I continue to be fascination by how the choice of strings can totally transform the sound of a ukulele. Today I added a set of Worth Brown’s to my Shimo walnut concert to great effect. These strings really brought out the sonic possibilities of this delightful instrument. As with all Shimo’s instruments it plays brilliantly of course and now sounds equally terrific! I also changed the strings on the Collings UT1. To date its always sounded to muddy to my ears with the previous strings and the D”Addario Pro Carbon’s really make an amazing difference. Suddenly the tenor sounds far better balanced sonically and of course Bill’s instruments are also a joy to play.
There’s a lot of debate about strings and often people are polarized into very set opinions. My own explorations across 20 different ukes of all types and constructions suggest that it’s all about combinations. I did similar explorations with electric guitars testing all types of pickups. With the ukulele there are less variable factors, but I have settled in McIntyre feather pickups as the default pickup for live playing. These work great with Fire Eye Red units or straight into a Henriksen Bud amp, which just amplifies the natural sound of the instrument.
To my ears some string combinations work better than others. I have a stockpile of Hilo strings (no longer available) and these are very thick and in my view require a player to really dig in to get the best sound. They work better on tenors, whereas the Worth Brown’s to my ears are really musical and have an entirely different feel about them. The Aquilla’s are “reliable” but in my view a safe option, but not the best sonically.
Of course ultimately it’s all about personal taste and the sound and feel you want from your instrument. I do find such explorations quite revealing and of course it’s nonsense to talk about “the best strings” as ultimately this is all wholly subjective and it’s easy for people to get way too anal about such matters…
