My G string is much too loud. HELP!!!

bellgamin · Jul 25, 2020

I just got delivery of an Uma Pulse tenor. Bazmaz recently reviewed a Pulse concert HERE. One of his comments indicated that one "con" was that it was too bassy for his tastes.

Well, I actually like bassy ukes so I was motivated to order the Pulse tenor, which was delivered just today. Boy, was Bazmaz right -- this tenor is bassy to the nth! Not only is its wound low G string waaay too dominant, it sustains for an exceptionally long time unless damped manually.

Ergo, as much as I like bassy ukes, this ukes is much too bassy even for my tastes. Sheesh!

So I need suggestions as to how I can tone down this uke's excessive bassiness. I would very much appreciate any & all of your comments & ideas.

clear · Jul 25, 2020

Hi.
I had a similar problem
https://forum.ukuleleunderground.co...-c-string-has-much-longer-sustain-than-others

Maybe your problem will go away all by itself too.

ripock · Jul 25, 2020

I play tenors exclusively and here's what I do generally:

1. don't use wound base strings. They always dominate. I use Worth, Fremont, or any other unwound FC string sets
2. avoid open strings.
3. mute offending strings
4. learn to accept the idiosyncratic voice of your ukulele

merlin666 · Jul 25, 2020

The biggest control of sound is not the uke or strings but your right hand. It may just take some more differentiated playing where you hit the g less hard than other strings.

rainbow21 · Jul 25, 2020

I tried a wound on my Blackbird Clara (unknown brand) and it was boomy and dominant. I changed to a fluorocarbon (sorry, brand unknown... cut from a roll at my uke shop) and issue disappeared.

Lapyang · Jul 25, 2020

I too, have a couple of ukes that were too bassy and over dominant with wound low G. I tried Fremont Black Fluorocarbon Low G and Living Water Low G and problem solved. Personally, I don’t like Fremont Clear Low G.

kissing · Jul 25, 2020

Also keep in mind, not all wound low G strings are the same.
Some don't dominate as much as others.

I find that D'addario low G (or regular tension classical guitar D string) generally tend to sound balanced on most ukuleles.
Quite durable too.

Several unwound options have been suggested too.
Aquila unwound red low-G tend to be alright.
Generally speaking, I prefer wound low-G than unwound. Unwound often don't have quite the oomph needed on an acoustic uke.

The only uke I have to use unwound is on my Risa Uke-Solid tenor, because the thin plastic bridge can't handle wound strings.

Kenn2018 · Jul 26, 2020

I agree with the others. I don't care for wound Low-G strings or C-strings. They dominate the plain strings and have a "whang" to them that annoys me. I think you'll find a plain non-wound fluorocarbon to be a little less dominating. Some are softer sounding than others though.

I like the sound of Living Waters strings. But you may need something like a Fremont Black Line to quiet it down.

Check out the single G-strings on Uke Republic or Strings By Mail.

bbkobabe · Aug 3, 2020

Was making me crazy! Tied some string on it, and that helped a lot... Switched to solid G string and that helped even more!

Good luck-

merlin666 · Aug 4, 2020

Bill1 said:
Another way of saying it is that the string set is not balanced on the uke.

The uke has fan frets so maybe normal string sets just wont be balanced and you need to look at all 4 strings, not just the G string. Is the G string loud or are the other strings dull? Thats one of the problems you are going to get with a unique fretboard design.

Maybe increase and decrease the tension of each string, just for 40 minutes or less, and see how changing the tension affects the balance. Remembering you are exploring the balance and the musical sound will be a bit strange.

Ah I did not realize that it was a multiscale uke, that will make getting a new string set challenging. So other than through playing technique another way of toning down an overly strong wound string is by inserting some foam or other material between string and saddle which will reduce vibration. This is a trick often used by bass guitar players to get better tone for recordings. Google will probably provide some suggestions on suitable materials and where to place them, and with uke some experimentation will be in order.

My G string is much too loud. HELP!!!

bellgamin

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clear

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