What do you know about strings?

Self-Reference

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Alright, so I've got two ukuleles. One is some super cheap thing I picked up for a couple of dollars at a thrift store a while back, and the other is a moderately higher quality baritone.

The baritone came with Aquila nylgut strings, and I absolutely love them. I like the way they feel when I play them, and I love the sound they make compared to the nylon strings on, say, my acoustic guitar. I even picked up a set of nylgut strings for my banjo, and I think they're amazing.

I've never been a huge fan of standard nylon strings, but they do sound much better on a uke than on bigger instruments. I was going to buy a set of nylgut strings to see if I liked them on my soprano uke, and it got me wondering - are there other types of strings I could look for and try out?

Also, are D'addrario nyltech any different from normal nylon, or is it just a brand name thing?
 
If you search on "strings" here on UU, you will find oh so many threads on string choices. It is a much debated topic, with lots of opinions and comes down to personal preference. Many folks like different sets of strings on each of their ukes. It seems that after you can no longer afford to buy more ukes, you need to move on to buying different strings and/or try different tunings. I have recently gravitated toward fluorocarbons and am really liking Living Waters.
 
Honestly, nobody knows strings like Dirk from SouthCoast. (He posts here on occasion.) Everyone else just has an opinion! ;)
 
Aquilas have a reputation of making inexpensive instruments sound better. I found this to be true years ago when I got them for my classical guitar. And even on some higher-quality instruments, they work fine. I haven't liked them on any of my ukes so far.

Strings are cheap. Buy a few sets of different kinds and try them. See which ones sound the best to you. Since you are going to be listening to your playing more than anybody else, please yourself first.
 
We had a great thread going all about the different strings that folks are using.

You might want to check it out and see if it helps you.

Click here to see it.
 
The one thing that I've learned about strings is that they sound different on different ukuleles. Preference for sound and feel is totally subjective. I've played someone else's ukulele and loved at set of strings, only to find that I don't really care for them on another ukulele.
 
The one thing that I've learned about strings is that they sound different on different ukuleles. Preference for sound and feel is totally subjective. I've played someone else's ukulele and loved at set of strings, only to find that I don't really care for them on another ukulele.

That's exactly the point of the thread I linked to in my post above. That thread is about the search for the best strings to YOUR ear for YOUR uke, and we all are comparing notes, some of us have the same uke (in that thread) and actually agree on some of the strings we like.

Sure lots of ukes, even two of the same exact model can sound different with the SAME strings due to variations in the build process and/or (lack of) quality control. That's just one reason why Flea and Fluke ukuleles are great: consistency. But there's a whole other thread about that if you're interested...
 
To your question -

I am currently using D'Addario Nyltech on my tenor. On the pkg. (EJ88T) is a statement: "Developed in cooperation with Aquila ... "
They seem to have the same specs, & are made in the USA, the company being based in NY.

I think they are the same. I'm not convinced a low end laminate could improve with anything but fresher strings.
 
If you love the Aquila strings on your baritone, either Aquila Nylgut strings or D'Addario Nylgut strings would be a great choice for your soprano.
 
But just for the fun of it you should once try a set of fluorocarbons (Martin, Worth medium, Living Water, Savarez, ...) - you might be surprised in one way or another...
 
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