My thoughts on the D'Addario T2 Titanium Strings...

kamaka_4_life

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Hello UU fam, I just wanted to share a little experience I had with the new Titanium strings from D'Addario. I had just purchased 2 sets last week, one for my tenor, and one for my concert long-neck. I put both sets on each uke last week Friday, and they sounded great, until... Yesterday!!!! I was playing my tenor uke for a couple hours, and had barely played them the days before, when suddenly I felt something strange on the A string. On closer inspection, I saw that the A string was actually starting to "peel" off, kinda like what my Worth's did after a few months of playing. This happened around the 6th or 7th fret where I like to do bends and such. I actually like to do bends mainly on the A string which could be the reason why only the A string is starting to peel. This left me dumbfounded as I just re-strung my instrument last week, barely played it, and now this?!?! I'm thinking about switching back to the Pro Arte J71... I just wanted your thoughts and opinions on this issue, or if you have ever encountered this problem before. Thanks :)
 
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That is very strange. What do you mean "peal" off? Was the string starting to come apart? So, before the problems....what did you think of the T2s compared to the Pro Arte J71s on the tenor? I really like the Pro Arte J71s on my Kamaka tenor.
 
Hey Mandarb, thanks for the comment, It actually is starting to come apart I guess, like if an old fishing line was starting to peel, it's hard to explain, but it is very strange. I actually like the sound of the Titaniums on my Kamaka's because they do sound brighter than the J71's which are a lot more warmer, but I think I am going to switch back to the J71's for now :)

That is very strange. What do you mean "peal" off? Was the string starting to come apart? So, before the problems....what did you think of the T2s compared to the Pro Arte J71s on the tenor? I really like the Pro Arte J71s on my Kamaka tenor.
 
I've tried the T2 on two separate ukes over the years. Both tenor sized. The first tenor was a Kala Acacia. I liked them on that uke and sold it with them still relatively fresh. I then tried them on a KoAloha tenor and did not like them whatsoever. I switched back to worth clears and was much happier. It's been over a year since and I no longer have the KoAloha, but I remember thinking them to be too bright and kinda thin on the treble side. I did like the feel of them when picking.
 
That is odd - sorry to hear you are having problems with them.

I have heard people say the T2s are brighter. I prefer a warmer sound which is why I like the J71s.
 
I tried the T2's on my Kamaka Tenor, ended up going back to the J71's on it. Got some Worth strings on the way I'm going to try.

T2 vs. J71 on Kamaka Tenor: The T2's were a lot brighter, they felt a little thinner in size, and they seemed to break in quicker. However they didn't seem as loud to me as the J71. J71's are a warmer sound, they also seem to have a "bigger" sound, need a little more time to break in, and a little louder than the T2's.

Different ukes, even the same brand, may sound different with the T2's, but for me so far the J71's are the best on my uke :)
 
Thanks guys, yeah i'm currently trying to experiment with different strings. I really like the sound of the worth on my Kamaka, but decided to try other strings. I have used the Pro Arte J71 strings before, and love them, but decided to stick with Worth for a while. I think I am going to switch back to the Pro Arte, and use Worths again later :) I will probably stay away for the Titanium strings LOL
 
There has been some discussion of strings shedding before (kinda buried in this thread). Not D'Addarios, but Southcoasts (it seems to happen to a variety of strings). Dirk, (who seems to be the reigning string expert) from Southcoast said that sometimes they just get bad strings that exhibit this behavior and he will send out some new ones. I don't know what the policy with D'Addario or the vendor is, but it sounds like you have some bad strings.
 
Hey PedalFreak, glad you found the strings that suit your uke best!! I have found that most strings sound good on Kamaka's, my friend only uses Pro Arte, and some only use Fluorocarbons. I really liked the Worth strings on my Tenor, but decided to go back to D'Addario for now. I will go out and buy another set of J71's for the time being. I learned that you can't go wrong with J71's on a Kamaka!! :) a lot better than the stock factory strings!

I tried the T2's on my Kamaka Tenor, ended up going back to the J71's on it. Got some Worth strings on the way I'm going to try.

T2 vs. J71 on Kamaka Tenor: The T2's were a lot brighter, they felt a little thinner in size, and they seemed to break in quicker. However they didn't seem as loud to me as the J71. J71's are a warmer sound, they also seem to have a "bigger" sound, need a little more time to break in, and a little louder than the T2's.

Different ukes, even the same brand, may sound different with the T2's, but for me so far the J71's are the best on my uke :)
 
Awwww that's what it's called... String Shedding!! I have never tried Southcoasts before but I heard a lot of people like them. I actually got the strings from a friend who works at Ukuele Pua Pua in Waikiki. They are so expensive there, I guess because they are trying to sell to tourists and stuff, but yeah idk if i'll be able to get a refund :(

There has been some discussion of strings shedding before (kinda buried in this thread). Not D'Addarios, but Southcoasts (it seems to happen to a variety of strings). Dirk, (who seems to be the reigning string expert) from Southcoast said that sometimes they just get bad strings that exhibit this behavior and he will send out some new ones. I don't know what the policy with D'Addario or the vendor is, but it sounds like you have some bad strings.
 
Hey PedalFreak, glad you found the strings that suit your uke best!! I have found that most strings sound good on Kamaka's, my friend only uses Pro Arte, and some only use Fluorocarbons. I really liked the Worth strings on my Tenor, but decided to go back to D'Addario for now. I will go out and buy another set of J71's for the time being. I learned that you can't go wrong with J71's on a Kamaka!! :) a lot better than the stock factory strings!

What Worths were you using? I'm ordering a set of CT's to try out on it. How would you compare the Worth & Pro Arte's?
 
Wow... I've never had any issues yet with the T2's (went through 4 sets in about 3 months so far) but will keep an eye out. The only other strings that I've had issues with were Aquillas... snapped the A string every single time I played live.
I'm in love with the tone quality of the T2's, I have yet to try out the J71's yet though.
 
I've never had any problems with T2s shredding but I never do bends when I play. As of now, I have T2s on all of my tenors. I like Worths better on my Moore Bettah and LFdM (never tried them on my Kamaka) but when plugged in, I can hear my fingers moving across the strings with the Worths...I like the T2s and don't have the finger noise issue. The original Kamaka tenor I had was strung with J71s and I loved it. I sold that uke to fund a custom...then missed it so I bought another. I threw on some J71s and was disappointed...tried out the T2s and love it. My MP came with T2s...I tried Worth Browns briefly and hated it so went back to T2s. I restrung my LFdM with T2s last night and so far, that's the only uke I really don't like them on. I'm going to keep them on and give them a chance but I think I'll be going back to Worths in the near future for that one.

Even though I've already done a tenor comparison video with these ukes, I might do another one now that the all have the same strings...really depends on how lazy I am.
 
Oh Hey Craig!!! I just saw ur recent Golpe video on YouTube, so sick!!! I like that style haha but yeah idk maybe my string set was just a dud, but I switched back to the J71's and it's great!! :)

Wow... I've never had any issues yet with the T2's (went through 4 sets in about 3 months so far) but will keep an eye out. The only other strings that I've had issues with were Aquillas... snapped the A string every single time I played live.
I'm in love with the tone quality of the T2's, I have yet to try out the J71's yet though.
 
I'm not sure I think it was the CT, I gave it to a friend but he forgot also :( The worth's are a lot brighter, but the D'Addario Pro Arte's have a more full sound. It's all personal preference, but I love both Worth and D'Addario, that's all I use lol
 
Yeah I noticed even with uke's of the same brand, using certain strings can still make a huge sound difference. I think i'm going to stick with the J71's though, I like the warmer sound. My ear was so used to the brightness of the Worth, but I think I want to stick to the more traditional warm tone of the ukulele :D

I've never had any problems with T2s shredding but I never do bends when I play. As of now, I have T2s on all of my tenors. I like Worths better on my Moore Bettah and LFdM (never tried them on my Kamaka) but when plugged in, I can hear my fingers moving across the strings with the Worths...I like the T2s and don't have the finger noise issue. The original Kamaka tenor I had was strung with J71s and I loved it. I sold that uke to fund a custom...then missed it so I bought another. I threw on some J71s and was disappointed...tried out the T2s and love it. My MP came with T2s...I tried Worth Browns briefly and hated it so went back to T2s. I restrung my LFdM with T2s last night and so far, that's the only uke I really don't like them on. I'm going to keep them on and give them a chance but I think I'll be going back to Worths in the near future for that one.

Even though I've already done a tenor comparison video with these ukes, I might do another one now that the all have the same strings...really depends on how lazy I am.
 
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