For once I'm not asking for actual string advice, rather just comments.
I recently acquired a lovely Kamaka HF-1 and quickly started to test different strings on it. This was mostly because I didn't really fancy the stock strings which seemed too mellow and had bad intonation. I wanted to find suitable nylon strings for the instrument since most of my other ukes have fluorocarbon strings, so first I tested D'Addario Titaniums and later Ernie Ball clear nylon strings. I usually like the Titaniums but for this uke they sounded way too tinny and they frequently went sharp because, apparently, these Titanium strings are extremely sensitive to temperature changes so they tend to contract after just minutes of playing. The Ernie Ball nylons sounded better - similar to the stock strings with a bit more projection - but intonation was still off, even for the first few frets. Just as a curiosity, I decided to quickly test Worth BMs on the Kamaka but results were as I had expected. It's not that they didn't sound good but they made the sound way too similar to some of my other ukes with fluorocarbon strings. In fact, to me the Kamaka with fluorocarbons sounds surprisingly similar to my KoAloha soprano. Obviously not quite as bright, but with fluorocarbons the Kamaka, in my opinion, loses a lot of it's own identity. Since I had a pack of D'Addario Black Nylons handy, I decided to give the black nylons one last chance. To my surprise, this time they sounded really good. I genuinely don't know if it's the strings or the uke somehow settling or something else, but the previous intonation issues were gone. Now that the uke sounds like it's supposed to, I really enjoy the mellower and warmer tone of the black nylons. They certainly don't suit my typical playing style but I really like the massively different tone compared to some other punchy and projecting sopranos of which I have plenty already. (The whole idea for this thread actually came from this fluorocarbon vs black nylon string test I made in another thread here: https://forum.ukuleleunderground.co...KTS-4-or-something-else&p=2244663#post2244663)
So in conclusion, I really enjoy the black nylons on the Kamaka and will be using them, or at least nylon strings in general, on it from now on. I do still want to try clear nylons on it again so maybe it'll be D'Addario clear nylons next time (I'll probably have to use the concert string set since the soprano set is meant for D tuning). When researching strings for the Kamaka, I noticed that a lot of people here at UU prefer fluorocarbon, not just generally, but often for Kamaka ukes as well, something that puzzles me a bit. As I mentioned, to me fluorocarbons somewhat hide the quintessential Kamaka sound which is why I prefer these nylon strings. So what kind of strings do you prefer on your Kamaka, and if it's fluorocarbon, I'd be curious as to why?
I recently acquired a lovely Kamaka HF-1 and quickly started to test different strings on it. This was mostly because I didn't really fancy the stock strings which seemed too mellow and had bad intonation. I wanted to find suitable nylon strings for the instrument since most of my other ukes have fluorocarbon strings, so first I tested D'Addario Titaniums and later Ernie Ball clear nylon strings. I usually like the Titaniums but for this uke they sounded way too tinny and they frequently went sharp because, apparently, these Titanium strings are extremely sensitive to temperature changes so they tend to contract after just minutes of playing. The Ernie Ball nylons sounded better - similar to the stock strings with a bit more projection - but intonation was still off, even for the first few frets. Just as a curiosity, I decided to quickly test Worth BMs on the Kamaka but results were as I had expected. It's not that they didn't sound good but they made the sound way too similar to some of my other ukes with fluorocarbon strings. In fact, to me the Kamaka with fluorocarbons sounds surprisingly similar to my KoAloha soprano. Obviously not quite as bright, but with fluorocarbons the Kamaka, in my opinion, loses a lot of it's own identity. Since I had a pack of D'Addario Black Nylons handy, I decided to give the black nylons one last chance. To my surprise, this time they sounded really good. I genuinely don't know if it's the strings or the uke somehow settling or something else, but the previous intonation issues were gone. Now that the uke sounds like it's supposed to, I really enjoy the mellower and warmer tone of the black nylons. They certainly don't suit my typical playing style but I really like the massively different tone compared to some other punchy and projecting sopranos of which I have plenty already. (The whole idea for this thread actually came from this fluorocarbon vs black nylon string test I made in another thread here: https://forum.ukuleleunderground.co...KTS-4-or-something-else&p=2244663#post2244663)
So in conclusion, I really enjoy the black nylons on the Kamaka and will be using them, or at least nylon strings in general, on it from now on. I do still want to try clear nylons on it again so maybe it'll be D'Addario clear nylons next time (I'll probably have to use the concert string set since the soprano set is meant for D tuning). When researching strings for the Kamaka, I noticed that a lot of people here at UU prefer fluorocarbon, not just generally, but often for Kamaka ukes as well, something that puzzles me a bit. As I mentioned, to me fluorocarbons somewhat hide the quintessential Kamaka sound which is why I prefer these nylon strings. So what kind of strings do you prefer on your Kamaka, and if it's fluorocarbon, I'd be curious as to why?