Do strings sound better after they have settled for a few days?

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oldcookie

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I put a set of Aquila Reds on my Mainland since the Livingwater I had on it was getting a bit old. I thought I hated the sound and the texture for the two to three days even when it was in tune. It seemed to have lost some resonance and just sounded thin and harsh. Interestingly after about a week, it seem to sound better now.

Is this normal or am I just getting used to the sound? Still annoyed by the finger noise though. :)
 
I have had Reds (low-G) on a Flea Soprano for a couple weeks. They took about three days to settle somewhat, and about a week or so before fully stabilizing. The sound improved over time. So far they are the best I've found on this instrument.
 
Yeah, I've used mainly fluorocarbons like Livingwater and Worths before, they stabilize a bit, but the sound don't change that much over time. But with the Reds, I was playing it this morning and thought it actually sound a lot better than a couple of day ago, which kinda surprised me.
 
Yes, I think new strings sound better after they have settled in over a couple days.
 
Doc_J said:
Yes, I think new strings sound better after they have settled in over a couple days.
Click to expand...


I put some PhD's on a Pro Classic Cedar top Pono ... they sound much better after about 1 week ...
 
oldcookie said:
I put a set of Aquila Reds on my Mainland since the Livingwater I had on it was getting a bit old. I thought I hated the sound and the texture for the two to three days even when it was in tune. It seemed to have lost some resonance and just sounded thin and harsh. Interestingly after about a week, it seem to sound better now.

Is this normal or am I just getting used to the sound? Still annoyed by the finger noise though. :)
Click to expand...

I tune my new string/s to about Bb Eb G C and leave overnight to stretch ..........sometimes twanging or snapping them to detune and then re-tune...some disagree ....some don't ...it just speeds up stopping them detuning...they will always be naughty and require looking after........they do seem to mellow with "age" .......
 
Yep. I give 'em about a week before making up my mind about the sound.
 
Ukulele strings "open up" just as ukuleles themselves do.

Or not, depending on one's view of it all.
 
coolkayaker1 said:
Ukulele strings "open up" just as ukuleles themselves do.

Or not, depending on one's view of it all.
Click to expand...

My Mahalo "Les Paul" certainly opened up when I stood on it .....and the strings sounded awful........I sounded even worse ....than usual !!!.

Jarvo
 
I have Reds on my Silvertone soprano and love the sound. Like the white Aquilas, it seems that they get better about the time the smell goes away.
 
PereBourik said:
Yep. I give 'em about a week before making up my mind about the sound.
Click to expand...

I agree with this 100%. I am doing a string changing experiment on my Pete Howlett tenor, 6 different sets of strings over the last two months. I have kept written notes on the sound of all these strings and each one took 2 -3 days to settle and about a full week to achieve a really consistent sound. I just put on Living Waters 3 days ago and they are starting to really improve.
 
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