What size of ukulele string should I get?
The first thing to do is to make sure you get the correct size of string, which will be for either Soprano Ukulele, Concert Ukulele, Tenor Ukulele or Baritone Ukulele.
If you are not sure which yours is, here are the approximate overall lengths of each Ukulele size
Soprano overall length 530mm
Concert overall length 620mm
Tenor overall length 665mm
Baritone overall length 772mm
Now which set of ukulele string do I go for?
There is quite a few variations in strings and tunings available for ukulele.
The following are the main variations for Soprano, Concert and Tenor Ukuleles .
If you are new to the Ukulele, you will probably want the regular set , also refered to as a high G set. This is the standard set that most ukulele's will have from factory and the Traditional way of tuning.This comprises a high G string, the next string is the C string which is lower in pitch, then above in pitch is the E string, and above that is the A string.
The alternative is a Low G set, which uses a thicker wound string so that it can be tuned to a low G instead of a high G.
For general playing and strumming, the regular tuning with high G is usual. For picking out melodies the low G has some advantages.
Both are also refered to as standard C tuning because a C chord is made with 3 of the open strings. There are other completely different ukulele tunings, but these are rarely used.
Baritone is different altogether. Most people with a Baritone ukulele will likely know exactly what they want but if you have a Baritone Ukulele and need information, please give us a call
on 023 9224 1567 or e-mail sales@courtneyandwalker.co.uk
What type or make of Ukulele string should I get?
Traditionally gut strings were used on the earliest ukulele's.
When nylon became available, it was widely used because of its durability and low cost.
Tonally though, some players preferred the warmth and tone that the old gut strings had.
Now there are new materials being made that combine the tonal qualities of gut with the durability and affordability of nylon. One such string is the Aquila Nylgut Ukulele String.
We would recommend this type of string for both high end ukulele's and also for basic or learner ukulele's. For fairly little cost, there is in our opinion a big difference in quality of sound
even when used with a student instrument.
Aquila Ukulele Strings Until the mid-20th century Ukuleles were mounted exclusively in gut, a material that had been used for thousand of years and that combines excellent promptness of attack with brilliance of timbre - very different, in other words, from modern nylon strings. And until recently the typical sound quality of gut has been a constant point of reference for luthiers, composers and performers alike. A fundamental aim of the research has therefore been to make a new synthetic product having the same acoustic properties as gut - but without its typical defects - (high cost, limited duration and high instability under varying climatic). Nylgut® has precisely these qualities: allowing one, on the one hand, to rediscover the sonorities familiar to the great 19th and 20th century Uke masters; and guaranteeing, on the other, a stability of tuning higher even than that of the best gut and nylon strings.
-The best sound quality develops when the strings have completely set, which may ordinarily take sometime. To achieve a stable intonation in just a few minutes you can repeatedly pinch each string at midlength with your fingers, pull it decidedly sideways and tune it up again. Stop when the string does not pull out of tune anymore.
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