String 'Em Up
Been using Southcoast's medium linears on my tenors, and they have reformulated the set again. Apparently, the basses are still polished wounds, but the new trebles are nylon instead of fluoros, for a "warmer" sound.
This is the third change in the last couple years, From ML-SW, to ML-WB, to the ML-WB v1.6, low-density trebles. I have several sets of the first two incarnations on hand, so I'm in no hurry to switch unless the new ones are way better.
Anybody try the newest ones yet? Want to put up a review?
Okay, since nobody leaped at the suggestion, I did it my own self. Got a set of the ML-WB v1.6, with the new trebles, and installed them on the ukulele that was due the next string change, which happened to be the Moore Bettah koa tenor.
They've only been on for about thirty minutes and haven't settled, but my initial reaction is less about the sound than the feel.
They do feel different. One of the comments I heard with the older version of these was that the trebles felt a little thin, and while I didn't think that was a deal breaker, the newest ones do feel better to me. Completely subjective, of course.
I recorded a sound sample before the change, fingerpicked a little, and strummed through some barre chords, and as soon as the new strings stretch out and settle, I'll play the same pieces and record that, for a side-by-side comparison. To my ear, and it is early, they do seem to be a little less bright, but, again, it's me doing it and having been led to believe that will be the case, I dunno. Could be confirmation bias.
I have been using fluoro trebles on my ukes mostly, and while I like them, I don't have anything against nylon. When I was playing classical guitar, I found that the Nylgut strings by Aquila sounded best to me on that instrument. Didn't like them on my ukuleles at all, so I went hunting. I have tried a dozen brands, most of which I liked -- Worth's Browns and Clears, Living Water, Oasis, assorted singles for wound basses with Frankenstring sets, and have settled on Southcoast's. The squeakless wound basses work for me, and right now, the new trebles aren't looking bad ...
Stay tuned for further adventures in the Great String Hunt ...