Low G string for tenor uke

DelGriff

A very boring man!
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Hi all

Until recently I only played concert ukes which I fitted with low G red Aquila strings, which served me well. I recently bought a lovely Kala tenor uke - changed the G string to a low G red tenor Aquila but it snapped within a week. I fitted another - same thing happened after a couple of weeks. And now a few weeks on a third string has gone. :(

So, is this a common problem on tenors? (It’s never happened with my concerts.)

And is there an alternative low G string that anyone would recommend please?

Thanks all!
 
Unwound? Try Living Waters. They're some of the only unwound low Gs I've seen that aren't thick and floppy.

Wound? No clue, because I steer clear of them generally.
 
Unwound? Try Living Waters. They're some of the only unwound low Gs I've seen that aren't thick and floppy.

Wound? No clue, because I steer clear of them generally.

Thanks for your very prompt response, Rick - just ordered a set of Living Waters strings. Cheers again!:)
 
I'm no expert but recently wanted to fit low g to a concert and after much research got one of these and very pleased with it.

Fremont " SOLOIST " Squeakless Polished Wound Low G single string for soprano, concert and tenor size ukulele.
 
I agree with Ubulele, the only non wound G that I've liked have been the reds, and also that the sugar ones are fantastic, but oddly unavailable.
 
I have an Aquila red on my tenor and it has worked well for several years now. I had it installed by a luthier who also widened nut and bridge slots according to the string width.
 
I think you'll find the Living Waters low g stings to be simply awesome.
 
i swear by a classical guitar D string... replacing your re-entrant g with one of these is a super easy way to try low G, you can use it on tenor, concert and soprano ukes. ebay usually has someone selling a set of 5 or so D strings. but then i do love the squeak of wound strings
 
Living Water is a good choice, I really like them, although I use concert strings on my tenor scales.

I bought 2 concert low G Reds, one snapped by itself overnight, after a few weeks on a standard concert uke, the other is still on my RISA stick/solid, almost a year later, (but not played much at all).

(On tenor, I have also used guitar strings, tuned to DGBE.)
 
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I have an Aquila red on my tenor and it has worked well for several years now. I had it installed by a luthier who also widened nut and bridge slots according to the string width.

Oh- Right!!!
Now that you say that, it reminds me that when I spoke with Aquilla they said that if the nut slot is too tight for the string, tuning can damage and weaken the red strings and that is why they break. They even have a video on how to install to provide the least stress on the string during tuning.
 
Wow - lots of great advice here - thank you all sooooo much!

I've ordered a set of Living Water strings, but in the meantime used some needle files to open up and smooth out the G notch on the nut on my uke (which I've realised is where all 3 strings snapped) and fitted my last remaining Aquila red low G string. Will be interesting to see how long this lasts, but if/when it gives up I'll be able to try out the Living Water low G.

Thank you all again for your help - what a helpful bunch you are! :)
 
I was going to ask where your strings were breaking. Nut, bridge or elsewhere. If the nut was too tight you may also have to adjust the bridge.
 
...used some needle files to open up and smooth out the G notch on the nut on my uke (which I've realised is where all 3 strings snapped) and fitted my last remaining Aquila red low G string...
...so here we are 3 weeks later and the Aquila red low G is still going strong - hoping the filing of the notch on the nut was the solution! Only downside is that I’m now reluctant to fit the Living Water strings and I’m dying to find out how different they are from the Aquilas. :)
 
So here we are nearly a year on and the Aquila red low G I fitted last December after filing out the G notch on the nut has only just snapped - I'd call that a success! So I finally got to put the Living Water low G string on my uke - and I'm really impressed - lovely warm tone, a slightly softer sound than the Aquila red. So it's all good! :)
 
Hello all
Another suggestion for low G is the Savarez Alliance Ref KF 95A which is a unwound harp string I understand. One will give you several "G" strings. Gauge is .95mm , or 0.0374 inch Length is 2 meters. Works fine on my concert and I understand will work fine on your tenor although I have not tried them on a tenor.
 
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