Concert strings on a tenor?

I recently bought some new strings but instead of tenor clicked on concert. Do I need to buy another set, or can I use these on the tenor?

Thanks,

You can use them fine. The tone will be a little brighter, and you will get MORE sustain on account of having a hair less tension from a thinner gauge of strings. The only disadvantage is that you will have a hair less volume with the thinner gauge of strings.

I have done this LOTS of times to get a brighter tone or less tension from a specific uke. I've never had a uke damaged by using thinner strings. Scale length is a reference point and is not carved in stone, and many string makers, like Worth (15 different gauges in each clear and browns) and Oasis (2 different gauges each in hi-G and low-G) sell one length of strings, that needs to be cut in half, or to size for whatever uke you put them on.
 
All my tenor scale ukes have fluorocarbon concert strings on them, I prefer the feel of less tension that they give. :)

(Except my actual tenor, that has classical guitar strings on it. ;) )
 
Oasis has sets that are good for sopranos concerts or tenors. As long as your strings are long enough it shouldn’t be a problem.
 
FYI: I've observed the following after testing over 100 discrete sets of strings:

  • Thinner strings = more sustain = less tension = less volume = brighter tone
  • Thicker strings = less sustain = more tension = more volume = warmer tone
 
Sounds like the experts like to use concert strings on tenor ukes. Is this a common sentiment? I am more of a fingerstyle player and am considering changing my tenor Kamaka strings to concert Kamaka strings instead of lowering the tuning, in order to get the same decrease in tension. Any input on this?
 
I've been using concert strings on tenors for a few years. I mostly play finger style and find the lesser tension produces a brighter tone, with better vibrato and is more conducive in bending notes. Bar fretting is also easier.
 
Yep, I always use concert strings on my Tenors. Give it a go, strings are cheap to change if you don't like them after all.
 
sorry for the resurrection, but I just lived this adventure :D

I bought a Mahimahi S3 tenor, a nice solid mahogany instrument, 14 frets and geared tuners, very light and loud, just like the soprano of the same series.
it arrived with it's Aquila Super Nylgut for tenor, heavy gauge and stiff, and even after a good setup (bridge and nut lowered) they felt to heavy and stiff, in particular on the C string.
also, the sound wasn't so good, too much attack, too short sustain...

so what happened? I was looking at a video comparison between the Kiwaya's mahogany ukes in the three different sizes, and I really liked the sound of the KTT2 (if I recall correctly, it's a video by Southern Ukulele Store), so I decided to try the GHS black nylons that I have on the KTS4 and KTC1, a set that I like a lot both in feel and sound, but looking at the GHS's catalogue I noticed that the tenor strings have the wound C string, but the Kiwaya's tenors don't have the wound C.
I asked them, and they told me that they use the same set on all their ukes, and it's the soprano/concert set, GHS H10, which has a gauge slightly thinner than Aquila for Soprano.

so I ordered a set and... WOW!

the tension is slightly different, not too much lower, but they are a bit more flexible, and I found them more comfortable for the fretting hand.

also, the sound kind of opened up: even if they are mellow strings, not harsh like the Aquila, the overall sound is clear, very projecting and still with high volume, as expected from a solid mahogany uke with thin woods, but with more sustain and "singing" notes.

so I wanted to share my little experience :D I've always played only sopranos, so I didn't know much about tenors, and my concert is a month old, but with a set of strings that is the same as the soprano.

however, I think that I made the right choice, and will stick to lighter strings on the tenor.
 
Good for you to find a set that you like. Tenors can sometimes be problematic, especially the 3rd (C) string.

The GHS H10 strings are nylon, which is fine. They are a bit thicker, larger diameter, than fluorocarbon strings which is also fine, and have a nice feel to them.

You should probably go to the GHS site and note the string diameters, so you have a record of what you are using.

John
 
...The GHS H10 strings are nylon, which is fine. They are a bit thicker, larger diameter, than fluorocarbon strings which is also fine, and have a nice feel to them.

You should probably go to the GHS site and note the string diameters, so you have a record of what you are using.

John
I added the decimal point, leading zero and " for each string diameter:

GHS H-10 Hawaiian Ukulele Black Nylon Strings
Strings for your concert or standard uke
Gauges: .025"-.032"-.036"-.028"
 
The GHS H10 strings are nylon, which is fine. They are a bit thicker, larger diameter, than fluorocarbon strings which is also fine, and have a nice feel to them.

just to add a comparison for gauges:

GHS H10 (black nylon)
  1. (soprano/concert): .025-.032-.036-.028
Aquila Super Nylgut
  1. (soprano): .024-.030-.036-.026
  2. (concert): .024-.031-.037-.026
  3. (tenor): .026-.032-.038-.028
Aquila New Nylgut
  1. (soprano): .024-.031-.037-.026
  2. (concert): .026-.032-.038-.028
  3. (tenor): .026-.033-.039-.029
Aquila Sugar (similar to fluorocarbon)
  1. (soprano): .024-.030-.036-.026
  2. (concert): .024-.031-.037-.026
  3. (tenor): .026-.032-.038-.028
D'Addario EJ99 (fluorocarbon)
  1. (soprano/concert/tenor): .020-.026-.031-.022
Martin M600/620 (fluorocarbon)
  1. (soprano): .019-.025-.034-.022
  2. (tenor): .022-.028-.034-.025


it's interesting to see that Aquila changes mostly the center strings, and that the New Nylgut are stiffer, where the Super and Sugar have the exact same gauge.
D'Addario uses the same gauge (talking about fluorocarbon) for the three sizes, but I was looking at their other sets like Nyltech and Black Nylon, and here comes the difference!

the Nyltech gauges are similar to Aquila's, but a bit smaller on some strings, compared to the Nylgut.
Black Nylons are odd! the Soprano set has a .040 C string and it's the stiffer one.
the Concert set is smaller and similar to the GHS set.
the Tenor set has the wound C, and it's similar to the GHS tenor set.

I only mentioned strings I've tried, I don't know how other brands compare.

however, a thing that I noticed is that, even comparing similar gauges, the tension is often different.

for example, the New Nylgut are stiffer than the Super Nylgut, and even if the A string is the same in the soprano sets, it feels thinner. for years I've thought that it was actually thinner.

on the other hand, I feel that the D'Addario Fluorocarbon are stiffer on the high strings, and not very well balanced in the center strings, comparing them to the Aquila.
 
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