Fremont Blacklines taking over my ukes

hammer40

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I tried a set of Fremont Blackline strings a couple of months ago, and they now are on 3 of my 4 ukes. I guess you can say I like them just a bit.

I'm by no means an expert, or a good musician by any stretch of the imagination, but man, these strings sound good to me.

I like the over all tone, which I'll attempt to describe as sweet, clear, with maybe a dash of warmth thrown in. I also like the tension of the strings and the smooth feel to them. Cosmetically, I love the black color, looks awesome on all my ukes. I also like the little extra sustain they seem to have added.

What I don't like is the stretch, boy do they stretch. Usually, I leave a bit of slack, maybe a fret and a half, when I start to wind a string. I now leave the string taught when I first start to wind up on the tuners. Even that will usually lead to a full spool, not sure of the correct term for the tuner top. They also take a bit longer to finally settle in and stop stretching, but do stay there once you get there very well.

I have not tried any other fluorocarbon string other than Martin at this point. The Martin strings were actually a great bang for the buck. I would always see them on sale for between $3 and $4, they do sound very good I thought, but the Fremonts are just better to my ear. So this isn't a knock on any other brands, and I will try the other Flouro's out there eventually. Who knows, I might have a new favorite after that.
 
I just put Fremont Blackline mediums on my Kelii concert. It came with Worth Browns and I've put several strings on it since I got it in February. I think they have less "punch" and more "ping" than Martins (I love the Martins on my soprano), and they're staying on for the forseeable future. :D
 
I've always been a fan of medium blacklines and use them as the first set of strings on any "new" uke. I play mostly vintage Martins and Vita ukes and boy do blacklines make these ukes sing. If you haven't tried Worth browns, they are similar and an excellent "alternative" as are Orcas. I've tried lots of other strings and always gone back to Fremonts. cheers, g2
 
I love Fremont Blacklines too but only have them on my soprano ukes. I have Southcoasts on my tenor and baritone but I'm open to trying the Fremonts in the future. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
I, too, love Fremont Blacklines the way a kid loves an all day sucker.

I remember when Gary was selling his Martin O and mentioned he loved them, too. I knew I liked him at that instant. Lol

I have Fremonts on all my ukes, Martin sopranos, concerts and tenors, as well as my new (used) Koolau CEs, and guess what, they are amazing! I even yanked off the Worths on my Mya Moe and stuck a set on there ; one word for it: Schwing!

I just bought fifty bucks worth of Fremonts in all sizes from Elderly last week, in fact. Since they seem to work so well on everything, I might start to floss my teeth with them. --Steve
 
That made me laugh Steve, hope your ukes do/did well on the bay! cheers, g2

I, too, love Fremont Blacklines the way a kid loves an all day sucker.

I remember when Gary was selling his Martin O and mentioned he loved them, too. I knew I liked him at that instant. Lol

I have Fremonts on all my ukes, Martin sopranos, concerts and tenors, as well as my new (used) Koolau CEs, and guess what, they are amazing! I even yanked off the Worths on my Mya Moe and stuck a set on there ; one word for it: Schwing!

I just bought fifty bucks worth of Fremonts in all sizes from Elderly last week, in fact. Since they seem to work so well on everything, I might start to floss my teeth with them. --Steve
 
I recently put them on my soprano banjolele -- happy happy joy joy!
 
Ok, I just ordered a set for my Mainland Hog Concert. I think it still has the 2011 Aquilas on it! But I only acquired it in June.

I always liked the Blacklines on my red cedar soprano but the switched to Worth Browns on it to tone it down a bit more. I think I'll really like the Fremonts again.

I'm also about to buy a set of Martin 600s for my little Mahalo Smiley... never really used them but they're cheap and I can pick them up at the local GC. Any other suggestions for the Smiley? That's the one I'm going to haul around with me in my car all the time.
 
I'm also about to buy a set of Martin 600s for my little Mahalo Smiley... never really used them but they're cheap and I can pick them up at the local GC. Any other suggestions for the Smiley? That's the one I'm going to haul around with me in my car all the time.

I have to say the Martins I tried were very good, again for the price they can't be beat. Funny thing though, GC only stocks the smaller size, you have to order the Tenor. For anyone who doesn't want to spend 10 bucks for a set of strings, the Martin Flourocarbons are the way to go, I think they are underrated, but just look for the sales. Right now Elderly has the M620 (Tenor) for 4.39 for one set and 3.90 for 5 sets, can't beat that for Fluorocarbon.
 
Another fan of the Fremont Blacklines here too. They are definitely the "go to" first set of strings I'll put on a uke. They're also the strings I tend to go back to after trying others. For my style, which is a quieter (read as shy), lighter playing, they put out a full even tone with excellent sustain, especially on light koa or mahogany builds. The only issue I've ever had was on a spruce top Pono and they just too bright for my tastes.

I too have found that when stringing a new set, to start without slack and you'll end up with a full spool/wind on the tuner. Although with most strings I've tried that tends to be the case more often than not.
 
Blackline mediums have become my go to strings for any uke that sounds muted with other strings. They are not as loud as Aquilas, but they bring out a sweeter voice with nice sustain rather than the punch of the other. To me they sound really nice on Kamaka tenors, too. I haven't tred them on my Mya-Moe, but Steve's post has convinced me that those are the next strings I'll try when it's time for a string change.
 
OK, I'm convinced, I'll try them.

Just a quick aside: They're available in high and medium tension. I presume high = louder, medium = more muted Preferences?
 
I like the mediums, but I think they're hard and medium, not high and medium. cheers, g2

OK, I'm convinced, I'll try them.

Just a quick aside: They're available in high and medium tension. I presume high = louder, medium = more muted Preferences?
 
Don't forget the Fremont squeekless polished rounds for your low G ;-) I bought out all I found on Ebay a while back. All my ukes have those for the low G now. They are "amazing!".
 
I have only put Fremont Blacklines on one of my ukes. I like them.
 
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I, too, love Fremont Blacklines the way a kid loves an all day sucker.

I remember when Gary was selling his Martin O and mentioned he loved them, too. I knew I liked him at that instant. Lol

I have Fremonts on all my ukes, Martin sopranos, concerts and tenors, as well as my new (used) Koolau CEs, and guess what, they are amazing! I even yanked off the Worths on my Mya Moe and stuck a set on there ; one word for it: Schwing!

I just bought fifty bucks worth of Fremonts in all sizes from Elderly last week, in fact. Since they seem to work so well on everything, I might start to floss my teeth with them. --Steve

Does Fremont makes baritone strings? What about your Pohaku Deco Baritone? I just ordered two tenor sets and looking forward to putting the Fremonts on my MP custom.
 
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