OldePhart
Well-known member
Most of you probably know I'm not a huge fan of Nylgut strings except maybe on a really dead laminated uke or the like. But, several months ago I bought a used Mainland rosewood and red cedar tenor and I just haven't been able to warm to the uke. It was very loud, had good action and feel, but I just couldn't "warm to it" (by contrast, anybody who tries to take my Mainland mango cedar is likely to pull back a bloody stump!).
Anyway, part of the problem was that it was just too "guitar like" in tone - but it also had a kind of "thuddy" percusiveness that I didn't care for at all. I've tried a few different string combinations and low-g and reentrant tuning but still couldn't warm to it. I was about ready to sell it, and figured I'd put the one set of tenor Nylguts on it that I had laying around since I wasn't likely to use them on anything else, anyway.
Whole new uke. It's crazy loud now (though volume was never a problem). Most importantly, the "thuddiness" is completely gone. I actually kind of like it now, though the tone is still on the guitarish side.
This is the only uke so far that I've found that I really liked Nylguts over everything else I'd tried. I found them tolerable on my Kiwaya longneck soprano but still prefered fluorocarbon. But, after trying three or four different fluorocarbon sets on this red cedar I have to conclude that this one just works much better with the Nylgut strings.
Dang, now I have to either get rid of it for sure or buy a supply of tenor nylgut strings... LOL
John
Anyway, part of the problem was that it was just too "guitar like" in tone - but it also had a kind of "thuddy" percusiveness that I didn't care for at all. I've tried a few different string combinations and low-g and reentrant tuning but still couldn't warm to it. I was about ready to sell it, and figured I'd put the one set of tenor Nylguts on it that I had laying around since I wasn't likely to use them on anything else, anyway.
Whole new uke. It's crazy loud now (though volume was never a problem). Most importantly, the "thuddiness" is completely gone. I actually kind of like it now, though the tone is still on the guitarish side.
This is the only uke so far that I've found that I really liked Nylguts over everything else I'd tried. I found them tolerable on my Kiwaya longneck soprano but still prefered fluorocarbon. But, after trying three or four different fluorocarbon sets on this red cedar I have to conclude that this one just works much better with the Nylgut strings.
Dang, now I have to either get rid of it for sure or buy a supply of tenor nylgut strings... LOL
John
