Put low G on a concert and it’s completely different.

The strings on my Concert Kala ka-kcg hadn’t been changed in 3+ years so I had it restrung today. I went from D’Addario Titanium to Aquila super Nylgut. It also now has a low-g which I wanted to try. But it was a very drastic change. It sounds good, almost like a whole different instrument. I am going to give these some time but its weird. Lost is it’s bright softness. Now it’s much more mellow and full. Did I go too far, especially with the low G on a concert? And wow is it loud!

If I went back to D’Addario Titanium strings which are crisp and bright should I not have a low g? I was thinking of going with a Worth clear low g if I went back to D’Addario titanium strings.

Oh, and completely unrelated question, with a low-G can I play all the songs (mostly strumming) the same or do I need to modify chords?

Thank you everybody
Steve

Hey Steve,

You strum the same as always with low G. It is going to sound a bit different because the chord will be a different voicing. It isn't very drastic; it is more of a nuance thing. Finger picking, playing scales, or playing arpeggios are different with low G, but strumming is the same. Whether you retain the low G or return to high G is purely a personal choice. I have a strong preference for low G because of how I play, but it isn't a moral decision. The easiest thing to do is get another ukulele and have one in high G and one in low G. That way you never have to actually make the choice.

When my first uke was fairly new I also switched between the Titanium and Nylgut strings but only kept the Titanium on for a short time as I found them too soft which caused intonation problems. Mixing the Titaniums with low G will require some experimentation until you find one that sounds similar. I tried them with an Aquila red and the result was not great. I still have that red string on now five years later as it is perfect match with Nylguts. I can only assume that a fluorocarbon low G may also not be a good pairing as it is fundamentally different but others who actually tried it can probably better speak to that. Best bet may be a wound d'Addario guitar string that is probably long enough to be used for a replacement on a concert when first half wears out.

As for strumming you already know how different it is. I prefer the low G for some Pop songs that have specific chords that don't sound great in re-entrant. But for most typical ukulele songs like traditional Hawaiian I prefer the re-entrant.

Nearly all my many ukes are in low G linear tuning, I just have a couple re entrant, because I mainly pick melody lines, & only used to use re entrant on an occasional strum & sing for the Seasons challenge on this here forum, but mainly strummed my linears. (I also have baritones in linear & re entrant D tunings.)

I've had low G on a couple of my ukes. At first I liked it, it was a different/fuller sound and an alternative to my high G ukes. Ultimately, I found myself reaching for my high G ukes. I think my ear is attuned to the high G and that is the sound I'm looking for in a ukulele. I've given it a chance a couple of times now and I guess I'm not really a fan of low G.

Ukecaster said:

... ...an Em chord (0432) is the one I don't like on low-G, the open low G string sounds off, compared to reentrant, so I try to skip that string, not always successfully.

Click to expand...

On my low G ukuleles I use 4432 for Em. It blends better to my ears, especially when going 4432 to 4320. The 4 on both low G's seems to *segue* the 4432 - 4320 chord progression a bit more logically than 0432 - 4320. It's a matter of taste, of course.

Using a low-G on a concert body makes sense if you've got a repertoire that takes advantage of having an instrument with a low-G string A conventional soprano, in my experience, is just a little too unresponsive at these lower frequencies to make using a low-G strung soprano very satisfying, though a "pineapple" body does improve things a bit.

YMMV - :music:

bellgamin said:

On my low G ukuleles I use 4432 for Em. It blends better to my ears, especially when going 4432 to 4320. The 4 on both low G's seems to *segue* the 4432 - 4320 chord progression a bit more logically than 0432 - 4320. It's a matter of taste, of course.

Click to expand...

That is an excellent example of how some chord shapes need to be chosen wisely and are very different in linear vs. re-entrant tuning. Also keep in mind that most low G strings are designed for at least tenor size and up. So make sure you get one that is specified for concert size otherwise chances are good that it will sound and feel unpleasant.

Yep, I thought I would get used to it, and I liked the range but I found myself skipping the low G string to keep the strumming light. Yes Ukecaster, I did notice it sounded much more guitar-like. In the end I wanted that bright punchy sound back so I had it restrung with D’Addario Titanium strings again. Mikelz777, I guess I had a reaction similar to yours.

Steve

I like low G a lot, and have it on all my tenors and concerts. I don't, however, like the Aquila Super Nylgut strings. What you may have been hearing might have been more of the sound difference between the brands, rather than the low G difference.

I really like the l low G Aquila Red with Nylguts too. Have that combo on my Ohana thin body tenor and my Romero STC. Nice and warm

If you are just strumming, keep it High G. If you are into finger picking, Low G is very helpful, but you will have to adjust your playing technique to keep that string from booming (pluck softer). Some ukes really shine as re-entrant. I tried low G with my Kanile super concert, but missed some of that bell like sparkle it had with the high G tuning. So, I keep that one as my high G, and use the Clara for Low G.

–Lori