What strings are you using on your Ohana CK-35?

sbpark

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The more and more I play this uke the more and more I like it, and was wondering what strings others are using on their Ohana CK-35. It came with Aquilas, which I didn't like very much. They sounded nice for fingerpicking, but seemed to lose their balance when strummed hard, sounded unbalanced to me and don't like how they feel under my fingers. I currently have Worth Brown mediums on their and these string have an amazing feel to them. Obviously a bit more subdued than the Aquilas and not as loud, but they have nice separation and balance, and stay together better than the Aquilas when strummed. They are a bit quiet, but then again this may just be the characteristic of the instrument being mahogany an all and I think the Wroth Browns definitely compliment the CK-35 better than the Aquilas. Tried a set of Martin M600 on another concert i have but prefer the higher string tension of the Worths. The tension of the Martins were too loose and had rubbery feel. I also have a few sets of Ko'olau Mahanas that I mat try, but these strings are just really thick strings and I am really digging the feel of the Worths but was just wondering what others have ended up using.

Thanks to all in advance for replying and offering their advice!
 
I don't have a CK-35, but I like Worth Clear Mediums on my Kamaka Concert. The clears are a little brighter, "forward sounding" according to their literature, than the browns. If you like higher tension and prefer more volume, try Worth CD; these are a harder tension string. I haven't used them on a Concert, but I have on sopranos. They are louder, sustain longer, etc., but the tension felt too hard for me after an hour or so of playing.
 
I don't have a CK-35, but I like Worth Clear Mediums on my Kamaka Concert. The clears are a little brighter, "forward sounding" according to their literature, than the browns. If you like higher tension and prefer more volume, try Worth CD; these are a harder tension string. I haven't used them on a Concert, but I have on sopranos. They are louder, sustain longer, etc., but the tension felt too hard for me after an hour or so of playing.

I have Worth Clears on my Ko'aloha concert and they sound amazing. Was thinking about trying them out on the Ohana as well.
 
I know, I just responded to your other pots!! :))
 
Thread resurrection.

(For reference I also tried to resurrect another one with overlapping content but with little success: https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?143293-Strings-for-Ohana-Mahogany-Concert)

I too now have an Ohana CK35gs and jolly snazzy this all solid wood Concert Uke looks too, it also sounds quite a bit better and plays easier since I replaced the strings and set-up the Uke. I suspect that my Ohana had been run as was since it left the factory.

Edit. I later found out, with the aid of a micrometer, that the second hand as supplied to me Uke had been strung with an unmatched set of strings that might have been from someone’s spares box. A set of M600’s worked well and I later moved onto Aquila Super Nylgut which I think are even better for my purposes.
 
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I've got the CK35L version, strung with Living Water concert low G fluorocarbon, (as are most of my ukes).

Its good for picking melodies or strumming, has a nice tone, not too loud in my experience, but certainly loud enough for me.

(I also have Ohana SK30M & SK30L amongst my collection.)
 
My TK-35 sounds great with clear fluorocarbon. Living Waters by Ken Middleton go with the Ohana nicely.
 
My thanks to Keith and Sailing Uke for their replies.

With regard to a Living Waters (solid or unwound) low G I’m wondering about how much the intonation will be upset with use with a straight saddle (my ck35’s saddle is only 2mm wide some compensation there isn’t an option). My guess is that the low G will give me a broader sound from the Uke (a bit more bass) but I wonder how the move away from re-entrant will effect strumming response, etc.?

Thinking about low G reminds me that going to a non wound low G requires me to recut the nut, a permanent change. Maybe a move to a wound Fremont with the three remaining M600’s first might make sense? What do the smart people do?

It would be interesting to hear about why Living Waters work for you two (sound character, feel or what?) and what strings you have tried and set aside on the route towards Living Waters strings. As I understand it Worth Clears are the same gauge sizes as Living Waters and perhaps others are virtually the same too, what are the differences?
 
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I've had the usual Aquila that come pre fitted, Reds, 600s, Worth browns (came on a uke), & maybe others I've forgotten about.

LW just suit me best, easy on the fingers, & gives me a sound that I like.

My ukes are generally mellow sounding, mahogany/cedar, plus acacia/spruce which are a little bit brighter, to my ears, but still fairly mellow with LW strings.

We each choose strings for what suit us best, or for a given sound, we are all different. :)

P.S. I never altered any of my nuts when changing strings, never felt a need to.
 
There is more to strings than gauges. Density is also a factor. LW's by Ken Middleton feel smoother to me than other flouros I have tried.
Ken uses a very high quality flour-carbon. I have not played Worth clears in many years, although I like the browns on some Ukes. The tk-35 mahogany would probably sound muted with browns so a brighter flouro is probably be a better choice. Try a set of LW's.
 
My TK-35 sounds great with clear fluorocarbon. Living Waters by Ken Middleton go with the Ohana nicely.

I used to own a TK-35 with Living Waters strings as well. Aquilas are good strings, but my fingers much preferred the feel of the Living Waters. As SailingUke says, they are a good match for Ohana ukes. I would still own that TK-35 if the tenor scale hadn’t been too much for my arthritic hands.
 
Graham
I used to find my TK-35 a bit on the quiet side after it hadn’t been played for awhile. The longer I played it, the better it sounded. I have found this to be true for other stringed instruments made of wood. When I owned a number of celtic harps and didn’t have the time play all of them on a regular basis, I would turn on my stereo and put the harps in front of the speakers to help keep the wood molecules awake. Sounds a bit crazy, I know, but it did seem to make a difference. So you just keep lovin’ on that CK. :)
 
I am very disappointed with fluorocarbon strings on my KoAloha concert and my luthier who builds Martin style ukes says that Aquila Lava strings are best for concert size ukes, so I got a set and will try them when the fluorocarbons are worn out. I also got a set of the new Martin Premium strings that are supposed to be fantastic on concert ukes. Will see which of those two
will be better.
 
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Graham
I used to find my TK-35 a bit on the quiet side after it hadn’t been played for awhile. The longer I played it, the better it sounded. I have found this to be true for other stringed instruments made of wood. When I owned a number of celtic harps and didn’t have the time play all of them on a regular basis, I would turn on my stereo and put the harps in front of the speakers to help keep the wood molecules awake. Sounds a bit crazy, I know, but it did seem to make a difference. So you just keep lovin’ on that CK. :)

Yes, it does sound a bit crazy but, for me at least it does seem to be true that an instrument improves - towards some upper limit for that instrument - by simply playing the darn thing. I’ve found this on lots of instruments over the years but mention the phenomenon in some circles and they’ll be ‘calling for the men in white coats’ to come and take you away. I’ve heard of folk putting instruments next to load speakers before but have no experience of it myself, but if it works for you then that’s good enough. Guess this better be our secret, not that anyone will believe us ... Any, for whatever reason, my CK35GS just gets loader the longer I play it. It’s sounding really nice too, I wish it had a bit more bass response but I guess that’s the nature of gloss instruments (gloss gives brightness). The more I play it the more pleased I am that I decided to keep it and sort it out, it just needed a bit of lovin’.

I am very disappointed with fluorocarbon strings on my KoAloha concert and my luthier who builds Martin style ukes says that Aquila Lava strings are best for concert size ukes, so I got a set and will try them when the fluorocarbons are worn out. I also got a set of the new Martin Premium strings that are supposed to be fantastic on concert ukes. Will see which of those two will be better.

That seems an unusual experience to me but Ukes vary and hence the OP was specific about brand and model. I’ve three Sopranos and whilst Aquila Nygluts really suit one of them the other two are better with M600 Martin Fluorocarbons. I would guess that your Luthier has his reasons and recommends what has worked for him on his instruments. What I’ve seen here on the forum for the Ohana CK35GS is positivity from folk who have used Living Water, Worth Browns and Fremont Black-line, and I’m pretty pleased with how the M600’s have work for me - the more they settle in and the longer I play the Uke the better it sounds.

I don’t know what strings are fitted to KoAloha Concerts (as standard supply) but I’ve a friend who has the Opio version and to my ears it sounds fantastic. Those KoAloha’s really are lovely, but at over three times what I paid for my second hand (but new looking) Ohana I just can’t allow my self such indulgence ... well not yet, must resist such temptation.

As a suggestion maybe not taking your Luthier’s word as Gospel might be a right way forward for you. Doubtless he’s a clever guy but why not start a separate thread here on UU asking for the experiences of KoAloha Concert owners (users)? Why not see what they use and how happy they are with various strings on that particular make and model of Uke?
 
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I don’t know what strings are fitted to KoAloha Concerts (as standard supply) but I’ve a friend who has the Opio version and to my ears it sounds fantastic. Those KoAloha’s really are lovely, but at over three times what I paid for my second hand (but new looking) Ohana I just can’t allow my self such indulgence ... well not yet, must resist such temptation.

KoAloha use their own fluorocarbon strings as standard on their ukes. They're very similar to Worth CLs. I replaced mine quickly because I don't like the low tension that they have. I've used Worth CMs and other similar clear fluorocarbon strings, as well as Worth BMs, and I think fluorocarbon strings sound fantastic on a KoAloha. I can't imagine Aquila strings would sound good on it but of course anyone is free to try.
 
I am very disappointed with fluorocarbon strings on my KoAloha concert and my luthier who builds Martin style ukes says that Aquila Lava strings are best for concert size ukes, so I got a set and will try them when the fluorocarbons are worn out. I also got a set of the new Martin Premium strings that are supposed to be fantastic on concert ukes. Will see which of those two
will be better.

The Martin Premium strings were developed along with Aquila. They are similar to Nylgut strings.

The key to all of this is to decide what sound you like. And then what strings will deliver that sound on your uke.
 
KoAloha use their own fluorocarbon strings as standard on their ukes. They're very similar to Worth CLs. I replaced mine quickly because I don't like the low tension that they have. I've used Worth CMs and other similar clear fluorocarbon strings, as well as Worth BMs, and I think fluorocarbon strings sound fantastic on a KoAloha. I can't imagine Aquila strings would sound good on it but of course anyone is free to try.

My KoAloha is almost 20 years old and had black strings which I think were Nylon, and they were horrible. So the fluorocarbon are a big improvement but they are too thin to be played precisely for me and I just find them difficult to play. While people in the audience commented that they can hear the uke well when I performed with it, from the players perspective it sounds too wimpy with current strings though much better than the black strings.
 
I am very disappointed with fluorocarbon strings on my KoAloha concert and my luthier who builds Martin style ukes says that Aquila Lava strings are best for concert size ukes, so I got a set and will try them when the fluorocarbons are worn out. I also got a set of the new Martin Premium strings that are supposed to be fantastic on concert ukes. Will see which of those two will be better.

My KoAloha is almost 20 years old and had black strings which I think were Nylon, and they were horrible. So the fluorocarbon are a big improvement but they are too thin to be played precisely for me and I just find them difficult to play. While people in the audience commented that they can hear the uke well when I performed with it, from the players perspective it sounds too wimpy with current strings though pmuch better than the black strings.

Perhaps I’ve got this wrong but in summary:
# you have an old KoAloha Concert that was fitted with what you believe were black nylon strings when you got it.
# you replaced the ‘black nylon’ strings with Fluorocarbon strings but you don’t specify which make or model. You find the Fluorocarbons better than the nylons which you didn’t like at all.
# you find those (unspecified) Fluorocarbon strings hard to use and not good for you to listen too, but what the audience hears is different to (and seemingly better than) what you hear.
# your Luthier recommends Aquila Lava’s to you. You have bought them along with Martin Premiums.
# you’re waiting until your Fluorocarbon strings wear out before you change to one of the above.

As your instrument is a solid wood Concert there is some overlap with the original post, but otherwise my impression is that the thread is drifting away from the OP. If both nylon and Fluorocarbon don’t work for you then Aquila Nyglut is what’s left and it might well suit your ears and your fingers. I typically find that Aquila Strings are easier on the fingers than Fluorocarbon and louder than Nylon, fortunately Aquila’s are a popular choice that lie between what Nylon and Fluorocarbon ‘give’ the player.

To my mind waiting for your fitted Fluorocarbons to wear out isn’t to your best advantage and so I suggest fitting the Lavas as soon as is practical. Your Luthier might well understand what’s right for you and have recommended accordingly.

There’s always something to learn from the broader picture, but from a purely selfish perspective (which I hope is OK with everyone) I’m wondering if we can now move the thread a bit nearer to its tittle: What strings are you using on your Ohana CK-35?
 
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Recent searching of old posts here, and then a particular string comparison video using Aquila’s and Worth Browns on an sk35, brings some clarity of direction. String selection, don’t it just make your head spin ...

It appears that Ken used to use Worth Strings and was very familiar with them; my suspicion is that Ken’s Strings are a development based on Worths, same gauges but different (seemingly enhanced) material. Historically Worth BM would most likely have been the way to go but whether coloured strings were some part of marketing and product differentiation I cannot be sure. Anyway Ken’s clear LW are reportedly similar to but slightly more mellow that Worth CM so that’s the direction I’ll eventually take. LW looks like as safe a bet as one could make for the CK35, they also seem easy to get and not too expensive - perfect, let’s hope that Ken keeps trading for many years yet.

For at least the next few months the M600’s will be retained. They have settled now, they produce a good volume and a pleasing sound - so they turn out to be a good initial choice that might be improved on. I feel sure that LW will work well for me too. However, I can’t see that a move to LW will give more than marginal gains so as it (apparently) ain’t broke I won’t fix it (attempt improvements) just now. What I will do instead is order a set of strings from Ken ready to fit when needed, to me that seems a reasonably logical choice and course of action.

High g or low g? Well Ken and many other respected players favour high g or re-entrant tuning for the flexibility it can give so for the moment I’ll follow that lead. At some point I’ll try low g via a wound Fremont, they have a good reputation and it should be a simple swop with a standard high g. If low g works better on that Uke then I’ll make the change permanent and do so using a solid string, I’ve got plenty of other Ukes to use for the benefits of re-entrant tuning. One step at a time type progression.

I hope that the above will be useful to someone at sometime.

Edit. It’s now (September 3rd) about a month on from my post above. In that time I have fitted a replacement bone saddle and that helped sound volume and quality. Ohana tell me that they have always fitted bone saddles and nuts to these Ukes but I feel sure that my saddle was some form of hard plastic. The strings continue to settle and the Uke has been played every day, and every day there seems to be some very marginal improvement in its sound (I run an open strings pluck comparison against one of my other Ukes).
 
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It’s now bit over six weeks since I got my Ohana CK35 and just under that since I resurrected this thread. I now write (on Sept 9th) as a record of recent events, for others to follow as they wish.

First the happy news, the Ohana now sounds and plays very nicely. Whilst it doesn’t quite match the results of another of my Ukes (against which all others are critically judged) the differences are marginal. However, as additional positive points, the Ohana seems to be ‘opening up’ now (so the best may yet be to come) and the Ohana looks really smart :D . I’m not an instrument snob, quite the reverse in fact, but if you have a smart looking instrument folk seem to forgive you your errors more readily ‘cause your ‘obviously’ a serious player with a nice instrument like that ... I can do with all the forgiveness I can get :D.

Since my last post I just kept playing the Ohana as was, with bone saddle and M600’s fitted, and the more I played it the better the sound became - very slow and minor change but still positive change. So a tip here, play your Uke a lot and by itself it might well begin to alter and sound better - that’s worked for me on a few other Ukes too. Eventually I made myself a replacement bone nut and that’s made another small noticeably positive difference too. The original nut fitted might have been bone, Ohana tell me that they have always used bone, but the original material looks very different to the replacement. Whatever, replacing the nut worked.

I don’t think that I mentioned this further up the thread but the fretboard and bridge were quite dry looking when I got the Uke. Those parts have been liberally supplied with Lemon Oil and it seems to have helped in some way.

So long story short. What sounded like it might be a weak instrument (both quiet and with proportionally little lower note response) has been transformed by a proper set-up, decent strings, new saddle and nut made of bone, cleaning and lemon oiling, and lots of playing. I’m not sure that the M600’s are the very best match for this instrument but if not then they are still very near to being so.
[Edit. After a while I changed the M600’s to Aquila Super Nylgut and to my ear they’re a bit better match to my Ohana, the M600’s were fine though. Later again I fitted a Fremont wound low G to it, pleased with that outcome too.)

I hope that the above helps somebody at some time.
 
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