the fingers initially compared to Worths or Aquillas.
 
I've tried a few different sets on my Fleas (Soprano/Concert), and I like the Freemont Blacklines the best. They are a thinner string than the aquilas. Smoother, bit brighter/clearer sound to me. They made all the difference once they settled in.
Cheers,
Skottoman
 
I switched my Kamaka pineapple from Worth CM clears to Fremont blackline and... I'm never going back. I know there's a lot of comparisons between the two string brands, but to me Worths have always sounded a little thin for my taste, especially on those sopranos that tend to be quiet anyways. The Fremonts just make the Kamaka sparkle, and I can't stop playing it. The sound is much more full without sounding brash (like Aquilas). I also love how glossy and smooth the strings feel. I will always use the Fremonts on my uke! Love 'em!
 
That tears it -- I bought some Blacklines with the intention of putting them on a new Flea (which came strung with Aquilas), but then thought maybe I'd be better off putting them on my Kala spruce top (which also has Aquilas), couldn't make up my mind so I haven't done anything with them. OK, I'm putting them on something. Probably the Flea. Or maybe the Kala. Flea? Or...
 
Regarding the Fremont/Aquila/Worth comparison.

I find Fremont Black Line strings to be a little more textured in their feeling than Worths, but less textured than Aquilas.

For strumming this is not a big deal, but when finger picking (on a very resonant uke) with Fremonts I hear the rasp of the fingers against the strings. I hear this with Aquilas also.

Worth strings appear to be smoother in texture and my experience is that they have less of a rasp when finger picking.

All of them are nice strings, but if you finger pick and have an instrument that is very thin and resonates well, a less textured string may be the way to go.
 
When I got my Mainland Red Cedar Pineapple from the original purchaser he had Fremont Blacklines on it. I really liked the way it sounded! It really "rang."

Always thinking I can make it better I just put a set of Worth Browns on it. They sound great too. I figure they would mellow out the brightness a bit and they did. But I'm not sure if I like it better or not. I'm thinkging, not.

Had the Worth Browns on my long neck Kala first. Probably for a few weeks. Sounded nice and felt good to play but might not have sounded as good as the Aquilas that were on it before.

Just put a set of Ken Middleton's Living Water Strings on the Kala and I like them a lot. May try Worth Clears on it next.

Have Worth Clear low G on the OU-2 Concert and like them a lot. I like the unwound C - never tried a wound one - but it seems boomy vs the others.

I do love the sound and the feel of the Fremonts on the Mainland. I don't know if they were the high tension or medium, I would guess the medium, they felt great and almost stretchy but held tuning well. Sound really nice when picking.

I may just put a set on the Kala, too. It's the one I grab most.
 
At 7 dollars a set, looking forward to your opinion of them, J.
 
I bought a set of Fremont blacklines to go onto my Fluke tenor neck but the Aquilas are still going strong on it, after reading some of the posts in this thread though i am looking forward to the time when it comes to restringing the Fluke
 
Funny you should ask. I just put a set on the Red Dolphin. Up til now I have only used Aquilas, but I think I'm gonna like these.
 
I like them on my Kamaka soprano and concert. Much thinner than Aquila strings.

I'm getting a Kamaka soprano and deciding on strings. Im thinking either Martins or Fremont Blackline med tension. Any specific thoughts you could give me. Thanks!
 
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