Question re Tenor String Gauge

maikii

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I am surprised that tenor uke string gauges are thicker, heavier, than soprano or concert strings.

Let me explain:

At first consideration, it might seem natural, for a larger instrument to use thicker, heavier strings. For instance, a string bass has much heavier strings than a violin.

However, that string bass is tuned much lower than a violin! Whereas usually tenor, concert, and soprano ukes are tuned to the exact same pitches. Therefore, if one used the exact same strings on tenor and soprano, to tune to the same pitches, stretching to a much longer scale on tenor, will give a much higher tension, even with the same string. One would think that tenor strings would be lighter and thinner than soprano strings, in order to get the same pitches on a longer scale.

For instance, a requinto guitar tunes to the same pitches as standard uke (of course with two extra strings) (same as guitalele tuning). Yet it is a larger instrument, about the size of a 3/4 guitar. In order to get those same pitches on a longer scale, the strings are thinner than uke or classical guitar strings.

Why then, are tenor strings not thinner and lighter than soprano strings, as one would imagine, but on the contrary, they are heavier and thicker?
 
The person to answer that would be Dirk from Soutcoast Ukuleles, username: southcoastukes
 
Hello maiki,

Your reasoning is good except for one anomaly.

Tenors are built heavier. They don't have to be, but that has been the tradition with them since they were first introduced. The original tuning was a high re-entrant G tuning (standard Baritone with a high 4th). You needed heavier construction for that much string.

The heavier strings for C tuning today are to excite the heavier construction on the soundboard. Without that, the sound would be somewhat weak.

We are one of the few to build them light - pretty much like a soprano. In that case, you can and should use lighter strings - giving you better response and more vibrato.

More discussion is here:

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...lele&highlight=Tunings+Standard+Tenor+Ukulele
 
Thanks for the info.

Why would heavier construction be necessary, to tune the tenor like a bari? Tuning it lower=less string tension.

Do people who switch to tenor uke from soprano or concert, or from classical guitar for that matter, find the tenor strings too heavy and tight?
 
Why would heavier construction be necessary, to tune the tenor like a bari? Tuning it lower=less string tension.

If you drop the tuning with any given set of strings you do lower tension. You reach a point, however, where the tension is too low to be playable. Then you move to thicker guages. That increases tension.

The original Tenor key of G tuning used very heavy strings - therefore the need for the heavy construction. Sttel string construction, for example, is much heavier than for classical strings.

Do people who switch to tenor uke from soprano or concert, or from classical guitar for that matter, find the tenor strings too heavy and tight?

Classical guitar tensions are somewhat variable, but yes, many people who are used to the original ukulele designs find Tenor tensions to be much different.
 
If you compare the tension of strings between a soprano/concert and a tenor, the tension on the tenor is far greater.
Hence the thicker gauge strings.
 
Actually, I think thicker gages are not so necessary with fluorocarbon strings. Fluorocarbon is much stronger and denser than simple nylon. I've found that the same fluorcarbon strings that I use on my concert-scale ukes work fine on both of my Mainland tenors (mango tuned reentrant, cedar tuned low-G). The reentrant set is basically equivalent to a Worth CM set but with a slightly lighter E string. The low-G set is the same but with a .091 low-G fluorocarbon string.

In both cases these string sets gave up a little volume to the strings that were removed (Aquila in the case of the mango, some very thick nylon tenor strings in the case of the cedar). However, it wasn't much, the intonation remained about the same, and the tone is quite nice.

Even the Worth CT set is only very slightly thicker than the Worth CM, and only on the outside strings there. The inside strings (C & E) are identical in the Worth CL, CM, and CT sets. The CT A is the CM G and teh CT G is what I'm actually using for the E in my homebrewed sets.

Not all tenors are created equal, though. I had a Lanikai 8-string acoustic/electric that was very dead acoustically - the Aquila 8-string tenor strings couldn't get any acoustic volume out of it, so I doubt that any other string could have done.

John
 
Well, true that carbon strings can be much thinner to get the same tension.

So yes, a tenor strung with fluorocarbon strings will have much thinner strings, than one with nylon strings.

However, the tension will be similar, much more tension than the strings on any other size uke, and I think much more tension than most strings on a classical guitar as well.


Actually, I think thicker gages are not so necessary with fluorocarbon strings. Fluorocarbon is much stronger and denser than simple nylon. I've found that the same fluorcarbon strings that I use on my concert-scale ukes work fine on both of my Mainland tenors (mango tuned reentrant, cedar tuned low-G). The reentrant set is basically equivalent to a Worth CM set but with a slightly lighter E string. The low-G set is the same but with a .091 low-G fluorocarbon string.

In both cases these string sets gave up a little volume to the strings that were removed (Aquila in the case of the mango, some very thick nylon tenor strings in the case of the cedar). However, it wasn't much, the intonation remained about the same, and the tone is quite nice.

Even the Worth CT set is only very slightly thicker than the Worth CM, and only on the outside strings there. The inside strings (C & E) are identical in the Worth CL, CM, and CT sets. The CT A is the CM G and teh CT G is what I'm actually using for the E in my homebrewed sets.

Not all tenors are created equal, though. I had a Lanikai 8-string acoustic/electric that was very dead acoustically - the Aquila 8-string tenor strings couldn't get any acoustic volume out of it, so I doubt that any other string could have done.

John
 
I guess I wasn't clear - the point I was trying to make is that with fluorocarbon strings the tension on a tenor will be greater than on a shorter scale, but not necessarily to the same degree that occurs with nylon strings.

I.e. with nylon strings you need to go to thicker gage strings to handle the higher tension - and that in turn means that you have to increase the tension even more to bring the nylon strings in tune. With the stronger fluorocarbon strings you can actually use "concert" strings on a tenor - i.e. you don't need to go to thicker strings for strength - and therefore the tension, while higher than on the concert, will not be as much of an increase as occurs when using nylon strings. So, for example, when I removed nylon strings from a recently acquired tenor, in favor of some fluorocarbon Seaguar leaders similar to a set of Worth CMs, the tension decreased substantially making the uke easier to play. I gave up a little volume, but only a little, and intonation remained good.

John
 
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