Best Soprano Ukulele Strings for Studio Recording

Hi guys,

I'm fairly new to the world of Ukuleles but not music (I'm a multi-instrumentalist).
I'm hitting the recording studio soon to work on a Ukulele album, which is basically a rendition of all my rock songs in my current album.
For the sake of quality, I splurged on a Koaloha Soprano for this task.

The existing strings actually already sound pretty darn amazing (loud and lots of clarity), but I'm accustomed to the mentality that all instruments need to have fresh brand new strings at each recording session.
Does the same apply to the nylon strings on ukuleles?

What is the absolute best out there?

KevinTJH said:

Hi guys,

I'm fairly new to the world of Ukuleles but not music (I'm a multi-instrumentalist).
I'm hitting the recording studio soon to work on a Ukulele album, which is basically a rendition of all my rock songs in my current album.
For the sake of quality, I splurged on a Koaloha Soprano for this task.

The existing strings actually already sound pretty darn amazing (loud and lots of clarity), but I'm accustomed to the mentality that all instruments need to have fresh brand new strings at each recording session.
Does the same apply to the nylon strings on ukuleles?

What is the absolute best out there?

Click to expand...

What you ask is near impossible to answer correctly, there are just too many variables.

Some Uke players do use Nylon strings but in general Fluorocarbon is, I believe, the material preferred by the the bulk of players here.

Strings take quite a while to settle and to give of their best. How long they take to do that is variable but in my experience, as a very amateur musician, it’s best to think in terms of times beyond a week.

Exactly what Graham said above. There's not a universal answer for which strings are best. The stock strings on a KoAloha are fluorocarbon, not nylon, and they are somewhat low tension. In my experience, KoAlohas sing with fluorocarbon, so if you want to try different strings you can get regular tension fluorocarbon strings. Something like Worth CM or BM, Martin M600 or D'Addario Carbon should do the trick.

However, I am wondering what you mean by studio recording. Are you just going to mic the uke or do you have a pickup installed on it? I've seen several people prefer nylon strings for ukes with a pickup for recording purposes. If the uke is just mic'ed I would suggest fluorocarbon strings as I mentioned earlier.

I know that I’m the guitar world fresh strings mean the world because they’re (almost always) metal and constantly sounding more and more dead. But with the ukulele, it’s more like “if they sound good now, go ahead and use them.” Uke strings often take a while to stretch out and become reliable to get through a song without re-tuning them.

Dohle said:

However, I am wondering what you mean by studio recording. Are you just going to mic the uke or do you have a pickup installed on it? I've seen several people prefer nylon strings for ukes with a pickup for recording purposes. If the uke is just mic'ed I would suggest fluorocarbon strings as I mentioned earlier.

Click to expand...

As I bought the ukulele secondhand, I forgot to ask the previous owner if he ever replaced the strings. The ukulele is in mint condition but has some minor corrosion on the metal frets and tuning heads, so I'm assuming it's definitely a couple of years old.
The ukulele doesn't have a pickup so it will just be mic'ed up acoustically. We'll probably do one microphone directly in front and another at a distance to capture the "room".

LukuleleStrings said:

I know that I’m the guitar world fresh strings mean the world because they’re (almost always) metal and constantly sounding more and more dead. But with the ukulele, it’s more like “if they sound good now, go ahead and use them.” Uke strings often take a while to stretch out and become reliable to get through a song without re-tuning them.

Click to expand...

Let's just say the ukulele strings were stock and they are maybe 5 years old, would fresher strings make a difference?
It actually already sounds great right now, but I'm only curious if newer strings would sound better?

I'm quite surprised Aquila strings aren't mentioned. I thought they were one of the most reputable string brands for ukuleles?

This guy sums it up quite well, I think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuR7Aw8pf6Y

KevinTJH said:

As I bought the ukulele secondhand, I forgot to ask the previous owner if he ever replaced the strings. The ukulele is in mint condition but has some minor corrosion on the metal frets and tuning heads, so I'm assuming it's definitely a couple of years old.
The ukulele doesn't have a pickup so it will just be mic'ed up acoustically. We'll probably do one microphone directly in front and another at a distance to capture the "room".


Let's just say the ukulele strings were stock and they are maybe 5 years old, would fresher strings make a difference?
It actually already sounds great right now, but I'm only curious if newer strings would sound better?

I'm quite surprised Aquila strings aren't mentioned. I thought they were one of the most reputable string brands for ukuleles?

Click to expand...

In that case, I would suggest keeping with fluorocarbon strings as I think they suit KoAloha ukes best.

If you have 5 year old strings and the instrument has been played at least somewhat they are probably going to be a bit worn out. If it hasn't been played then they might be ok, particularly in case of fluorocarbon strings. I already mentioned that the stock strings are a bit low tension but they are also fairly thin which makes the sound very bright (even for a KoAloha). Putting normal tension and thickness strings on it will make the sound a bit warmer and fuller but since the typical KoAloha sound is very bright anyway the difference isn't massive. All I'll say is that the sound definitely won't get worse if you try new strings if you stay with fluorocarbon.

Aquila strings aren't as popular on high-end ukes as they are on cheaper ones because often they make ukes sound very similar. They do work on certain high-end ukes as well but I have my doubts regarding KoAloha ukes.

I would definitely change the strings. Martin M600 will give you a nice bright sound. Worth Browns will mellow it out a bit. Never tried Living Water on a soprano, but I love them on my concert and tenor, they have a softer feel and sound, maybe between bright and mellow?

Type of string is a personal preference. Ukuleles use the same types of strings as classical guitars and similar criteria apply. Nylon strings are preferred by many traditional players. Fluorocarbon are cheap to produce and liked by many beginners as the strings are usually thinner and easier to press. Aquila strings are designed for instruments and modelled after gut strings so have the most "natural" sound. Guitar players find the Aquila red most advanced as each string has individual density so should provide the most balanced feeling. Aquila strings are usually preferred by professional and performing players. Though I have not tried an Aquila set on my KoAloha to see if they can improve its somewhat weak sound with fluorocarbon. If you have the time I would encourage you to try different types and see which records the best. The emphasis is on time as some types of strings can take several days to fully stretch and settle in.