Noobie string/tuning question.

In my typical cart before the horse fashion, I'm building a ukulele. I don't know how to play yet but why buy one when I can spend twice the money and three times the time making my own!?

I sized the scale length to a soprano. So I've read that a soprano is usually? often? tuned to GCEA. I ordered strings and one pack came E F# D A, and the other pack came B F# D A. Both supposedly for a soprano. So what am I not understanding? When I get guitar strings I get EADGBE, says so right on the package. Do some string sets come GCEA? or do I tune the others to those notes?

Thanks for your help.

Sopranos can usually be tuned either GCEA or ADF#B regardless of the strings. Depending on the instrument itself in combination with specific strings, one or the other tuning might sound better.

Are you sure the "E" on that string package is not just a half-printed "B"? Which brand(s) did you buy?

Regarding the "standard" tuning you can find multiple posts and threads here and elsewhere on the web...

You are quite correct, the most common tuning for ukuleles today is GCEA (perhaps technically this should be written in reverse: AECG), otherwise known as "C tuning" because of the ease with which to play chords from the C major family.
The strings which came labeled as B F# D A are for for "D tuning". So each string is 'meant' to be tuned one tone higher than normal. This results in a higher pitch and a brighter sound. In reality, these strings are often exactly the same as normal strings, just labeled differently.

As for the E F# D A pack, I agree with what has been said: it is probably a printing error.

Hope that helps!

Thanks folks.

By far the most common soprano string sets are gCEA. That is with a high 4th string. Nearly everyone tunes this way, although, as has been said, some people (e.g. Formby players, some Canadians) prefer D tuning (aDF#B).

Lumping in Canadians with Formby players does, I must admit, seem kind of right to me....

(JOKE! )