Due to fraying of the A string, I have restrung one of my ukes recently, again using Worth Clear, and the A string is starting to fray already. Now in a different spot, right in between the sixth and seventh fret, so this clearly isn't a problem of sharp frets or fingernails. As I have no fraying with other sets of Worth Clear (and never had it with Worth Brown), I really think that this is getting hit or miss. Which is a shame, because I really like the sound and feel of these strings.
Why do my Worth strings keep fraying?
- Thread starter Andy Chen
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Hippie Dribble
Guest
Andy, you are right.
Somehow missed this thread but Worth clears are well known for doing this. Especially the A. Great sounding strings but some batches seem very subject to this kind of "shredding". Nothing to do with the frets or your playing.
The curse of reading this thread...I have used Worth strings (clear and brown)on various ukes, and never had a problem. Until I read this thread. And the next day I noticed that I have an A string fraying, a few mm away from the 2nd fret, so not caused by the fret itself. Grrrrr
OP
OP
Andy Chen
Well-known member
Thanks for that, Hippie Dribble.
Here's a picture of fraying on an another A string I recently put on one of my ukes. This is the Southcoast HML-RW set which, like Worth, uses clear fluorocarbon strings. The fraying you see is occuring from the fifth to the eighth fret, mostly in between the frets. Just like with Worth, I have been using several of these sets and never had that problem, so I don't think that it is due to a specific uke or my playing style.
Last edited:
barefootgypsy
Well-known member
Living Water Strings are pure fluorocarbon - I use them a lot and have not had any problems.....
vcs700s
Well-known member
I have Worth clears and Browns on most of my ukes.
Never had a problem with fraying.
Never had a problem with fraying.
As previous posters have said, Frets, Hard Strumming, Age and I'll add burr on a nut slot.
Do you use a pick when you play hard? That will wear the strings.
You may be pulling the strings towards the A-String fretboard edge as you barre. In which case, you may have a sharp fret end(s) that are scraping the string as you pull it over the end. Or it could be a rough sot on the edge of the fretboard. Or an edge on the fretwire(s) that rubs or catches when you mash the string down into the fretboard.
I recommend that you run your finger/fingernail under the string after you play, before you put your uke away.
If it's fraying in various spots you'll you'll feel it. Or your nail will catch or scrape a rough spot.
If you gently pinch the string between your thumb and index finger, you can tell if the string is not stretching evenly; you'll feel it changing from thicker to thinner as you move up and down the length. It should be uniform.
If it's the nut it will always fail at the zero fret.
Do you use a pick when you play hard? That will wear the strings.
You may be pulling the strings towards the A-String fretboard edge as you barre. In which case, you may have a sharp fret end(s) that are scraping the string as you pull it over the end. Or it could be a rough sot on the edge of the fretboard. Or an edge on the fretwire(s) that rubs or catches when you mash the string down into the fretboard.
I recommend that you run your finger/fingernail under the string after you play, before you put your uke away.
If it's fraying in various spots you'll you'll feel it. Or your nail will catch or scrape a rough spot.
If you gently pinch the string between your thumb and index finger, you can tell if the string is not stretching evenly; you'll feel it changing from thicker to thinner as you move up and down the length. It should be uniform.
If it's the nut it will always fail at the zero fret.
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I agree with Barry on all counts here. I help Pops Okami to market his Ukesa flurocarbon strings. They are essentially fishing line manufactured in Japan. Rarely, but occasionally, I will receive an email about a frayed "A" string. When this happens, there will usually be a few emails like that and we can always trace it back to the same (bad) spool. Of course, we make good on the replacement from a new spool, but there are times when a spool is just bad-- well bad for ukulele, not bad for fishing. This is not a universal problem but occassionally happens, especially if the strings have been on the the instrument for a number of years, at full tension.
This isn't just a Worth problem. The A-string from a pack of Martin M600 strings frayed on me once. I replaced it with a new set of Martins and the problem went away. Another time, a friend had a problem with Seaguar Blue strings that a local high-end luthier had installed after working on her ukulele. She took it back and he said Seaguar had slightly changed their string formulation and he was switching to Seaguar Red to work around the problem. No problems after switching to the Seaguar Red strings.
An interesting experiment is happening in my house now! The second half of the same A string (worth has a double length per set) is on my pono tenor now, and I’ll see how that goes! Meanwhile the A string from a second set of the same Ohta clears are on my Kamaka and we’ll see how that goes!
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