Advice (ukes / strings / techniques) for getting the kind of sound I like

I'm an indie-pop fan, and like the sound of ukes in indie-pop, they quite often have a similar sound to them which I would describe as "plucky", and I'd like to get this sound out of a uke.

So I've done a bit of searching on the forum, and it's kind of tricky, as whilst I would describe the sound I like as "plucky", other people's descriptions of "plucky" seems to be contrary to my understanding.

One person described "plinky" as being the opposite of "plucky", with plucky being "muted" (which doesn't really fit with my meaning). So I thought maybe "plinky" was what I was looking for. However, then in another thread someone referred to a ukulele as sounding "dull and plinky", but for me these two terms are contradictory, as I think of the sound I want as the opposite of dull.

The kind of sound I am looking for is crisp and bright and punchy with low sustain. Another good description I heard was "percussive".

I currently have a Makala Dolphin with Aquila NylGut strings, and I like it, but the sound is (as described by someone in yet another thread) quite "bell like". It has really quite a long sustain, ringing out for a long time after being strummed.


Anyway, it's hard to describe in words the sort of sound I am looking for, but luckily many sound samples are available from the excellent Yoyoyo Acapulco. To get an idea of the sound of the uke in their music, you can listen to them on Spotify or some videos on Youtube here and here and here. This is the sound I'm after, which may well disgust and horrify many of you, as fuller mellower, sounds with long sustain, seem to be what most people are after.


So, do you have any recommendations for ukes, string and maybe even just techniques (I'm guessing throwing in chunks and muting the strings helps with reducing the sustain).

In terms of ukes, I am looking to move onto uke #2, and would be looking at spending up to £200/€240/$310.

There's nothing disgusting about that sound! A lot of us fell in love with the uke after hearing this kind of uke sound
In two of the videos, his uke sounds like a regular budget laminate uke with a tiny bit of fret buzz to me, maybe more like a Mahalo or a nameless brand than a Makala (Makalas sound more like laminate Kalas or Lanikais than like budget laminates IMO). The sound on the live video though is a bit different, it sounds more like a resonator uke in my ears? But it could just be the recording equipment that makes it sound different.
Maybe you could ask the guy directly by sending him a message on his Youtube inbox?

Lalou said:

Maybe you could ask the guy directly by sending him a message on his Youtube inbox?

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That's a good idea, they probably also have a MySpace or Bandcamp or Soundcloud page, too.

I also wondered if anyone could id the uke in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riKOJ6FhnMY



Being painted white, I initially suspected it was a cheapo uke, but then it does look like it maybe has friction tuners, and the number of fret marker dot thingies (whatever the technical term is) on the finger board is unusual for a cheapo.

I can't ID the uke for you, but one thing you may need to consider is that the sound a uke makes is only partially the function of the strings. The other part is, of course, the uke itself. And while different strings can produce some very different sounds, it will always be limited by the ability of the uke itself.

That said, there's no reason for me to believe that your Dolphin is incapable of the sound you want. But if you try a variety of strings (Aquilas, different fluouro strings, Ko'olau Alohis, etc) and you can't get it right, it just might be the uke.

Which, of course, gives you an excellent reason to get a different one. It's win-win!

Yes, it kind of looks like a Basswood uke except for the tuners?

Oh, the band is from Norway! If it's like in Sweden over there, then D-tuning is very common, which makes the strings slightly tighter because they're tuned half a note up from GCEA, and therefore slightly more "plinky" I think. Maybe you could try using that tuning to see if you get the sound you're looking for?

Aquila strings and most fluorocarbon strings have lots of sustain. If you are hoping to avoid that, use nylon strings---Hilo, D'Addario, and GHS are easiest to find.

Have fun plinking!

PoiDog said:

I can't ID the uke for you, but one thing you may need to consider is that the sound a uke makes is only partially the function of the strings. The other part is, of course, the uke itself. And while different strings can produce some very different sounds, it will always be limited by the ability of the uke itself.

That said, there's no reason for me to believe that your Dolphin is incapable of the sound you want. But if you try a variety of strings (Aquilas, different fluouro strings, Ko'olau Alohis, etc) and you can't get it right, it just might be the uke.

Which, of course, gives you an excellent reason to get a different one. It's win-win!

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Oh, am definitely looking to get a new uke. I know already I'm going to be a major sufferer of UAS.

As I said at the end of my opening rambling post:

"In terms of ukes, I am looking to move onto uke #2, and would be looking at spending up to £200/€240/$310."

Get rid of the Nylguts, put on nylons as previously mentioned, the sound and sustain difference will be dramatic. And I think a soprano is the size you need to get the sound you want

I like Yoyo Acapulco! Nothing to apologise for.

Sound wise, I think my Luna Pineapple has a lot of the tendenices you're looking for. And it's much less than £200.

If you're anywhere near me, you're welcome to have a play on it?

D tuning is popular in Sweden? Nearly everything in our club's jam book was in C, here in Finland, which is a very short hop away. I've met uke players from Sweden, but not asked them if we are separated by not only water but by tuning too.

Lalou said:

Yes, it kind of looks like a Basswood uke except for the tuners?

Oh, the band is from Norway! If it's like in Sweden over there, then D-tuning is very common, which makes the strings slightly tighter because they're tuned half a note up from GCEA, and therefore slightly more "plinky" I think. Maybe you could try using that tuning to see if you get the sound you're looking for?

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The Luna pineapple does sound nice, from YouTube videos. I'll put it on the maybe list, thanks.

Another on my maybe list is the Kala spalted maple soprano, which seems to have a nice bright sound. In my searching, an owner on here referred to it as plucky a couple of times. It maybe has a touch more sustain than I'd like, but is fitted out with Aquilas in most videos. I also think it's one of the ukes that Scampi/chipswow used in her videos (the other I've spotted looking like a cheapo Stagg), and she always seems to have a nice plucky/plinky sound.

Plainsong said:

D tuning is popular in Sweden? Nearly everything in our club's jam book was in C, here in Finland, which is a very short hop away. I've met uke players from Sweden, but not asked them if we are separated by not only water but by tuning too.

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Yes, strangely enough. I didn't play the uke back when I was living there so I was surprised when I found out. Now somehow every single ukulele-playing friend visiting me from there wants to re-tune my ukes to D-tuning: "this doesn't sound rätt, låt mig tune it correctly". Hehe.

You have to mess around with the strings and your uke: for example, I put Aquilas on my Dolphin and got THIS SOUND while the Aquilas that came on my Mainland (a tenor, not a soprano) have a totally different sound LIKE THIS. Both were recorded on the same mic at the same distance. I plan to change the Mainland strings --not liking the piercing tone but the same Aquilas absolutely made the cheapy Dolphin eminently playable.

I put South Coast strings on a cheap Baritone--worked well but the tension is a bit slack for my tastes, (no sound clip yet.) The sound is soft and sweet. Meanwhile, having learned here at UU that STRINGS MATTER, I took out my late husband's Yamaha classical guitar, an instrument I never really admired. Humph. We never put different strings on it, and in fact, it still had the factory strings after 10 years. I just put Pro Arte D'Addario standard tension nylon with silver wound lower pitch strings on it and I was absolutely blown away. The formerly mediocre guitar was louder, clearer, richer, especially in the lower registers.

Bottom line: STRINGS matter, though they won't take a Makala Dolphin and make a Pono out of it. But you have to optimise the strings for the ukulele you do have, and that can take some experimentation. Luckily, strings are not so expensive that it is a risky business.

I got a reply from my question to Yoyoyo Acapulco on YouTube:

I use 2 Lanikai 21TE, one E A C# F# and one A D F# B + a Danelectro Pro 63 tuned as the first one. Strings, don't know. The ones they have in the shop.

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Good call on the D-tuning, Lalou, I'd not seen the E A C# F# before.

Bit confused by the Danelectro Pro 63, as that seems to be a guitar. I guess maybe he has it tuned/strung as a ukulele.

I'm also surprised he tenors, as they always looked like sopranos in the videos. Also, it doesn't answer the mystery of the white uke in the video, but I guess that could just be a prop.

Actually, looking at some more videos again, and it's clearly bigger than a soprano, I kind of forget how small the soprano actually looks.

I think a vintage Martin mahogany soprano will provide the sound you are looking for. If that's not accessible, then a solid mahogany soprano could do it. While I agree that strings do make a difference, based on the examples of what you're looking for, I think it has to be a soprano sized uke.