When discussing strings here at UU, I've noticed that often two string types emerge, fluorocarbon and nylgut. My perception is that fluorocarbon is massively preferred by the more experienced player especially on a more expensive uke while nylgut is often recommended for cheaper ukes and beginner players (big generalization, I know).
I've been a proponent of fluorocarbon strings for a while now and they're still the type of string I use most, but recently I've been trying different nylon strings on some of my ukes as well. When I first started playing ukulele, I really disliked nylon strings because they stretch so much. That's probably still the biggest disadvantage with them in my book but since I learned proper stringing technique it's not such a big deal anymore. I've found that I really like nylon strings especially on larger instruments. I mainly play sopranos but I do have a concert and a baritone that are now both stringed with D'Addario clear nylon strings. I wasn't surprised they work well on the baritone because the warm nylon strings complement the lower tuning very well but I didn't expect them to work this well on a concert. It's probably at least partially because the concert in question is a Kanilea K1 which has a really full and warm sound anyway so, again, nylon strings complement the tone of it well. Some concert ukes can still be quite bright and punchy so I doubt this is universal.
I very recently got a Kamaka soprano and I'm determined to find some suitable nylon strings for that as well. I didn't like the stock black nylon strings, which is the only type of nylon string I don't really like at least on a soprano (much more suitable for larger sizes), so I quickly changed them to D'Addario Titaniums (which I still consider to be nylon, or at least equivalent) and they seem promising but I still need to test them out some more. The Titaniums work really well on the K1 as well and they've become one of my favourite type of string overall. I also tried some clear nylons on my vintage Martin soprano and they work exceptionally well also because the D'Addario clear nylon soprano strings are meant for D tuning which gives the uke a higher (and traditional) tone in itself.
So all in all, this has been quite a pleasant little experiment. In addition to the tone, I really like the feel of nylon strings, probably more so than fluorocarbon, and at least on some ukes I prefer the thicker gauge as well. Also they're cheap.
Any other nylon fans out there? Any favourite brands or recommendations for further testing?
I've been a proponent of fluorocarbon strings for a while now and they're still the type of string I use most, but recently I've been trying different nylon strings on some of my ukes as well. When I first started playing ukulele, I really disliked nylon strings because they stretch so much. That's probably still the biggest disadvantage with them in my book but since I learned proper stringing technique it's not such a big deal anymore. I've found that I really like nylon strings especially on larger instruments. I mainly play sopranos but I do have a concert and a baritone that are now both stringed with D'Addario clear nylon strings. I wasn't surprised they work well on the baritone because the warm nylon strings complement the lower tuning very well but I didn't expect them to work this well on a concert. It's probably at least partially because the concert in question is a Kanilea K1 which has a really full and warm sound anyway so, again, nylon strings complement the tone of it well. Some concert ukes can still be quite bright and punchy so I doubt this is universal.
I very recently got a Kamaka soprano and I'm determined to find some suitable nylon strings for that as well. I didn't like the stock black nylon strings, which is the only type of nylon string I don't really like at least on a soprano (much more suitable for larger sizes), so I quickly changed them to D'Addario Titaniums (which I still consider to be nylon, or at least equivalent) and they seem promising but I still need to test them out some more. The Titaniums work really well on the K1 as well and they've become one of my favourite type of string overall. I also tried some clear nylons on my vintage Martin soprano and they work exceptionally well also because the D'Addario clear nylon soprano strings are meant for D tuning which gives the uke a higher (and traditional) tone in itself.
So all in all, this has been quite a pleasant little experiment. In addition to the tone, I really like the feel of nylon strings, probably more so than fluorocarbon, and at least on some ukes I prefer the thicker gauge as well. Also they're cheap.
Any other nylon fans out there? Any favourite brands or recommendations for further testing?