Collings Tenor Players - What string have you settled on?

NewKid

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When I acquired my Collings UT-2K a year ago, I was a little concerned that the tone was nothing special when compared to my Kiwaya KTC-1 concert that had a much better sound at a fraction of the cost.

However, after about 7 months of continuing to play the Collings and trying different strings on it, there is no doubt that it is has become one the best sounding ukuleles in my collection and I've settled on Martin 620 flourocarbon strings.

Have you had a similar experience with your Collings Tenor?
 
I'm interested too in the experiences of other Collings tenor owners.
 
I recently bought a Colling concert, flamed mahogany, and it was absolutely stunning to look at aesthetically and the craftsmanship was flawless. Sonically it was a dud though. I tried to convince myself that I liked it for 3 days and ended up hating it. The only thing I did like was the peghead tuners. I had the option to return it so I did with no regrets. If I ever buy a Collings again Id have to play it first.
FYI I'm a big Colling guitar fan. I have a slope shoulder dreadnaught that I will never sell.
 
I use Southcoast Mediums on my Collings tenor and it sounds really good to my ears. The stock Aquila strings that come on Collings ukes just don't do them any favors.
 
I use the Southcoast linear flat wounds on my Collings and think the sound and tone is amazing. I thought it sounded great out of the box (blew me away in comparison to a Koaloha tenor I used to own) but the Southcoast strings made it sound even better.
 
I seem to recall prefering Worth Clears on my Collings Tenor (Koa). It was a nice sounding uke - however, I do think it has a sound of its own that you either like or do not. I was surprised that it didn't intonate as well as my Kamaka HF-3L, but maybe the longer scale length of my Kamaka accomodates that a bit better.
 
I just ordered Southcoast Mediums and Linear Flat Wounds. Thanks Specialk and Grendel!
 
After trying out the stock Aquilas and a couple of sets of Auroras, I finally strung up my UT1K with a set of Worth Browns. The Worths feel and sound great on the koa tenor -- a very warm tone, but still clear as a bell. Highly recommended.
 
Worth clears or browns are also a good choice and are much like the Southcoasts, I prefer the feel and sound of the Southcoast strings overall though.
 
Haven't settled on a particular set yet. I'm not crazy about the Aquilas that came with mine. I tried Living Water strings, and am also interested in trying the PhD strings too.

Somewhat related question - I read on a different thread (I think it was the Kamaka v. Collings thread) that the Collings may be more sensitive to string tension, and that strings with higher tension may damage the ukulele. Anyone have this experience?
 
Never played a tenor, but on the three concerts I previously owned, I trade out the aquilas for worth clears and southcoast mediums. Much sweeter, cleaner sound and better note separation
 
I'm fortunate to have two tenors (koa and mahogany) and I've stuck with aquila strings. I love em. They're soft on the hands and sound mellow. I use Worth Clears on my beansprout and other ukes and I like them- I've tried Aquilas on the beansprout and they don't seem to work as well as the CT's. I guess for me with the Collings ukes if ain't broke don't fix it. I like the soft action on them.


Duk
 
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That's one of the great things about acoustic instruments: different stokes for different folks.

I’ve tried a bunch of the different brands over the many years and keep coming back to Aquila (I guess I'm with wendellfiddler above) because I like the mellow “ukulele” sound of Aquilas and use them on both my Collings koa and Santa Cruz mahogany. Of course these 2 ukuleles are concert size – not tenor – and the sound may vary accordingly on a bigger uke.

I think the best standard advice is always to play as many of the other brands as you can, and then go with what sounds best to you and plays best for you. If course, remember that what sounds great to you may not sound as great out front, so enlist someone who's ear you trust to help w/ the evaluation. Most of all: enjoy the process of the hunt!
 
I have collings concert and I love my martins best on this uke....to me a hell of a difference for sure...sweet as ever and louder
 
I do like the Martin Clear Fluorocarbons on my 3k – and I admit I hadn’t tried them on the Collings. This is a good idea and I am intrigued to see if there is something better (or musically different that I like). I think I’ll get a set today and try them out!
 
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