looking for a warmer sound.

matth252

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tl;dr version. I want a warmer sound. new strings or new uke?


Ok here's my problem, I bought this flat arched back zebrano bruko soprano second hand and I'm absolutely loving it.
Nevertheless the sound is a bit too high pitched for my likings on most songs, there's nothing wrong with it, I'd just like a little mellower of a sound if you know what I mean.
What could i do to get a mellower warmer sound from my uke?
I'm currently rolling with aquila nylguts but maybe pro arte's or fluocarbons give a warmer sound? or would I be better off buying a concert?
And if so, what kind of wood to look for? Koa, mahogany, spruce, cedar, mango?
I'm already saving up for anoter uke anyways and i was planning my budget to be about 300 euro tops, but I live in belgium so please keep that in mind.

Wat are my options? Any tips, advice , references, anything helpfull will be greatly apreciated.

happy strummings, matth ;D
 
A lot of people tend to like Worth Browns for a warmer, more mellow tone, but it could also be possible you will never get that soprano as "warm" as you would like. If you are like the rest of us, you will want another uke eventually. Play as many ukes as you can.
Mahogany tends to be warmer (ha, except with the Kala travel uke), Worth brown strings do too, and you may even want to try low g if all else fails.
 
Yep, strings are cheap so definitely worth (pun intended) a try. I'd try some fluorocarbons before I gave up on the uke.

John
 
I agree, Worth Browns took the bark out of my Zebra Wood soprano. Typically, the more mellow woods would be mango, mahogany and koa. Brighter woods would be cedar, spruce, and maple. Aquila strings tend to brighten, so bear that in mind. Strings can make a big difference, but you have to experiment a bit.
–Lori
 
Haha wow thanks for all the fast reply's.
I will definetly try to get a set of worths then,
will be one hell of a ride getting those in belgium tough...
And about the ukuleles, does mango really sound warm like koa?
Becouse i'm madly in love with special wood grains and curly mango gives me wet ukulele dreams :p

Greets matth, ps sorry for typos and horrid layout, i'm working from an ipod
 
I don't find mango that warm myself. Do you want the martinish tone? The size of the uke does not always mean it will be warmer either. Listen to the youtubes of the Bruko no. 6 which is mahogany. I wonder if that tone is one you'd like? Also the Ohana mahogany sopranos if you like sopranos--maybe the SK38?. My Hamano Soprano sounds warmer than my Hamano Concert so size does not necessarily do it. Pro Artes don't sound very lively to me. Martin Fluorocarbons sound better to me. If you want to spend more I listened on youtube to the Kiwaya KTS-4 and it sounds nice.
 
Glad to hear you're loving your ukulele!

Aquila nylguts are the least mellow strings available. They're great for getting maximum volume and sustain, but lack the low end response needed for getting deep, mellow tones from many sopranos.

Try fluorocarbon strings (Worth, Martin, Fremont, Orcas) or quality nylon strings (Ko'olau, Southcoast) before you go ukulele shopping again.
 
Ok, so i'm trying to get worth strings, but i'm having a very hard time locating a shop that carry's them in belgium :/ anyone any idea's on how to get worth's martins or something similar in europe? except for ebay becouse i don't have paypal.
 
This is the first stage of UAS. You love your ukulele, but want a different sound. You want to keep the one you've got, too. So you buy another. And that leads to another. And another. And another. And another. Pretty soon the house is littered with ukuleles. They're on every surface, stacked in corners, hanging from hooks, stuffed behind chairs and couches. You can't hold your end of a conversation unless it's about ukuleles. You turn political discussions into topics about tonewoods and strings. Someone politely asks how are and you sputter on for ten minutes about the difference between soprano and concert scales.

It's a horrible, wasting disease. Welcome to its support group...
 
I tend to agree with all those who have suggested trying strings from Worth (browns), Martin (fluoros) and Fremont. I installed Worth browns and they've made all the difference in the world on my solid mahogany 'ukulele in terms of tonal warmth. You should give Elderly Instruments a try. I've ordered from Elderly and they shipped all the way here (Guam) really quick!

Mason671
 
haha,

It's a horrible, wasting disease. Welcome to its support group...

It doesn't sound all that horrible to me :p I'm very intrested in learning about the woods and everything that goes with it, so any site, link or reference that can help me with that would be nice ;D as I stated before, I'm absolutely In love with looking at all the special woodgrains (my first non 20 buck uke is zebrawood lol).

Elderly Instruments a try. I've ordered from Elderly and they shipped all the way here (Guam) really quick!

Mason671

oh my, thats a long way to go for strings, and i don't think i have any paymenth method for that site :/
 
After a long search I managed to find a german supplier trough the worth site and ordered a pair, they seem quite expencive at around 14 euro's but they are long enough for 2 sets so it will do ;)
If the worth's aren't my taste I'll start saving up for a koa uke ;D

Thx for the help and happy strummings matth.
 
My Koa tenor has a very bright sound, I love the warm and mellow sound of my Kiwaya KS-1, Worth brown on both.
 
Go with Koa or Mahagony, which is cheaper than Koa. It's good to try difft Ukes and find what you like. good luck.
 
You can order them from the states at Elderly music .com
for warmer sounds, You can either get thicker strings or drop the tunning a step or two..

Good suggestion Stan. Some ukes do sound better with a shift lower in tuning. Which is fine, just tune when you want to play in a group.
 
;D

I ordered worth's and they shipped them to me without even paying :p i notified the seller and he was like, I trust you ;) Also i'm trying to get a price on an sk38 wich sounds pretty nice but i can't find a shop that has them in stock atm :/ if all else fails I'll just ask ukulelezaza to help me get one :p
 
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