[Difference between nylon & flourocarbon] Strings

Rarwkitty

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I was trying to buy different brands of strings to test out and I come by these Martin strings.

Question is, what is the difference between these crystal nylon and fluorocarbon strings?

;)
 
In a nutshell: Different materials make different sounds. (Rule of thumb: Nylon is brighter/sharper, FC is a little warmer/softer - with a large overlap)
Apart from that, the strings feel different (smoothness, diameter, tension, ...)

And finally, to add some complexity: once you found "the right" strings for one uke, don't assume that these are the best choice for another one (unless it's exactly the same model)

Have you read the Southcoast Guide to Tunings and Strings already? IMHO it gives a good overview about the complexity of string selection for ukulele.
 
I haven't tried the crystal nylon strings myself, but others have posted on this board that they much prefer the Martin fluorocarbon strings over the crystal nylon.
 
More info on strings can be found here.
 
One thing to realize these days - the terms "nylon" and "flourocarbon" are pretty much useless in and of themselves.

There are now thousands of varieties of "nylon". Old Dupont Nylon had a sound - most people think of that when they say "nylon". It was a mellow sound overall. The Matin Crystal you mention, by contrast, has a lot more density than the original nylon and is as bright as almost all the flourocarbons.

Flouros are now entering the same territory when it comes to the variety of formulae. Some came be very soft sounding - others extrremely bright. Look at Worth Browns versus the Hard Clears, for example.

In short, don't judge a material by what it's made of - it's how it's formulated that's most important.
 
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