Different strings for different ukes!

thejumpingflea

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Hey guys,

So I just wanted to get a list of people preferences for their ukes and why they like those strings for whatever particular uke they are on.

This could really help newer players figure out what strings (might) sound best on what ukes and can be a useful thread to remove common string questions.

I'll start off!

Lanakai LU-21 Soprano

- Aquila Nylguts: I use these on this uke because I feel it gives it the loudest and clearest sound. It isn't the greatest uke and I have tried D'Addarios and Martin strings, but Aquilas have given the best effects.

BugsGear Eleuke Tenor
- D'Addarios: I have used these on the EleUke more for the feel then anything else. When I play this uke the distortion is on so the string difference isn't as huge of a deal.

Ko'olau T1 Tenor
- Fremont Fluorocarbon: These are locally made to where I live and I picked them up with the uke at 'Dusty Strings' acoustic music shop. Before these I had the Ko'olau Golds on the uke and couldn't stand them. I really dig the Fremonts, they are a lot like Worth Browns and they give a great, punchy sound to my Ko'olau. EDIT: These strings made my intonation up the neck BADLY. It would go out of tune very quickly up the neck. Very flat. I put on D'addario J71 that I got right here at the UU store. I really like them. Smooth feel, and good sustain.

Fluke (Concert) & Tiki Flea (Soprano)
- Aquila Nylguts:
I've tried Hilos, Martins and Aquilas on these ukes. Aquilas, in my mind, give the best sound for these instruments. It really brings out the volume and still has that trademark 'warm' sound you find in Fluke and Flea's.
9/26/09 EDIT: I now have a Fluke Tenor with Worth Clear strings. They really bring out a great tone and I would expect the same with the Fluke and Flea

Amigo Baritone
- Martin DGBE:
I've only used Martins and Aquilas on this uke, but I think the Martins have a softer sound that more suits the uke. The Aquilas try too hard to sound bright it seems, when this uke just wants to have that mellow, classical guitar like sound.

Applause Soprano
- Aquila Nylguts:
These give the uke a unique bark and needed volume. I really like them on this uke. I've used GHS, and D'Addario strings.

Kamaka Concert Deluxe
- Worth Browns:
These are the strings for this uke. :D I have tried D'Addario's, Martins, Hilo's, Aquila's and the Kamaka strings, but the Worths really bring out the dark, warm sound the Kamaka has. The intonation has been MUCH better with the Worths then any other strings I am using.
9/26/09 EDIT: I have started to use Worth Clear strings and they may sound just a tad bit better on the instrument. A little more full.

Mike Periera Custom Soprano
- Worth Browns:
I got this uke fairly recently and haven't changed the strings yet. Mike put on Worths and it sounds wonderful so I probably won't try different things for this one. (It sounds really, REALLY good. :D )
9/26/09 EDIT: Just strung her up with Savarez Alliance strings. Waiting to see how they settle, but so far I think they are a great fit. It gives the uke a real bell like tone.


New additions:

Kanile'a Custom T
- Worth Clear Tenor:
Best strings for this uke. Mango is a mellow tone wood and these strings really give it a great sound. I've tried D'Addario J71's and Worth Browns as well.

Moore Bettah Tenor
- D'Addario J71's:
Not sure what is the best yet on this thing. She's brand new. Came with Aquila strings I wasn't a fan. Switched to D'Addarios and like them more. Will try Worth CT next. See THIS THREAD for the string trials.


So what do you seem to choose?
 
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This is on the surface a great idea. It not only guides new players to the better sounding strings for thier particular uke, but it also ends one of the great ongoing Uke forum arguments. The only real problem with it is that everyone has thier own idea about what sounds best and everyone is right.

What sounds the best to me might not sound all that great to you and the opposite is true. We are both right and we are both wrong.

Buy a uke. If the strings sound good, go with it. If the strings don't work for you, try a different set. For the most part, ignore everything eveyone on this forum says about different strings for different ukes.

One exception to the above rule....All the strings mentioned in the ongoing "which string is best argument" are generaly decent strings.

Have fun experimenting.
 
This is on the surface a great idea. It not only guides new players to the better sounding strings for thier particular uke, but it also ends one of the great ongoing Uke forum arguments. The only real problem with it is that everyone has thier own idea about what sounds best and everyone is right.

What sounds the best to me might not sound all that great to you and the opposite is true. We are both right and we are both wrong.

Buy a uke. If the strings sound good, go with it. If the strings don't work for you, try a different set. For the most part, ignore everything eveyone on this forum says about different strings for different ukes.

One exception to the above rule....All the strings mentioned in the ongoing "which string is best argument" are generaly decent strings.

Have fun experimenting.

I am not trying to make the thread to have a thread to end all threads on what strings are good on what. It is just trying to compile a list of what people think sounds good on what they have. This can at least give people an idea of what could sound great on their uke! :D
 
I actually need to get myself more experienced with different types of strings.I tend to stick to A'quillas because I like them and I know them.

I highly recommend it.
I went through one of those MGM string samplers with various ukes and each one seems to have its own particular tonal palate to add to the instrument. (Much more so than I ever found with guitar strings) Funny thing is that I still ended up with Aquilla's back on the two concerts, but a better appreciation for what those bring out. There are tones your instrument is capable of you're not aware of

I've got D'Addario's on the Kelii soprano, but those aren't quite doing it for me but I just put Roto-Sound Lagunas on the Waverly St. soprano and think that might work nicely. (as soon as I restring it correctly. Absentmindedly strung it lefty...) I may have to get another couple sets of Lagunas and try them on the Kelii.

Meanwhile I've got two packs of Worth Clear Mediums that ought to be enough for both concerts and two sopranos so I can see what the hot fuss is about Worths and have a direct basis for sound comparisons between the lot. (Going to wait a bit though so I can feel like I got my money's worth out of all the current strings.)

I expect at some point after going through enough combos I'll end up like Jumpingflea with a personal match of strings to each individual uke.
 
Here's what I've currently got on some of my ukes:

-William King long scale tenor: Worth BT. It came strung with these and they're perfect. I probably won't be trying other strings on this uke for quite some time.

-Koa Work tenor: Worth CT. It was strung with Ko'olau Golds when I got it. Frankly it sounds great with either set of strings. I might try other strings down the road.

-KoAloha Pineapple Sunday: Worth BL. These are the strings it comes with. I tried some Worth CTs on it at one point and didn't like it as much. Sounded too "dry" to me. The BLs definitely match the PS very well in my opinion.

-Kepasa Gypsy Rose: Worth CD. It was strung with BMs when I got it. I thought the tension was a tad low so I switched to CDs. Sounds about the same with either set but CDs offer a bit more tension, which I like.

-Honu concert: Worth CD. It came to me with Aquilas and I also tried some Worth BMs. The CDs sound far and away the best for this uke. Of all ukes I own, this one shows the greatest difference between different sets of strings.

-Compass Rose walnut tenor: D'Addario J71. I haven't tried other strings on this uke but the J71s sound very nice on this uke.

-Kala tenor neck spruce top soprano: Worth CT. I should probably try some Aquilas on this one at some point, but the CTs does offer pretty good sound with very long sustain.

-Kanile'a super soprano: Worth CD. It came with Aquilas and I had also tried some Worth BMs on it. Again, the CDs ended up sounding the best to me so that's what it has now. I pretty much use Worth CDs on concert sized ukes by default now.

I guess I'm more or less a Worth guy, as they pretty much sound good to me on any uke. But I agree that some strings does go better with a particular uke. The Pineapple Sunday and Honu concert are the best examples I have.
 
I've been very pleased with Aquila Nylguts on my Kamaka soprano. I used the stock Kamaka strings for years, and switching to Aquilas made a good uke sound even better.

Still experimenting with my new concert Flea. The stock Hilo strings were dead-sounding, and I threw on a set of cheap Martins. A definite improvement, but I'll keep trying until I get the sound I know the Flea is capable of. ;)

I recently strung my girlfriend's Kamoa soprano with Ko'olau Golds and it sings! It sounds a lot darker, mellower, and more "sophisticated" than any other cheap uke I've played.
 
At first I had my own personal feelings about this thread, because there are so many variables, not only between different instrument makers, but also the instruments of the same makers. Then I took a look at my own stable, so here goes.

For the Concert KoAloha, I had Worths, and will probably switch to Savarez once they come out with it. The Kamaka and KoAloha Standards have either GHS or Hilo - doesn't really matter at this point.
For the Tenors, its D'Addario Pro Arte or Savarez Alliance, depending on who's playing it, and what the woods are and how its braced.
D'Addarios:J45, J46, J49 or J50.
Savarez: 540R or 54J.

Worths don't really match my instruments, Ko'olau's did at one time, and there's one brand I'll not use.

-Aaron
 
for those who have vintage ukes, which strings do you prefer? i'm trying to figure out which to go for on my martin style 2!
 
for those who have vintage ukes, which strings do you prefer? i'm trying to figure out which to go for on my martin style 2!

I have Worth Clear Medium on my 20's 0, and they're good enough that I haven't wanted to experiment.
 
I'm pretty much an Aquila gal. I try all sorts of strngs, but I usually eventually end up back with Aquila's. So here's my line-up:

1. Larrivee spruce and mahog soprano - Aquila soprano strings with low G

2. LoPrinzi spruce and maple soprano - Aquila soprano strings with high G

3. Earnest Instruments (Joel Eckhaus) Stradelele maple and spruce concert - Aquila soprano 1st and low G 4th, Aquila concert 2nd and 3rd strings (I know that's weird, but that;s what sounds best for my flamenco playing...)

4. LoPrinzi cedar and mahog concert - Aquila concert strings with low G

5. Kiwaya KSL-2 long neck soprano - Aquila soprano strings with low G

6. S&H Green Stamps solid mahog soprano from the 1960's - Aquila soprano string weith high G

7. unlabelled Hawaiian koa soprano from the early 1900's - Fremont Blackline flourocarbon strings with high G (scavenged off the Kiwaya - Fremont strings are supplied on Kiwaya's)

I recently had a LoPrinzi mahog concert that was perfectly matched with Worth Brown's...

Otherwise, it's all Aquila except for that little Hawiian soprano...
I really like the supah fast attack of the Aquila's and don;t have a problem with the slightly faster decay as compared with Worth's. I also like the Aquila's relatively low string tension, and their slight texture which helps give me better tone control since I don't use my nails anymore when picking/plucking. And I like bright... Another plus is that I can see the white strings against the black ebony fretboard... I don;t see so good anymore...

I've never tried Worth Clear's...
 
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Aquila Nylguts the brown 1's or da clear ones?

im not sure which 1's are best for my Lu-21T
 
nygluts are whhite! =)
and yess just like jumpingflea mentioned they are pretty sweeet.

Actually, Aquila's are not "sweet", they are loud, and can bring volume to an instrument that's lacking it, for a while.

I would imagine players like them because they give the tin pan alley Standard size in your face twangy barky `ukulele sound. Basically, especially high G tuning, it can make some hardwood top Tenors sound like Standards and Concerts, especially when playing upwards of the second position.

Just my $.02 - Aaron
 
I happen to like aquilas, simply because they can make an inexpensive instrument sound a lot better in terms of volume and projection. And for my more expensive instruments, I think that they give a nice brighter sound to the uke. Here's what I run. It's pretty straightforward.

Kanilea K1 Tenor- Aquila Tenor High G

They came standard, and sounded good, and I do not need to fix what isn't broken.

KoAloha SuperConcert- Worth Browns
I wanted a uke with a different sound than the bright aquila sound, so I have worth strings on this one, which give me almost the same projection and sustain as aquilas, but has a more mellow and round sound.

Applause UAE 148 Tenor- Aquila Tenor, High G
Whatever strings came with it sounded terrible acoustically. I tried Hilos with a wound C which sounded slightly better, but the wound C was digging into the bridge, and was significantly louder than the other strings, so I finally went with Aquilas which gave me the acoustic projection I wanted, with brigthness that makes the uke sound not like a juggernaut.

Kamaka Soprano- D'Addarios from the factory
I haven't switched out the strings on my Kamaka yet. I have a set of Aquilas just waiting, but am a bit too lazy right now. The D'Addarios sound decent, but I think it needs more tension in the strings and a bit more punch.

Tangi Mahogany Soprano: Aquila Soprano, High G
I think that this uke had worth clears on it before I swapped them out for the Aquilas, and it sounded quite nice with the worth clears. The Aquilas did not add much to the sound, but it's nice and bright still. Maybe Aquila concert strings would have been better suited.

Tangi Koa Soprano: GHS strings from the factory
This uke sound rather dead. I don't even know if a set of Aquilas could save it, so I have kept the GHS strings on. I think it's cool though, because the sound it makes is a rather vintage sort of sound, before ukes had all of these fancy finishes and bracing technologies and precision machining, and what not.

Leolani Mahogany Tenor (Gloss Finish)- Aquila Tenor, High G
This is a relatively cheap uke, but I bought it as a beach uke, so it needs all the help it can get sound wise with its thick glue-filled laminate body. Aquilas were the answer, and it sounds okay with them.

Leolani Mahogany Tenor (Matte Finish)- Aquila Tenor, High G
Same with the above uke, it was a cheap uke, but a set of Aquilas were the answer to any problems with lacking sound, and with Aquilas, it sounds rather good for the price that I paid for it.

I just like Aquilas. They're well worth the money because they can make even cheap ukes sound far better, and can add a lot of punch to more expensive ukes. I like their bright sound, although, I also like the sound of worth strings.
 
Hey I'm an ukulele beginner and I was on this website watching the Drop Baby Drop lesson and what got me frustrated was when my "uke" wasn't able to make a sound when Aldrine was sliding to another fret. Like the vibration on the string kept vibrating, producing sound, and mine didn't.

Well, not exactly mine, I borrowed the uke from a friend a couple days ago to practice. He said it wasn't an actual uke, like a really cheap one. When I tried sliding my fingers, the sound would just stop. I don't know what kind of string it is but I know it's cheap. It is clear and looks plastic.

I want to get my own better quality uke with "real" strings that will still make sound when sliding my fingers.
 
(To the Different Strokes Theme song)

Well the world don't strum
To the strings of just one uke,
What might might be right for you
May not be right for some.

A man is born
He's a man with ukes,
Then along come two
They got nothing but their strings
but it takes Different Strings
It takes Different Strings
To strum the uke
Yes it does
It take different strings to strum the uuuuuuuuke!!!!

:D:D:D

When I read the title to this thead this is what I thought of.
 
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Well the world don't strum
To the strings of just one uke,
What might might be right for you
May not be right for some.

A man is born
He's a man with ukes,
Then along come two
They got nothing but their strings
but it takes Different Strings
It takes Different Strings
To strum the uke
Yes it does
It take different strings to strum the uuuuuuuuke!!!!

:D:D:D

Well shoot I guess I will never be able to play Drop Baby Drop.. :(
 
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