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I've tried and love worths and d'addarios in my other ukes but my SK30M came with humble Aquilas and they just feel and sound 'right' on this low action, mahogany longneck soprano.
This!my recommendation would be that once you get a set that is working, stick with it for a while before going too far down the rabbit hole of finding the perfect set.
Please, can you tell me how is the "life" of a uke strings?
How is the behaviour of Uke Strings? How is the process of "getting old"? How long do they ussually last in "good shape"?
Strings. After doing a bit of research I settled on Aquila Super Nylgut on my Ohana Concert. That’s what’s now fitted to them from new and IMHO they match the instrument well. Strings are a right ‘rabbit hole’ in which you can waste a lot of time, money and effort.
After a week of playing it, 15m to 30m a day, the tune started to get stable!I will keep them a couple of weeks and then change them with a New ones.
Yup, I think especially fluorocarbonsSeems that the Uke strings take a little more time than the guitar ones to get set in!
That is my option to go for replacement, but the set it has must be the stock Aquila!Yup, I think especially fluorocarbons
In all fairness to Aquila (and to Mimmo, UU member & Aquila founder), all uke strings will stretch, and some can take as long as 2 weeks to stay in tune. That was the case with my present FC strings (Fremont Blacks), but they now remain in tune for days at a time.That is my option to go for replacement, but the set it has must be the stock Aquila!
Excellent point about the time it takes to "pressure cinch" those string knots! It's a fact that the time it takes for the knots to fully tighten is a huge part of the process we think of as strings stretching.I find that I can usually get new strings to settle in within a few days by over-tuning them (2-3 semitones above the target) and then grabbing the string and pulling it away from the fretboard aggressively. Just pull it, yank it, stretch it. Don't try to break it, or anything, but give it 8-10 good pulls. Let it know you mean business.
Then let it rest for a bit, and retune it. Maybe play it for a minute or two just to feel good about yourself. Then YANK on the strings some more! Then retune.
Repeat that process a few times, maybe do it again the next day and the day after. That will condense 2 weeks of stretching into a couple days.
I think part of the stretching/settling process is getting the KNOTS to be fully tight and the wraps on the tuner ends to settle in. It's not ALL just the strings themselves stretching. That's where some good hard pulling helps. Get the knots and wraps all in place, then things will start staying in tune better.
Thanks for your advice!I find that I can usually get new strings to settle in within a few days by over-tuning them (2-3 semitones above the target) and then grabbing the string and pulling it away from the fretboard aggressively. Just pull it, yank it, stretch it. Don't try to break it, or anything, but give it 8-10 good pulls. Let it know you mean business.
Then let it rest for a bit, and retune it. Maybe play it for a minute or two just to feel good about yourself. Then YANK on the strings some more! Then retune.
Repeat that process a few times, maybe do it again the next day and the day after. That will condense 2 weeks of stretching into a couple days.
I think part of the stretching/settling process is getting the KNOTS to be fully tight and the wraps on the tuner ends to settle in. It's not ALL just the strings themselves stretching. That's where some good hard pulling helps. Get the knots and wraps all in place, then things will start staying in tune better.
Oddly, I prefer to appearance of Fremont blacks as much as their sound and durability. I suspect I might not like the look as well if my fretboard were wood rather than plastic. I definitely don’t like white/ off white strings. Just sayin’I'm super impatient when i want to hear new strings. Last night I wanted to try out Freemont blacks on my concert so i spent a solid hour watching shows and tuning up, stretching, tuning up, stretching and they held pretty well after. They settled down pretty good by this morning.
I've tried and love worths and d'addarios in my other ukes but my SK30M came with humble Aquilas and they just feel and sound 'right' on this low action, mahogany longneck soprano.
Congratulations! A nice looking & sounding Ohana. Nice playing in the video.
It appears that your Ohana has Nylon strings on it. So if you like the sound, go for the Aquilas. I'm not a Nylon strings fan, so I have limited experience with the variations.
Generally, your strings will wear much like classical guitar strings. Mostly at the frets. And since you play with a pick, you'll eventually see some wear from that. If you run your finger/fingernail under the string, it should be smooth without any divots (wear indentations).
This was posted in 2021:
Check these links out on their official YouTube channel!
Lava Series:
Genuine Gut:
Red Series:
Sugar:
Bio Nylon:
New Nylgut: https://youtu.be/mbjUzFce9nY
Super Nylgut: https://youtu.be/36fTy09X1ug
AG x AQ: https://youtu.be/hhOzEhmla1Q
Kids Educational: https://youtu.be/E9Mh-k9d7TI