hi folks...i have a pono solid mango tenor strung with aquilas at the moment....any suggestions or experience of other strings that would work or sound better . ....thanks
On my Mainland Mango tenor I've tried the following:
Aquilas (what it shipped with): Okay, but basically like every uke with Aquilas - loud, somewhat "brash" Aquila sound.
Clear fluorocarbon strings similar to a Worth CM set: Very sweet, noticeable loss in volume vs. the Aquilas but much more complex chimey sound. These strings are a bit light for a tenor - I think maybe a Worth CT or CH set would not lose so much volume.
Ko'Olau Gold tenor strings: these gold nylon strings are the bomb on this uke. The kept the very sweet, complex sound like the flourocarbon strings with maybe a tiny bit less chime. The strings are heavier gage, intended for a tenor, so volume falls somewhere between the Aquila and the CM set mentioned above. I like these enough on this uke that I was very glad when Ko'Olau announced that they were going to continue production of them after all.
(EDIT: I just posted a song for the Seasons "contest" over in the contest forum. This is my Mainland mango with the Ko'Olau gold strings - but it's using the MiSi pickup with a bit of reverb added in Audacity). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDRsy-sNGYQ&feature=youtu.be