bbkobabe
Well-known member
Hello, all!
Well, after solving the issue with my Pono AT-CR (solved by mounting Worth clear heavy florocarbons), I decided I'd give the Aquila Sugar strings one last shot.
No- I just can't put up with the squeaking. Sure, the tone is great, but... Off they go!
(FYI: I contacted Strings by Mail and asked if they have the new "Squeak-less" Sugar strings in stock... and they do, even if the photo in the online 'catalog' lacks the gold sticker indicating that. They will fix the photo soon)
So, I pulled the Sugars off, and put the replacement strings I got from Lo Prinzi onto my Kala SSTU travel uke instead. As you may have heard, I put the Lo Prinzi Light/Low tension strings onto my Pono, and it was a disaster! And BTW: Lo Prinzi offered me a free replacement set of their standard weight (high g) strings free, so I was anxious to try them...
I don't know much about Lo Prinzi... Seems like more of a guitar company that also makes baritones... But their customer service is awesome, so that's what I DO know about them. They are also based in Florida. Ok, so I know TWO things about them.
Anyhow, after giving the Sugars one last chance, off they came and on went the Loprinzi clear florocarbons.
It appears Kala recommends the Aquila Super Nylguts, since that's what it came with when purchased new (although I forgot to ask them if that still holds as the 'go to' string for this model... I'll do that soon).
I had never used clear floros on this uke before, and I have to say... I like them here! To be fair, the OUTRAGEOUS LOUDNESS of this solid top tenor was scaled back quite a bit, as was instantly noticeable. The 'brightness" was also dialed back a bit. But...
On the other hand...
These thin body ukes don't have the best tone, right?... Lots of fundamental tone but short on harmonics and warmth... and both of these area are now improved the the clear florocarbon strings on it... Hmmm... They also seemed to "settle in" faster than most other strings I have used. After about an hour of playing, the tuning stabilized.
I'm not sure if the folks at Lo Prinzi offer any other options than the light/low tension and the "standard" strings... maybe I'll drop them another line and see if they have any low g options or other weights. I'll let you know...
But to my ear, my Kala sounds a bit warmer and the tone seems more even and full... although I might end up missing that fog-cutter volume I had with the Aquilas once I get back to the classroom and 24 ukes are all playing at the same time... we'll see...
But since it doesn't appear we will be doing that (read:in person school attendance) anytime soon, I'll enjoy these until then and see how it goes.
Anyhow, I'm making some progress on my explorations of string types, weights, and tone improvement. I'll keep you posted If I discover something new... I still have a set of Aquila Blacks I'm wanting to try, but I've restrung everything I have now so it will have to wait until I...
Buy another ukulele? Great Idea... Why didn't I think of that! Time to hit the MARKETPLACE...
Genius!
Bill
Well, after solving the issue with my Pono AT-CR (solved by mounting Worth clear heavy florocarbons), I decided I'd give the Aquila Sugar strings one last shot.
No- I just can't put up with the squeaking. Sure, the tone is great, but... Off they go!
(FYI: I contacted Strings by Mail and asked if they have the new "Squeak-less" Sugar strings in stock... and they do, even if the photo in the online 'catalog' lacks the gold sticker indicating that. They will fix the photo soon)
So, I pulled the Sugars off, and put the replacement strings I got from Lo Prinzi onto my Kala SSTU travel uke instead. As you may have heard, I put the Lo Prinzi Light/Low tension strings onto my Pono, and it was a disaster! And BTW: Lo Prinzi offered me a free replacement set of their standard weight (high g) strings free, so I was anxious to try them...
I don't know much about Lo Prinzi... Seems like more of a guitar company that also makes baritones... But their customer service is awesome, so that's what I DO know about them. They are also based in Florida. Ok, so I know TWO things about them.
Anyhow, after giving the Sugars one last chance, off they came and on went the Loprinzi clear florocarbons.
It appears Kala recommends the Aquila Super Nylguts, since that's what it came with when purchased new (although I forgot to ask them if that still holds as the 'go to' string for this model... I'll do that soon).
I had never used clear floros on this uke before, and I have to say... I like them here! To be fair, the OUTRAGEOUS LOUDNESS of this solid top tenor was scaled back quite a bit, as was instantly noticeable. The 'brightness" was also dialed back a bit. But...
On the other hand...
These thin body ukes don't have the best tone, right?... Lots of fundamental tone but short on harmonics and warmth... and both of these area are now improved the the clear florocarbon strings on it... Hmmm... They also seemed to "settle in" faster than most other strings I have used. After about an hour of playing, the tuning stabilized.
I'm not sure if the folks at Lo Prinzi offer any other options than the light/low tension and the "standard" strings... maybe I'll drop them another line and see if they have any low g options or other weights. I'll let you know...
But to my ear, my Kala sounds a bit warmer and the tone seems more even and full... although I might end up missing that fog-cutter volume I had with the Aquilas once I get back to the classroom and 24 ukes are all playing at the same time... we'll see...
But since it doesn't appear we will be doing that (read:in person school attendance) anytime soon, I'll enjoy these until then and see how it goes.
Anyhow, I'm making some progress on my explorations of string types, weights, and tone improvement. I'll keep you posted If I discover something new... I still have a set of Aquila Blacks I'm wanting to try, but I've restrung everything I have now so it will have to wait until I...
Buy another ukulele? Great Idea... Why didn't I think of that! Time to hit the MARKETPLACE...
Genius!
Bill
