Yet another string question

dow · Sep 27, 2019

I've got a Lanikai MAS-T mahogany tenor uke, and according to Lanakai support, it came strung with D’Addario Nyltech EJ88-T strings. I've had if for a couple of weeks, and the tuning has settled in pretty good and overall, it sounds great. However, the A string doesn't have the sustain that the other strings have, and sounds kind of dead-ish (yes, it's a new word, and yes, you may use it.

). What strings would you recommend that might liven up the A string, and be balanced across the rest of the set?

For comparison purposes, here is the string gauge chart for the EJ88-T strings:

Thanks!
dow

AQUATOPAZ · Sep 27, 2019

dow said:
I've got a Lanikai MAS-T mahogany tenor uke, and according to Lanakai support, it came strung with [FONT=&]D’Addario Nyltech EJ88-T strings. I've had if for a couple of weeks, and the tuning has settled in pretty good and overall, it sounds great. However, the A string doesn't have the sustain that the other strings have, and sounds kind of dead-ish (yes, it's a new word, and yes, you may use it. ). What strings would you recommend that might liven up the A string, and be balanced across the rest of the set?

For comparison purposes, here is the string gauge chart for the EJ88-T strings:

View attachment 121621

Thanks!
dow
[/FONT]

Living Waters or PhD's.

dow · Sep 27, 2019

Thanks. Looks like PhD is available for order for about $10/set. Is this a fair price?

dow · Sep 27, 2019

Thanks! Off to order some. :O)

Edited to add:

Okay, so I made my selection and filled in the form and clicked on Submit. Now I get a message saying they'll get back with me in a day or two. Is that normal? How do they handle payments?

yahalele · Sep 27, 2019

Hi, dow!

I had a same problem with A string on fluorocarbon before. Do you feel the tension of A string bit high (see the figure below)? If so, you need to find more low tension sets or low tension 1st string. High tension of A string brings us good solo play, because melody often goes on A string. The set may be not bad for solo players.

dow · Sep 27, 2019

yahalele said:
Hi, dow!

Do you feel the tension of A string bit high (see the figure below)?

No sir, the tension feels fine, as does the action. The A string just sounds dull, and the sustain is much less than the other strings. I bought this uke from a local music store, and while the have a pretty big selection of ukuleles, i really have no way of knowing how long the strings have been on the instrument. Hmm... I wonder if there's a way to find the build date on a Lanikai uke.

AQUATOPAZ · Sep 27, 2019

yahalele said:
Hi, dow!

I had a same problem with A string on fluorocarbon before. Do you feel the tension of A string bit high (see the figure below)? If so, you need to find more low tension sets or low tension 1st string. High tension of A string brings us good solo play, because melody often goes on A string. The set may be not bad for solo players.

He feels it lacks life, as he said. Living Waters and PhD's sound alive. They don't make these strings for a guitar, so if you would like to try them, you'd have to buy a ukulele. I don't think the strings he is currently using are made for guitars either. I would imagine the guitar strings you are currently using are quite different than ukulele strings.

merlin666 · Sep 27, 2019

Could be a tight nut. Maybe slacken the string and take it out of the nut slot and rub some soft pencil into it, then tune it up again.

dow · Sep 28, 2019

merlin666 said:
Could be a tight nut. Maybe slacken the string and take it out of the nut slot and rub some soft pencil into it, then tune it up again.

Now why didn't I remember that? I knew that long ago, and had forgotten it until I read your post. Thanks! &#55357;&#56832;

dow · Sep 29, 2019

Well, I lubed the nut slots with graphite, but it didn't help with the sustain any. I'll give the PhD strings a shot when they get here and report back once they've settled in.

dow · Oct 8, 2019

Update: The PhD strings showed up last Monday, so they've been on the uke for about a week. I was surprised at how quickly they've settled in. Still stretching a bit, but they're getting there. I do like the tone better with these vs. the d'adarrio strings that the uke came with. The A string has more sustain than the other one had, and overall, I like the PhD's better.

Thanks for the recommendation.

dow · Oct 8, 2019

prb035 said:
Thanks for the update, it's nice to hear that things worked out well I am currently trying a Phd Low G set

I had thought about the low G set, but I decided to stick with the more traditional uke tuning, at least until I'm a lot more familiar with the instrument. Maybe that's something I'll do when/if I get a second tenor.

Yet another string question

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