kamaka/D'addario strings

eculuke

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Guys I have two ukes, both kamakas. I am not sure what strings were on them when I bought them used. I haven't dealt in the past much with strings and changing them. I figured it would be a good time to change them, and I wanted to experiment with two different kinds. I decided to try D'Addario J71 Pro Arte Tenor & J92 Concert Size and for my soprano I decide Kamaka. I have no clue what strings came on my ukes. But the ones I ordered seemed much thicker requiring alot more tension. The kamaka's I got were black and not clear and probably twice as wide as what was on the soprano. I just want to find the right strings. Any tips would be appreciated.
 
My preference is for Martin M600 fluorocarbons on my Kamakas. I can't stand the sound or feel of the stock (black) Kamaka strings! Others I have tried and liked were Fremont Hard Tension Blacks, and Aquilas, but after trying the Martins there was no going back for me.
 
Are you looking for suggestions on new strings? Or are you trying to figure out what your old strings were?
 
I guess both...is there different tensions like guitar strings (light gauge, medium ect...). It seems the one's I picked up have too much tension. I am sure there are 100 threads on strings but I wouldn't mind hearing what people are using on their kamakas?

Thanks
Luke
 
The Kamaka and D'Addario strings you got are Nylon strings. Nylon strings are thicker than Fluorocarbon strings. And while Kamaka strings are also made by D'Addario, they are even thicker than for ex. the black J53 D'Addario Nylons. If you want thinner strings get Fluorocarbons, for ex. by Worth or Fremont.
 
I use D'Addario J71s on my Kamaka HF-3. Love the strings and love my Kamaka.
 
Guys I have two ukes, both kamakas. I am not sure what strings were on them when I bought them used. I haven't dealt in the past much with strings and changing them. I figured it would be a good time to change them, and I wanted to experiment with two different kinds. I decided to try D'Addario J71 Pro Arte Tenor & J92 Concert Size and for my soprano I decide Kamaka. I have no clue what strings came on my ukes. But the ones I ordered seemed much thicker requiring alot more tension. The kamaka's I got were black and not clear and probably twice as wide as what was on the soprano. I just want to find the right strings. Any tips would be appreciated.
Kamakas from the factory use strings made made by D'Addario. Not very many find them playable an usually replacing them with FC strings like Worths, Fremonts, Orcas and Martins. Others will use nylons such D'Addario Pro Arte strings and Aquila nylguts. Southcoast Ukes also offer several different options. A few will also replace them with classical guitar strings from Savarez or D'Addario. Finding the right strings can be daunting and you'll end up trying different sets. Take into consideration tone, sound, feel and playability. As mentioned previously, it all comes down to personal preferance.
 
I've got a set of Ko'olau Mahana strings on my soprano Kamaka uke. They feel and sound great to me. I also liked the sound and feel of Southcoast Medium Gauge, Martin, Hilo, and the factory strings. The only set that I disliked so far was Aquila.

Remember when you try a new set to give them a few weeks to settle in. Stretching only takes a couple days, settling into the best sound takes much longer. And have fun hearing more of your ukes' voices.
 
My preference is for Martin M600 fluorocarbons on my Kamakas. I can't stand the sound or feel of the stock (black) Kamaka strings! Others I have tried and liked were Fremont Hard Tension Blacks, and Aquilas, but after trying the Martins there was no going back for me.

janeray1940, you put Martin M600 on your Pineapple HP-1? I tried Aquilas, Worth Clears and Worth Browns, but the only strings that gives a good resonance on my pineapple HP-1 is the Fremont black line mediun tension, that comes from RoxHum to me.
 
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janeray1940, you put Martin M600 on your Pineapple HP-1? I tried Aquilas, Worth Clears and Worth Browns, but the only strings that gives a good resonance on my pineapple HP-1 is the Fremont black line mediun tension, that comes from RoxHum to me.

I've tried both the Fremont Hards and the Martin M600 on my pineapple, and both are nice but I prefer the feel of the Martins.

I forgot to mention Worths! I tried Worth Clear Lights on my HF-1 and didn't care for them, they sounded really thin. But I put low-G Worth Clear Mediums on one of my HF-2s, and really like those - of the different low G strings I've tried, they're my favorite.
 
I like the Worth Clears on the HF-3. To me it provides a brighter tone. I also like the D'addario Pro Arte J71 which Jake uses, sounds more full I guess, but it is all personal preference. Try out different strings and see which ones you like best :) Oh and quick questions, what strings sound good on a HF-2 Long neck? I am getting my uke soon "I hope," and am wondering which strings are good for a concert Kamaka? I only bought strings for my HF-3 so now it will be slightly different.
 
I like the Worth Clears on the HF-3. To me it provides a brighter tone. I also like the D'addario Pro Arte J71 which Jake uses, sounds more full I guess, but it is all personal preference. Try out different strings and see which ones you like best :) Oh and quick questions, what strings sound good on a HF-2 Long neck? I am getting my uke soon "I hope," and am wondering which strings are good for a concert Kamaka? I only bought strings for my HF-3 so now it will be slightly different.

Since you like Worth Clears on your HF-3, you might try those on the HF-2 long neck. I have Worth CMs on one HF-2, and Martin M600s on the other, and those are my top choices. But mine are the regular necks - lucky you for getting the long neck!
 
Since you like Worth Clears on your HF-3, you might try those on the HF-2 long neck. I have Worth CMs on one HF-2, and Martin M600s on the other, and those are my top choices. But mine are the regular necks - lucky you for getting the long neck!
Yeah, I was thinking about doing the same things and sticking to the worth. I am very lucky and happy to be getting the concert long-neck!! I went down to Kamaka today, and I think I saw them working on it like sanding it and such :) I am so excited, thanks for the help!!!
 
Aloha,
All my kamaka's have martins m600, Aquilas, or Kamaka strings..it depends what sound you like and the playability and comfort of the strings..
each has their pro and cons on them..all it boils down to is personal preference...try them all and you decide which is best for your ears and fingers..good luck
 
Ok. I love the sound of the D'Adario strings on my HF-3 Kamaka, but I can't keep those suckers in tune to save my life.

When I'm sitting there tuning it, I'll get it to pitch and then it will go beyond pitch shortly after. It's almost as though the thicker size of the strings causes them to not fully disperse the tension when I turn the tuning peg...like the nut is slowly allowing the transfer of the tension. It's not immediately...that's my point. If I want it to be tuned right, I have to under tune it in the direction I think it needs to go and then wait for a while...like 10 minutes or so.

I don't even recall having this issue with my worth strings.
 
I like the Oasis strings you can order from Amazon on my Kamaka Gold Label. I have a set of Living Water's for the next string change - the LW's made a huge difference on my Mele.

I think you'll have to try a few sets and see what works best for you. (sound, tension, tuning stability, etc)
 
Ok. I've now tried, on my Kamaka Tenor, the original D'Adario strings, some Aquiala Nylgut Strings and Worth CH strings. Here's my conclusion (and I'm sure it's different for everyone.

I loved the Pro Arte string when I was plugged in, but they were very difficult to tune and unplugged they didn't really sing. It made the instrument quiet. Not "warm" or mellow...but actually quiet. Difficult to hear. They recorded great though and if you're just going to be plugged in all the time, great.

The Aquila strings drove me nuts right away. They were too twanging and didn't have enough tension. Sure, that made them easy to push down, but they would bend under my aggressive chords and the C string would snap back and hit the fret board if there was any strength put into a strum.

Worth clear CH strings for the tenor seem to be what I want. They are warmer and less twangy that the nylon strings out there, but they are brighter in tone than the Pro Arte strings. They have sufficient tension so that I'm not bending them accidentally. They also seem to tune well.
 
...When I'm...tuning it, I'll get it to pitch and then it will go beyond pitch shortly after. (T)he thicker size of the strings causes them to not fully disperse the tension when I turn the tuning peg...like the nut is slowly allowing the transfer of the tension.

Hey jagcorps. Your analysis is exactly right. You must get your nut slots widened because the strings are gripped by the nut. This problem will not go away as the strings "settle in." In addition, when you stop short and allow the speaking and non-speaking lengths of the string to equalize as you play, your tuning will never be as precise as it surely can be (especially with such a high quality instrument).
 
I like the Worth Clears on the HF-3. To me it provides a brighter tone. I also like the D'addario Pro Arte J71 which Jake uses, sounds more full I guess, but it is all personal preference. Try out different strings and see which ones you like best :) Oh and quick questions, what strings sound good on a HF-2 Long neck? I am getting my uke soon "I hope," and am wondering which strings are good for a concert Kamaka? I only bought strings for my HF-3 so now it will be slightly different.

Ask for guidance from the ukulele guys at HMS...like Corey or Aaron.

I have stock Kamaka strings on my Kamakas, cuz I am too pake to switch them out before they break...I know...Ima baddie!

:shaka:
 
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