Soprano Tension-- due to size or strings?

I generally run Martin Fluorocarbons on most of my ukuleles, and on those that don't have them, I have similar "feeling" strings, such as Living Waters, Aquila Sugar (thicker, in my mind), or Worth Clears. On my small scale (sub-soprano), I run Fremont Black Hard strings so I can keep them at GCEA. I have no problem with alternative tuning, but I've tried to transpose on the fly in ADF#B and it wasn't fun. Running regular strings on the sub-soprano scale didn't work, as you would expect.

I've also noticed that on our school ukuleles, the Aquila Nylgut (KIDS, but also regular) feel more flexible at the soprano scale, which actually makes things like string bends and side-to-side (versus up & down) vibrato more fun.

I do have a couple of ukuleles that are set up correctly, particularly tenors, that are just plain hard to play because of the tension on the strings, which are tenor strings (e.g. Martin 620). I have no idea why instruments with the same scale length, same general set-up, and same strings would differ in the "feel" of tension on the strings...but they do!

Bill1 said:

If the tuning is correct and you still think the strings are too loose, you need to find another set of strings with a higher tension.
If you have just received the uke, you may have no idea how old the strings and it could be a good idea to change them anyway.

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Fremont makes a set of "Hard" soprano strings. I use them on a sopranino but they should work fine on a soprano to get eh string tension up. Nice sounding too.

Update: I tuned the strings up 1/2 and then a whole step, but wasn't happy with the tone. I am proud to say I changed strings for the first time (put Martin M600 fluorocarbon gCEA) and I'm very happy with the tension/sound now! They sound and feel great on this small uke. The only downside is the strings are nearly invisible (I liked the look of the black nylon strings on the koa fretboard). But, for now I'm going to enjoy the tones this uke sings and get more comfortable on a soprano.

Thanks again everybody for your insights!

If you like the look of black/dark strings, give Fremont strings a try the next time.

Few weeks ago there was a long thread that had a lot explanations on the factors that control string tension, and even a link to the handy d'Addario string tension calculator. My advice to the OP remains to get a new set of strings that is actually designed for the uke size and not rely on whatever may be there when he got it.