Noob Strings Question.... Help

Ok heres the deal.

I have an unknown brand uke. Its from the Hawaiian Ukulele Company... It's a soprano, and the strings on it arent the best, basically. In his video, Aldrine says that a tenor has a deeper sound.

This is a noob question, I must warn you.

Could I put tenor strings on my soprano?

And which string is more mellow and less... hi? Nylon or steel?

PLEASE ANSWER...

i think what he meant was tenor body ukulele has a mellow sound than a soprano body ukulele

yes you can use tenor ukulele strings on a soprano, but it just means you got to trim the "remaining left over" strings.

I haven't heard a ukulele with steel strings. Having said that it doesn't mean that the steel strings ukulele is not mellow.

i would suggest trying them both out to get a feel of what suites your tastes better. who knows maybe you might like the sound of the steel strings on your uke. but me personally i like the feel and sound of nylon strings.

Do NOT put steel strings on your soprano ukulele!

It's a recipe for disaster. The instrument wasn't designed or built to hold up to the much higher tension that steel strings require and if the bridge doesn't come flying off right away then it will start the whole thing buckling and warping and into a nice "C".

As for putting tenor strings on a soprano. It's kind of a waste of money and string. About all you really would be doing is getting longer lengths of the same string. The gauge might be a bit thicker because a tenor would be able to handle it, but it still wouldn't be worth it. The mellower sound of a tenor comes from the size of the body and soundboard. It's bigger. Hence deeper and fuller. If that is the sound you seek, then get a tenor. A soprano has a sound and feel all its own.

You can however try different strings on your current soprano. There are any number of string brands you could pick up that can give your uke an entirely different flavor. Ko'olau Golds might mellow things out for you. (But I might steer clear of the Aquilas, they're great strings, but might not be the droids you are looking for. Bright and loud)

Just wanted to chime in...I also have a soprano from the Hawaiian Ukulele Company so I'm guessing we have the same strings on them. When I got my Kala, it had Aquila strings on it, and I actually thought the Hawaiian sounded better (to my ears anyway since I'm not fond of the bright tone). So definitely, I would second the idea that you should avoid the Aquila.

That being said, my new Kanile'a tenor also has Aquilas on them, but perhaps due to the tenor size, they don't seem to be as annoyingly bright and tinny sounding as they did on the Kala. (Or maybe that is just a function of it being a Kanile'a instead of a Kala).

Long story short...don't get the Aquila if you don't like the bright sound. I heard some Ko'olau golds at a store and they seemed nice and more mellow, I would try those. But don't waste your money buying tenor sized strings when you can get the length you really need.

I've also heard that Worth browns are quite good as well, and more mellow. I actually ordered a set and plan on replacing my Kanile'a Aquilas when they arrive.

I am sure whatever strings you pick, you will enjoy the Hawaiian Ukulele Company uke though...I bought mine at the Aloha Tower while on a cruise and when I took it to the ship's ukulele class, I got lots of compliments. It is a nice starter ukulele.

I used to play a Hawaiian Ukulele concert. The strings that came on it were horrible but at the time what did I know? I eventually put D'Addario J35's (got at my local shop) on and loved the sound -- for a while. Then UAS struck. Good luck.