Calling Kala ASAC-T Tenor owners – Strings advice please

Hi all

Having had this ukulele for a few weeks, I am thinking of taking it to a luthier for set up.

I am not over keen on the saddle. I can see if I pull the strings slightly to one side, there are tiny grooves in the saddle from the strings.

Also I can’t help but think that the wooden saddle may be deadening the sound a bit.

I am thinking of asking him to swap the saddle for bone if possible, and at the same time the strings.

At the moment it has Aquila’s.

In fairness they sound pretty nice. But I would like to get more sustain.

With the extra tension on the tenor, I also find the Aquila’s quite hard and inflexible, so I would also like a softer string which I don’t have to hit as hard.

I have been recommended Worth browns or clears and I can see odd reviews around the forums.

I would particularly welcome comments from users experience with this specific ukulele.

What strings did you change to and how do they compare?

General comments about strings from tenor owners are also welcome.

Thanks.

I liked Southcoast on mine. here's a sound sample, not me. lots of choices, light, medium , soft, hard, etc
http://myworld.ebay.com/guzi65/?_trksid=p4340.l2559
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfFdAvnyPgs&feature=relmfu

I do own that uke. For my ears, the best strings have been Worth browns. As a reference - to me it sounds just as sweet as my Kamaka and Kelii tenors.

I have a set of D'addario J71 Pro Arte on mine. It came with these strings from a user I purchased here off of the forum and I like them. Have no plans of changing them out and purchased a couple more of the same set for the future if needed.

I like to play fingerstyle and the only way I can say it is that they are much more fun to play than Aquila for fingerstyle. They are nylon and it makes sense because classical guitarists use these. Strumming is fine as well.

The sound is definitely a little lower pitched than Aquilas. Again that is my preference. I like to play all types of music and having a lower pitch and warmer sound actually works better for me. In a side by side comparison someone would definitely say the Aquilas are louder and higher but again that's not what i'm looking for.

As far as sustain that is their best point. I can play a note and let it sing and it is beautiful with the solid wood top/body.

Hope that helps.

AB

Thanks.

I am struggling to find Southcoast strings in the UK, but they do sound good in the YouTube clips.

Also thanks for the feedback on the Worth and D'Addario.

Aloha stringstrumer!
I have tried both Worth Browns and Clears and think that they both sound very nice on the ASAC-T. The browns are obviously warmer, while the clears ring out with a bit of brilliance and clarity. I have also tried Ko'olau Alohi with the wound 3rd & 4th strings. I did not particularly like the wound strings as they tend to squeak and really emphasized the low end thus sounding too "guitarish". I am currently playing with Fremont Blacklines which happen to have a balance of crystal clear highs and enough bottom end. The blacklines are my favorites so far. I plan on trying a set of SouthCoasts next as I already have SC's Linear Set on my 7 year-old son's Rogue bari. I hope this helps!

Mason671