How do you judge the sound of different string brands.

The reason I ask is, the vast majority of Uke-related posts seem to be about "this string is better than that string on my Uke".

Now don't get me wrong, this isn't a criticism. Tweaking is what everything gets down to in the end. But I'm wondering if you have someone else play your Uke for you, in exactly the same style as you, with identical finger pressure and right hand technique, while you sit a few feet away and listen. Or do you record yourself using the highest quality microphone and play it back through studio quality speakers.

My point is, even using the above method, you're still going to get the same false impression as you would from listening to your Uke in a playing position.

My ears and fingers tell me what I need. False impression? Maybe, but it's MY impression, and that's all I need.

That's all I needed to hear

ukuhippo said:

My ears and fingers tell me what I need. False impression? Maybe, but it's MY impression, and that's all I need.

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:agree:

Perception is the best part of reality.

It's difficult to find some one to play just like me so when evaluating strings I play in front of a mirror.....

I think that if you think it sounds better, then you play like it sounds better, making it actually sound better.

Ukuleleblues said:

It's difficult to find some one to play just like me so when evaluating strings I play in front of a mirror.....

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Plainsong said:

I think that if you think it sounds better, then you play like it sounds better, making it actually sound better.

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Justifiably the best reason I'll probably hear in response to my question.

It is totally subjective. Duke Ellington is quoted as saying, "If it sounds good, it is good." That applies to strings on instruments.

One of the best examples I can give is that I always used the lightest gauge strings I could get when I played guitar, and they sounded good. Leadbelly used the heaviest gauge strings he could find on his 12-string guitar. I couldn't even make a chord with strings that heavy.

But man, I could listen to recordings of him playing all day.

I think Ken Middleton recently said (paraphrasing here) that all fluorocarbon strings are equally good, but those he has designed and selling have a few little quirks that do exactly what he wants; while that may not work for others, they work for him.

Enjoy whatever you get - and if you don't, get something else.

The Big Kahuna said:

The reason I ask is, the vast majority of Uke-related posts seem to be about "this string is better than that string on my Uke".

Now don't get me wrong, this isn't a criticism. Tweaking is what everything gets down to in the end. But I'm wondering if you have someone else play your Uke for you, in exactly the same style as you, with identical finger pressure and right hand technique, while you sit a few feet away and listen. Or do you record yourself using the highest quality microphone and play it back through studio quality speakers.

My point is, even using the above method, you're still going to get the same false impression as you would from listening to your Uke in a playing position.

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Good question! I've been asking myself that......once you've changed the strings on your uke, how do you trust yourself to remember exactly how it sounded before? When I first put Aquilas on my first uke, I knew it sounded better - the same thing when I took the cheap original strings off my cheapo Mahalo and put AAquilas on ... but taking Aquilas off, and trying different strings - I don't know! I thought perhaps I'd record a few bits, with both sets of strings and try to compare. That's my best idea.

It's not only that. When you play any acoustic string instrument, what you hear when playing is totally different from what your audience hear. So, when people say "brand A differs from brand B because..." are they basing their opinion on what is a fundamentally flawed viewpoint ?

I honestly believe that most of the time new strings sound better! Doesn't mean that they will give you the sound you are looking for though. If you have a good ear and you do like the sound of the strings your audience will also. You will play with confidence and your music will flow from your soul. Nobody is going to judge your sound, they will just enjoy your music because you do. Is my opinion flawed? Probably but it's MY opinion and I can only trust it, if I can't then I will never be satisfied with my sound.

Even though someone standing in front of you will hear the sound a little differently, I don't think that means you're getting a totally false sound impression from above your uke. If you switch from Kala Reds to Aquilas, you may hear a brighter and louder sound - and I think it's reasonable to predict that quality will translate to the person standing in front of you even though they may not hear it exactly the same way.

Bob Bledsoe said:

Even though someone standing in front of you will hear the sound a little differently, I don't think that means you're getting a totally false sound impression from above your uke. If you switch from Kala Reds to Aquilas, you may hear a brighter and louder sound - and I think it's reasonable to predict that quality will translate to the person standing in front of you even though they may not hear it exactly the same way.

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Exactly this - and if what you're hearing isn't good you can pretty much bet what your audience is hearing isn't much better - and vice versa, of course.

One old trick is to stand in front of a very hard, acoustically reflective surface while you play. Again, it's not exactly what an audience will hear but it does bounce more of the sound back to you.

Generally, though, it's very subjective and the bottom line is that, as long as the strings intonate well up the fretboard, it's perfectly legitimate for one person's garbage to be another's gems. It's also very dependent on the structure of the uke - not just the type of wood but the bracing, build consistency, etc. Just as an example, I tried some new strings similar to a Worth CH (hard) set on my mahogany soprano - they sounded so great I put the same strings on my KoAloha longneck soprano yesterday and, while the jury is still out, I think they're coming back off in the next day or two. I can't specifically say what it is I don't like about them on the KoAloha...but so far I don't think they sound as good as the year old CM-equivalent set that was on there.

Finally, I suspect that a lot of people, especially beginners, probably don't have the experience to really hear finer nuances in strings and instruments. It takes practice and you have to be a critical listener. The ear gets better and more discriminating the more it is exposed to instruments that are spot-on-pitch. I see people touting this string over that one...while playing a uke with a crazy high action at the nut that is giving them terrible intonation at the first few frets. Yes, putting Aquila strings on a crap uke may make it louder, for example, but if it doesn't intonate well you now just have a louder crap uke and that's is simply not a good thing!

John

How do you judge the sound of different string brands?

By taste.

Mine taste like plastic. Salty plastic.

I hear three categories of sound so far: Nylgut, flourocarbon, and nylon. I recently put Southcoast strings on my Mainland concert. They're similar to flourocarbon in that they produce a clean sound, though there are subtle differences that I like in the acoustic balance.

Beyond the material and construction of the instrument itself, scale length, diameter, density, and tension probably play a big part in the sound a string produces. The less a string flops around, the less sloppy it sounds.

I like Nylgut and flourocarbon strings equally. I've also used Martin M600 strings because they're available locally, and it was cheaper than mail ordering Worths. I'd imagine Martin and Worth sound pretty similar, but I can't say except through recordings.

ukuhippo said:

My ears and fingers tell me what I need. False impression? Maybe, but it's MY impression, and that's all I need.

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Yup. That's about the whole of the enchilada.

PoiDog said:

Yup. That's about the whole of the enchilada.

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Speaking of taste...pass the mole sauce/

I believe it entirely depends on what YOU think is best, for you, and that particular instrument.....

I have a concert uke with Aquila strings, because I think they sound great on it...... I also have a soprano with titanium strings, because I think they sound great too.....

Just do it by ear, and play with whatever you feel is best.....