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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
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| When/how do you change strings? | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Thu Jan 19th, 2006 02:08 am |
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1st Post |
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hunjael Approved
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So, since I got my ukulele, I started to play(practice) it like an hour a day and playing it really wild , and the A string (in GCEA tuning) has been worn out by fret. It does not distract about making a good quality of sound, but it kinda makes me worried with those kind of questions: what if it snaps on important moment? what if it damages the uke? what if it..... (etc etc) So I decided to ask... when do you change the strings? Last edited on Thu Jan 19th, 2006 02:14 am by hunjael |
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| Posted: Thu Jan 19th, 2006 03:11 am |
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2nd Post |
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Will Approved 
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hunjael wrote: So, since I got my ukulele, I started to play(practice) it like an hour a day and playing it really wild Hunjael: When and how often to change strings on your ukulele depends upon your playing style (how hard you strike the strings and how long you play the uke). Strings that show plain signs of physical wear will need to be replaced soon. Strings that have been played hard may lose their tonal sweetness, and may need replacing, even if there are no physical signs of wear. Wound strings tend to wear more quickly than unwound strings, especially from friction against the frets, because the frets are made of a harder metal than the string windings (copper or aluminum). I play a baritone uke that has 2 wound strings, and I sometimes have to use a capo to play fast in the key of A, which wears out the wound strings quickly. When you say the A string is worn, do you mean that the string is frayed or nicked? A string that snaps will not harm your uke, but can be a startling experience while playing. Changing uke strings is relatively easy. Change them one at a time, or just the one that needs replacing. (Some players prefer to change the entire set - but your strings are relatively new, so you don't need to do that.) A string-winding crank used for guitars will help you wind up or loosen the string much faster. First, loosen the string that needs replacing until it's very loose and you can slide the string knot past the hole inside the bridge. Then, unwind the string from the tuning peg and remove the worn string. Take the replacement string of the same gauge, thread it through the hole in the bridge, and tie several knots at that end (make the knot big enough to anchor the string in the bridge. Then, thread the other end of the string through the tuning peg and try to make a loop so that it doesn't slip out of the peg (easier said than done for beginners). Tighten the tuning peg and check the tuning as you tighten. New nylon strings make take up to a week to stretch out and hold tuning, so don't be surprised if new strings keep going out of tune (slack). Keep a few sets of spare strings handy. Good luck. Last edited on Thu Jan 19th, 2006 06:20 am by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Thu Jan 19th, 2006 06:52 pm |
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3rd Post |
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banjo brad Super Moderator 
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A great tutorial on how to change strings can be found at this link: http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/Guitar/Setup/SteelStrings/Stringing/ststringing1.html Even though this is how to string a steel-string guitar, the part on how to attach to the tuning peg is an excellent way to secure strings on any instrument. I use this method on all my instruments; classical guitar, 5-string banjo, ukelele and fiddle. 
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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| Posted: Thu Jan 19th, 2006 08:01 pm |
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4th Post |
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HowlinHobbit Approved 
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The idea of tying "several knots" in the end of your strings is a little off-putting. The best methods (with the best explanation) I've found is at the Kawika web site. http://www.ukuleles.com/SetupnCare/stringtie.html It's also uke-specific. Howlin' Hobbit -- http://www.howlinhobbit.com Got Uke?
____________________ Howlin' Hobbit Got Uke? MySpace ezFolk UkeLand |
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| Posted: Thu Mar 16th, 2006 02:10 pm |
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5th Post |
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john Approved
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strings are pretty cheap. replace them when ever they look worn or start sounding off, or dead. theres a ton of different types and brands. experiment a bit with them and see if theres something you like . i have been liking the tone of the nylgut strings lately. i also picked up an old 1920's uke at an auction and it had a dozen sets of old gut strings. i used a set and they had a pretty nice sound. the only bummer about replacing them is they stretch for a bit when you first put them on, so don't have to replace them just before you go play with others or you'll be constantly tuning. another argument for keeping fresh strings on. a broken string will not hurt your instrument. unless its so cheaply made its trying to put itself out of its misery.
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| Posted: Sat Aug 4th, 2007 05:16 pm |
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6th Post |
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rovdog Approved
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 thanks so much. that link explained it perfectly. i cannot believe how easy it is to change a uke string. much easier than a guitar string. every knot they describe makes perfect sense to me
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