angusdegraosta
Well-known member
I got a Kiwaya KS-1 via Uke Republic (good job Mike) that shipped with thin fluorocarbons. I don't know what kind - they looked kind of gray and transparent. The problem with those strings, in gCEA tuning at least, was they felt all plinky and floppy. Yes, tuned up to a higher tuning was AOK, but in the tuning that I use the C string droned louder than the others and overall the strings did not seem to drive a balanced sound out of the instrument.
I put on the D'Addario Nyltech strings for soprano, which are fat and beefy and designed well for the g tuning. I love these strings - had them on my Mainland mango concert for a while. On the Mainland, I went back to the Martin M600s after some experimentation. Concert scale length seems perfect for the Martin fluorocarbons - and on a soprano, I am really very happy with these Nyltech strings. They have a round and clear sound that emphasizes the mid-range (different than a sparkly harp-like fluorocarbon sound). Maybe it's the combination of string tension and string diameter that help bring a fuller sound. They feel right to me on this instrument.
By the way, the Gotoh friction tuners are just fine after getting used to them. I'm still feeling out the balance between tight and too tight and jumping from -6 to +17 and starting over and all that. Getting better though. I got a good stubby screwdriver to help.
I put on the D'Addario Nyltech strings for soprano, which are fat and beefy and designed well for the g tuning. I love these strings - had them on my Mainland mango concert for a while. On the Mainland, I went back to the Martin M600s after some experimentation. Concert scale length seems perfect for the Martin fluorocarbons - and on a soprano, I am really very happy with these Nyltech strings. They have a round and clear sound that emphasizes the mid-range (different than a sparkly harp-like fluorocarbon sound). Maybe it's the combination of string tension and string diameter that help bring a fuller sound. They feel right to me on this instrument.
By the way, the Gotoh friction tuners are just fine after getting used to them. I'm still feeling out the balance between tight and too tight and jumping from -6 to +17 and starting over and all that. Getting better though. I got a good stubby screwdriver to help.
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