Ukulele string comparison

Good strings are essential for the sound of the ukulele. I want to show how different the same uke can sound with different strings.

I admit that I used several ukes of the same type (very cheap ones, but they are surprisingly good!). But I assure you they sound very similar.

You will hear two short tunes with every string type:

- Galli strings
- Aquila genuine gut
- Worth (brown, medium)
- Uke 24 Excellence
- Aquila nylgut

The Galli strings were tuned ADF#B, because that's the tuning they are designed for. They don't sound good at GCEA too.
All other strings are designed for GCEA, so I tuned them GCEA.

I have to say that those strings are quite different, but they're all quality strings. I could have shown the difference to bad strings, but I don't think it's worth the effort -- Just know that it is important to use good strings on your uke -- never save on the strings! Best is to try different strings and find which ones sound best on your uke.

However I want to recommend Worth, Aquila, and Uke24 strings, for they are very high quality and will make most ukes sound better -- although they're very different, so be sure to find out which fits your uke best.

The tunes are:
- Minuet (Robert de Visée)
- Gunatanamera

Hope you enjoy :)

• Category

  Music

[1viva]

What an excellent demonstration and comparision Wilfried! Makes it easier for us out there to choose now that you've tried out various brands for us! My ear seems to go for the Brown Medium gauge Worth strings but I really like the Aquila Nylut for clarity and projection. What string gauge am I to ask for my Kiwaya soprano KTS-4 if I want to purchase Aquila Nylgut?. Do they offer various soprno gauges? If so, which ones are you using here? Thanks! :-)

Mario

[wwelti]

Thanks, Mario!

I admit that I didn't research much about the gauge -- I just bought standard soprano sets and used them appropriately. I always use standard gauge. However maybe other players have done more research about this topic.

Best regards Wilfried

[paulmay7777]

14 euro? Which brand is the uke please?

[wwelti]

The sticker inside reads "PLATINUM S-Edition by Schaepe". They are out of production since many years, AFAIK.

[nickdollar]

- Galli strings 0:15

- Aquila genuine gut 1:51

- Worth (brown, medium)  3:26

- Uke 24 Excellence 5:00

- Aquila nylgut 6:44

[FatFreddyJohnson]

You play beautifully. Thank you for the comparison, but also thank you for the entertainment as well. :)

[1viva]

Thanks Wilfried, actually I looked it up on Aquila's web site shortly after I wrote you and it would seem like Aquila only has "one gauge" or set available for the soprano...unless I missed something somewhere. Someone will eventually correct me if I am wrong. All the best! Mario

[Tonicwine999]

Thumbs up if you got that into the song that you forgot about the comparison!

[wwelti]

Ah, I'm so sorry... it's a Schaepe. These are out of production since a long time. It was pretty cheap, but chances to get one (even used) are not very good...

[wwelti]

Uh, I think I made it up from memory... Sorry, didn't have tabs!

[wwelti]

Thanks. It guess I tried to make a guantanamera cover ;-)

[MrPhilly76er]

im diggin the Aquila nylgut  . Thanks so much for this