Pirate Jim
Well-known member
Last year I picked up a tenor set of the strings Matt at World of Ukes developed with Worth. They're clear fluorocarbon and he says they're optimised for finger picking (a claim I was dubious about - strings are strings, right?). I've finally played them for a month or so and, as there's not much around about them, thought I'd share my thoughts on them. Usual caveats apply - strings are a very personal choice so YMMV!
First up, they come individually wrapped with dad jokes on the packets. Not going to lie, this really tickled me and I thought it was a great touch:
I popped them onto my fluke as it's currently the only tenor I own and tuned them up. First impressions: holy cow, that g string is high tension (this set is re-entrant). Like, I can't get enough volume out of it it's so high. The set as a whole is a high tension set and that g is noticeably taught.
Well, having been playing sopranos and baritones for a while I wasn't ready for this - the nyltechs these replaced were easy, these were hard. I popped a low G on instead for a while but decided to try again with that high g.
I have to say, I'm really glad I did. Now I've got used to the tension (no worries for fretting as the fluke action is lovely, it was needing to dig in more with my picking hand that was the adjustment) they are loud and, yes, have really good clarity!
I also had to eat my reservations - they are wonderful for finger picking and only so so for strumming. The tension and fluoro sound means individual notes almost punch out if you're playing at volume and shimmer beautifully played softly. The warmth for strumming has gone though and it's more effort to strum against that tension than I can be bothered with - I find myself grabbing other ukes for a singalong. The problem I'm now having is that I'm struggling to adjust the other way for my soprano and keep playing with a monstrously heavy touch.
I would absolutely recommend these - no plans to change them for now. They do lend themselves more to one style of playing than another though. Again, YMMV!
First up, they come individually wrapped with dad jokes on the packets. Not going to lie, this really tickled me and I thought it was a great touch:
I popped them onto my fluke as it's currently the only tenor I own and tuned them up. First impressions: holy cow, that g string is high tension (this set is re-entrant). Like, I can't get enough volume out of it it's so high. The set as a whole is a high tension set and that g is noticeably taught.
Well, having been playing sopranos and baritones for a while I wasn't ready for this - the nyltechs these replaced were easy, these were hard. I popped a low G on instead for a while but decided to try again with that high g.
I have to say, I'm really glad I did. Now I've got used to the tension (no worries for fretting as the fluke action is lovely, it was needing to dig in more with my picking hand that was the adjustment) they are loud and, yes, have really good clarity!
I also had to eat my reservations - they are wonderful for finger picking and only so so for strumming. The tension and fluoro sound means individual notes almost punch out if you're playing at volume and shimmer beautifully played softly. The warmth for strumming has gone though and it's more effort to strum against that tension than I can be bothered with - I find myself grabbing other ukes for a singalong. The problem I'm now having is that I'm struggling to adjust the other way for my soprano and keep playing with a monstrously heavy touch.
I would absolutely recommend these - no plans to change them for now. They do lend themselves more to one style of playing than another though. Again, YMMV!