Newbie and I aleady have UAS: My new Kala Elite Tenor, bright strings

shanmoon

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I've only been playing a short while, but I've been listening to tons of Ukes. I decided I had to have a Tenor, and found a lightly used 2015 Kale Elite solid KOA for $515. It arrived today!

I was afraid I wouldn't like the low G, but I actually do. The string are much brighter sounding than my OU280SWK, and I am considering switching to Aquila Super Nylgut w/Low G. I am guessing it came with the factory Kala Elite flurocarbon strings.

Now I have to work even harder practicing to do this new beautiful uke justice.

Any thoughts aobut the bright almost tinny sound of the strings? They also cut into my fingers more than I expected and are much harder to for me to hold down. The Aquila's seem like a good bet.

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Re cutting into your fingers and being harder to hold down, it could just be that because it's a tenor, your strings have higher tension. You might also want to have someone look at the action to see if it's a little high. I wouldn't necessarily blame the strings.
 
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Thanks for the suggestion. I hadn't even considered the action. It's definitely a work out for my fingers (weak from nerve damage in a hangliding accident), so I think I'll have someone check it out before I change the strings. The almost bell like sound is growing on me.
 
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There are so many strings with so many characteristics to choose from. IMO, most fluorocarbon strings impart a smoother warmer sound when compared to Nylon derived strings (Nylgut). Worth, Living Waters, Pepe Romero strings, at least to my ears, are all warm stings. Of the three mentioned, Pepe is the most powerful in sound and Living Water is the most delicate of sounds. As you get better at playing you may even mix brands of strings on your uke. On my Kala my A string is a Pepe and the rest are Living Water. The A string now blends in with the other silky smooth. Strings are cheap. So, you'll switch them out as you progress. Quickly if you like shredding the uke!
 
Shanmoon, I see you've also ordered a Kamaka Ohta-San model. You are quickly amassing quite an impressive collection!
 
Yeah, I had wanted a Kamaka initially but couldn't stretch my budget for it, then had an unexpected windfall this week. My feeble rationalization is that now I can have one concert in low G and one in high G. I just love how each of the different brands and models have such unique sounds!
 
I was surprised when a listened to an HMS blind string comparison video. I was tied on my favorite for the Aquila and some flurocarbon strings....although obviously a video is not the same as listening in person. Definitely going to give the strings on the Kala another chance. Not sure if the Kamaka is coming with the factory black strings or not as the seller told me it had been restrung to high g. I will probably switch it to low G, but now I am considering ordering Kamaka strings for it (depending on what it has when it arrives).
 
There's also feel (material and tension) to consider. I've settled on Aquilas, D'addario Nyltech, and Living Waters for most of my needs, but I'm beginning to look at Southcoast and Thomastik Infeld options.
 
It arrived today and I love it! Something about the neck sits more comfortably in my hand than my Oscar OU280SWK. It arrived restrung to high G with what I think are Aquila strings. Thinking about putting the Kamaka strings or maybe Aquila Lava strings on with low G. The bell shape body is easier for me to hold in place too. I can tell my poor Oscar is going to stay in the case a lot now. I am in awe of this uke, is so beautiful to behold and hear. I will have to practice like mad to become worthy of it and the Kala (which is heading off to a luthier to get the action checked).

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It arrived today and I love it! Something about the neck sits more comfortably in my hand than my Oscar OU280SWK. It arrived restrung to high G with what I think are Aquila strings. Thinking about putting the Kamaka strings or maybe Aquila Lava strings on with low G. The bell shape body is easier for me to hold in place too. I can tell my poor Oscar is going to stay in the case a lot now. I am in awe of this uke, is so beautiful to behold and hear. I will have to practice like mad to become worthy of it and the Kala (which is heading off to a luthier to get the action checked).

ShansOhtasan.jpg

That's a beauty! Congrats on your ukulele family!
If I could have a Kamaka, that's the model I'd love most.
 
My feeble rationalization is that now I can have one concert in low G and one in high G. I just love how each of the different brands and models have such unique sounds!

That is a sound rationalization, though if you're anything like me when I started out, this won't stop you from buying another dozen of ukuleles before your preferences start to become more defined and refined. :) I'd recommend to stop buying and start playing, because having too many ukuleles makes it harder and more confusing, and it will eventually backfire in form of guilt and buyer's remorse (and a feeling of being overwhelmed; tyranny of choice and all that), but I wouldn't have listened to that advice, either! Unlike me, you started at the high end, right before custom ukes, which I mostly think is a good idea. Slowly upgrading can be a real money sink because every time you sell an instrument, you lose 30-40%+ of what you paid. Buying used is really smart, but also something I only rarely did because of impatience and convenience.

Strings have a big impact on how an instrument sounds, sometimes more than the brand and the wood. It's also much cheaper to experiment with strings. It was something I initially overlooked, because I thought strings are fundamentally all the same and I also wasn't very keen on replacing them (seemed pretty scary at first!), but I was wrong about that. I have instruments that sound vastly different depending on what strings (material and maker) I put on them. It's pretty fun to experiment with this. (Can get expensive if you have many instruments and explore in more exotic and overpriced string regions, but it's cheaper than buying instruments.)
 
I realize this thread was from last June but because I own a Kala Elite I thought I would throw in my two cents worth. First of all the Kala Elite strings which come on the ukulele are actually a very nice sounding string. That being said I’ve tried several other sets and these are my thoughts.

Living Water strings with a low G have always been my go to string so naturally I put a set on this ukulele. For whatever reason they don’t sound as good on this ukulele as they do others. I have no idea why but it prompted me to change the strings after only a week. The strings I settled on were the Pepe Romero w/ low G. They sound amazing! The low G is a low squeak wound string while the others are fluorocarbon. Here is a review I did if you would like to hear how hey sound on your Elite. https://youtu.be/NAs1C7_HJG4

Finally the fact hat this ukulele is hard on your fingers surprises me. My action was very low. As a matter of fact it was so low I raised it. I hope you got everything worked out.

By the way, I hang glide too. 6^)
 
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