String advice please?

Icelander53

Icelander53

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Well as a beginner I did just enough research to make sure my ukes had decent strings based on popular opinion and a some full on reviews. I went with Aquila knowing they were a good bet and they have been. Now however it's time for me to see for myself what all this bru ha ha is about string differences. Maybe with my untrained ear I won't hear much but I hope that's not really true. Anyway I have a entry level Lanikai LU21 tenor that I've had for awhile. I almost began this quest about two years ago but couldn't get the confidence to get going so these strings have been on it a long time but only played hard for a few months. Anyway it's been a nice instrument and I guess I got lucky because it plays well and easily. And blah blah blah, sorry about all that background.

I want to put on new strings. I think I'd like to go with a Low G tuning. I can't say that I really like the Aquilas on this particular instrument but what do I know at this point? What would you put on this instrument? I'd like a more mellow sound if possible.
 
I'd recommend Living Water. The low G tenor set is also the "custom" baritone set I have on my Bruko tuned to Linear A. Pretty sure this would work great as a Linear B or C set on a tenor scale.
 
Try something fluorocarbon. I like Worth strings or PhD. You could go SouthCoast, but that might be overkill.
 
I think I would stick with Aquilas on your Lanakai, but if you want to try something else, try Martin M600's, they're inexpensive and widely available. Worth CM might be worth a try also, if you can find them, they will be a little heavier than the Martins, therefore more tension and closer to the Aquila weight/tension.
 
UkerDan said:
I think I would stick with Aquilas on your Lanakai, but if you want to try something else, try Martin M600's, they're inexpensive and widely available. Worth CM might be worth a try also, if you can find them, they will be a little heavier than the Martins, therefore more tension and closer to the Aquila weight/tension.
Click to expand...


Why would you stick with Aquilas?
 
Aquila strings seem to go well on laminate tops.
Try Oasis Warm Strings, Low g (about $5 a set) if you want to try something other than Aquila.
Ko'olau Alohi low g might be nice too.
 
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I have the same Lanikai Tenor as you, with Living Water (low G) on it. Sounds good to me.
 
I love the sound of flourocarbons (ie Worth, Living Water, Martin, Southcoast, Oasis et al) on my particular ukes, and you might too - give it a go....
But the warm sound you desire may be better achieved with nylon (other than Aquila) strings. D'Addarios are readily available and cheap. Ko'olau too. Getting the right low G might be a bit more challenging.... Fremont?, PhD? Enjoy the ride!
 
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As you can see...you will get many recommendations. Here's one more:

Ukulele strings are not expensive. Go ahead and order several different popular sets/brands. This way you will have them on-hand, likely not wait so long to change them and will get to see and hear for yourself what a particular string sounds like on YOUR ukulele. Eventually one brand will emerge as your personal favorite.

And.....for what it's worth...I prefer Worth Clears too.
 
I'm getting most everyones recommendations but no why they are recommending them. Can't try em all. What's so great about fluorocarbon?
 
Wagster said:
As you can see...you will get many recommendations. Here's one more:

Ukulele strings are not expensive. Go ahead and order several different popular sets/brands. This way you will have them on-hand, likely not wait so long to change them and will get to see and hear for yourself what a particular string sounds like on YOUR ukulele. Eventually one brand will emerge as your personal favorite.

And.....for what it's worth...I prefer Worth Clears too.
Click to expand...

I hear a lot about worth around here. Maybe I'll start there.
 
Icelander53 said:
I'm getting most everyones recommendations but no why they are recommending them. Can't try em all. What's so great about fluorocarbon?
Click to expand...

I recommend what I like on my ukes. I don't really analyze why so much. The 2 main string materials are nylon and Fluorcarbon. Nylguts are mostly nylon, and you want something else, hence the recommendations for Fluorcarbon.
 
My vote goes to Worth Clears. And I myself would like to try some Living Waters and Martin M600's. But, I sure do enjoy my Worth clears on my tenor, Low G. Sounds so wonderful.
 
When it comes to strings, everyone has a personal preference and will recommend a particular brand. I will say strings are somewhat inexpensive and because of that, they are the most convenient and simple way to upgrade. That said, let your ears make the final decision.
 
The only down side is getting new strings to stay in tune. lol I'm just curious as to how much actual difference there is in these different strings once you get to the major companies.
 
I have a Lanikai LU-21C which came with Aquila strings. To me, they sounded kind of dull and muddy and felt a bit hard. I tried some D'Addario Pro Artes and I didn't like them at all. They didn't sound good on my uke and they felt too heavy. I tried some Oasis strings and they made my Lanikai come alive. They sounded better and they felt better. I like them a lot and they're going to be a go-to string for me. I also have an Ohana that came with Aquila strings and experienced the same thing, they sounded dull and muddy to me. I'm confident Oasis strings will sound good on it but I had some Martin M600 strings in the wings so I put them on my Ohana. The Martins sound great too. If I compare the gauges of the 4 strings I mention above, my 2 favorites are those with the smallest gauges. If you're looking for warm, I'd try the Oasis strings. I have the bright strings but they also apparently sell a warm set. The Martins are bright as well.
 
Thanks for sharing that. Do they come in a low G set or a low G single string?

EDIT. Yes they do. ;)
 
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Martin M620 (the tenor size). Fluorocarbon strings can be smaller diameter than nylon due to greater density of the material. They drive the soundboard well. One advantage to Martin strings is that they are often available and reasonably priced in local music shops where the others, Worths, Frenints, PhD, Oasis, and Living Water will pretty much be mail order only.
 
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