I've found that my cheapie Fender ukulele is quite capable of some lovely Irish melodies, but I wish that the 4th G string was the thickest and could be tuned an octave lower. I realize that this may be sacrilegious! Is this done, and if so, what string thickness should I look for? Thanks!
Possibly offensive string question :)
- Thread starter I.M.Noone
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Yes it can be done and is called low G, a popular tuning. There are two types of strings made specifically for this, a florocarbon and a wound string. The florocarbon is usually.038 the wound .030. The Fremont Soloist squeekless wound is my favorite
pix.fairydust
Well-known member
Do you mean a low G string? Many people tune their ukulele in a liner way with a low G (instead of high g). There are lots of string choices but my favourite is the Fremont soloist low G.
Ha, that’s funny, we could have wrote each other’s post :shaka:
UkingViking
Well-known member
Which scale is your ukulele?
Low G is a common choice on tenor ukulele, a bit rarer on concert ukes, and not very common on soprano ukuleles.
I would say just order some strings and try them out.
While you are at it, you might want to try out if fluorocarbon strings are for you or not. I prefer them on most of my ukes. I am fond of Worth Browns, which will let you try both fluorocarbon and low G at once.
Low G is a common choice on tenor ukulele, a bit rarer on concert ukes, and not very common on soprano ukuleles.
I would say just order some strings and try them out.
While you are at it, you might want to try out if fluorocarbon strings are for you or not. I prefer them on most of my ukes. I am fond of Worth Browns, which will let you try both fluorocarbon and low G at once.
Croaky Keith
Well-known member
I use Living Water low G fluorocarbon strings, I have then on nearly all my ukes, (long neck soprano to tenor).
I only use a re entrant if just strumming along to voice, which I don't do very often, but usually just use linear tuned.
I only use a re entrant if just strumming along to voice, which I don't do very often, but usually just use linear tuned.
You can buy individual Low-G strings at places like Uke-Republic and StringsByMail. Both wound and plain.
Wound Low-G strings will, in general, fit in standard High-g nut slots. Plain Low-G strings are thicker and may not fit the slot on your uke without widening it.
If the slot it widened, it can sometimes cause buzzing if you return to using a High-g string at a later date. (So far, I have not had this problem, but others have reported it.)
So measure if you can before you try it.
As an aside, when I had only been playing for 6 months, I switched my Pono tenor from Living Waters High-g to Low-G and played it for months before I realized the thicker string wasn't seated properly in the nut slot. It sat with about half the width of the string above the top edge of the nut. It was always in tune, and never buzzed. Go figure.
Wound Low-G strings will, in general, fit in standard High-g nut slots. Plain Low-G strings are thicker and may not fit the slot on your uke without widening it.
If the slot it widened, it can sometimes cause buzzing if you return to using a High-g string at a later date. (So far, I have not had this problem, but others have reported it.)
So measure if you can before you try it.
As an aside, when I had only been playing for 6 months, I switched my Pono tenor from Living Waters High-g to Low-G and played it for months before I realized the thicker string wasn't seated properly in the nut slot. It sat with about half the width of the string above the top edge of the nut. It was always in tune, and never buzzed. Go figure.
stevejfc
Well-known member
UkeLogic also sells a very nice smooth wound (squeekless) low -G string.
Jerryc41
Well-known member
merlin666
Well-known member
It is also called linear tuning but matching a new low G to existing strings can be a bit of a challenge. As a general rule, nylon strings tend to go well with wound strings whereas fluorocarbon may go well with a plain fluorocarbon. If you have Aquila Nylgut on the uke then a great choice is an Aquila Red for similar sound and feel. Of course it is also not a big cost to get a completely new set that already has a low G included instead of just switching the G string.
Christian Schlichting
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I found Worth Brown BM Low G on my Sopranos a bit floppy, but still okayish. Much better tension and sound with the Fremont Soloist, but on some ukes they drone quite some and overpower the other strings (Flourocarbon) which for certain songs is very nice, though. Low G Aquila reds seem more balanced in tension and volume. I have a Concert stringed up with them, it sounds very nice, dry, woody. I have Low G on ALL my ukes, Soprano and Concert ones. I don't have Tenor or Bariton ukes.. I had to widen the nut slot only for Worth Brown Low G strings and on two Sopranos only. If you go very slow, it should be no problem, if you generally know how it is done. I use a fine sanding paper, folded over to the right thickness (check with the string diameter). If it is a white nut, I mark the slot sides and the bottom with a fine sharpy to see, where I remove material. Check with the strings diameter. Don't go too wide (it may, but not will always cause some light "buzzing when too wide a slot or with the wrong release of string). I try to keep the black color in the lowest point of the nut slot to prevent from going deeper as it was before (when the setup generally was the way I like it). I carefully give the slot a few light passes to see how it is going before i develop more trust in what I do. Let the edge of the nut slot towards the fretboard be the highest part of the slot (string break).
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