New all over again

hey_day

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I have been searching for a second ukulele to play around with on the cheaP. I just put a brand new set of southcoast strings and my ukulele is alive and new again, nice cheap fix for UAS and definitely think I'm a southcoast string fan for life already.
 
Seems that everyone loves Southcoast strings. I'll have to give them a try.
 
I want to like the Southcoast strings, but then I had the very first string pop when I was restringing with the Southcoast metals. I understood that they were fragile - but that seemed a tad excessive. I ended up using some Savarez classical guitar strings and have been very happy with the results. I still have another set of Southcoast strings, as well as 75% of another set, but am a bit wary of trying them again.
 
I want to like the Southcoast strings, but then I had the very first string pop when I was restringing with the Southcoast metals. I understood that they were fragile - but that seemed a tad excessive. I ended up using some Savarez classical guitar strings and have been very happy with the results. I still have another set of Southcoast strings, as well as 75% of another set, but am a bit wary of trying them again.

Bummer. Have you asked them about replacing the string. Dirk seems to be a really nice guy who will make things right for you.
 
Bummer. Have you asked them about replacing the string. Dirk seems to be a really nice guy who will make things right for you.

For a single string, I wouldn't put him through the hassle. I love where I live, but cross-border shopping can be a real pain at times.
 
Put him through the hassle. He's a no nonsense friendly guy. Are you sure you had the right tuning? I bought a set and didn't understand the tuning. The strings didn't sound good because I had them tuned wrong. The third string is the name of the tuning. Everything is based off of that third string. I thought it was his fault but it was mine for not getting it. I love my classical metal strings on my Kanilea tenor. They ring like Roger McGuinn. I've now got Southcoast strings on all six of my ukes and Dirk's become an email friend. He's doing a great service for the uke world and I'm becoming more and more interested in the ukes he makes.
 
Put him through the hassle. He's a no nonsense friendly guy. Are you sure you had the right tuning? I bought a set and didn't understand the tuning. The strings didn't sound good because I had them tuned wrong. The third string is the name of the tuning. Everything is based off of that third string. I thought it was his fault but it was mine for not getting it. I love my classical metal strings on my Kanilea tenor. They ring like Roger McGuinn. I've now got Southcoast strings on all six of my ukes and Dirk's become an email friend. He's doing a great service for the uke world and I'm becoming more and more interested in the ukes he makes.

Thanks. Not my first re-stringing, and entirely my fault. I'd read that the classical metals were quite fragile but just didn't factor in how much. There is probably a reason for all of that extra winding at the tail end of the string, I just didn't factor it in and obviously put too much pressure on the string which snapped right at the tuner. I still have another set that I can string up, just not in a rush to do so.
 
For a single string, I wouldn't put him through the hassle. I love where I live, but cross-border shopping can be a real pain at times.

Whit, you're a prince. We have an awfully liberal policy on string replacement. I truly appreciate a customer who sees things from both sides.

The flat wound strings are very unique. They are brittle. That doesn't mean they aren't durable. It just means that you run a good risk of snapping one if you take it off and put it back on again. We talk about it on the Flat Wound page.

I don't get to leave strings on very long, so durability is hard for me to judge. Just the same, I know from experience that round wound strings are subject to fast wear. We took great care to find the most durable material possible for our Round Wounds, and people have reported excellent life span for these strings.

With Flat Wounds, I had a good feeling about their durability - they sounded so good, and being able to play without "finger squeak", I decided to offer them anyway. I just couldn't manage to leave a set on long enough to know about the durability for sure.

Reports are confirming my suspicions, however. Take a look at this thread:

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...say-about-wound-Low-G-strings&highlight=Wound

It seems our flat wound strings are actually a strong candidate for the most durable of all wound strings, with one caveat. Take them off, and you stand a good chance of losing them when they go back on.

I've tossed a bunch of them - because of neccessity, I'm always changing strings, and it's about a 50-50 shot if you can get them to hold up once you've taken them off. If you love to switch your strings around, stick to the more conventional Round Wounds. Ours are polished, so in addition to being durable, they don't squeak all that badly. But if you can leave a set of strings on - like Magoosan in the thread above - no telling how long before you'll need to change a set of Flat Wounds.

Thanks again, Whit. Love my customers!
 
Wish I could attest to the durability, but I never did get to take them off, or even play them. I've been swapping out strings something fierce the last couple months looking for the ne plus ultra and the stars just weren't aligned on that attempt.

I have noticed that round wound strings in general will occasionally snap when you're not looking (or playing for that matter). Two different ukes and two different strings, c'est la vie. Next time I set up one of the ukes for low G I'll see if I have better luck with the second set of flat wounds. In the meantime, I'll be in touch for some 17" scale C-tuning re-entrants.

Talk with you soon.
 
Aaaaaah!

When you said re-stringing, I though you meant you had taken them off and were putting them back on again. If they snapped first time on, that's a different matter. You do need to take care (look at the Flat Wound page again for tips), but put on your second set when you get a chance.

If you end up liking them, we'll put in an extra string to make the other set whole on your next order.
 
Thanks Dirk! Sounds like a plan.

Aaaaaah!

When you said re-stringing, I though you meant you had taken them off and were putting them back on again. If they snapped first time on, that's a different matter. You do need to take care (look at the Flat Wound page again for tips), but put on your second set when you get a chance.

If you end up liking them, we'll put in an extra string to make the other set whole on your next order.
 
dirk is the man! every time i consider tuning or string options i read through the descriptions and explanations of everything on his site and the posts here. i still cant decide on the tuning for my tenor, to go with the B flat or the C but i love the g500s i threw on it in C right now. Still looking to buy a baritone and might do the B flat on that or tune them both to B flat so they are similar.
 
For a single string, I wouldn't put him through the hassle. I love where I live, but cross-border shopping can be a real pain at times.

I'm with you on purchasing from the states; it's so expensive. I've spent $15+ to ship three sets of strings from Elderly which is all of a 5-6 hours drive from where I lived in Ontario. Thankfully, Dirk ships his strings usps in nice, little envelopes for good and cheap. Plus, his strings are just better than anything you can buy from Elderly!
 
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