Konzertukulele mit low g & low c saite?

[speedy1991]

Hallo,

Ich bin neu hier und hätte mal eine frage zu den Saiten.
Ich bin bei Amazon auf der suche nach neuen Saiten für meine Konzertukulele auf diese hier gestoßen http://www.amazon.de/Aquila-36U-Ukulele-CONCERT-C-Stimmung/dp/B005WFTK2W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383235821&sr=8-2&keywords=ukulele+saiten+low+g
Wenn ich mich nicht täusche sind das die g und die c Saite, welche ummantelt sind?
Ich spiele zwar erst seit ca einem halben Jahr aber wollte eventuell mal etwas neues ausprobieren.
Ich könnte mir vorstellen das es mit diesen Saiten etwas \"Gitarriger\" klingt. Da ich nie Gitarre gespielt habe, würde ich es so gern mal ausprobieren.
Ich habe schon ein wenig hier herumgesucht habe aber immer nur die Variante mit low g gefunden.

Hat jemand von euch schon Erfahrungen damit gesammelt?

Und geh ich recht in der Annahme, dass die ummantelten Saiten öfter gewechselt werden müssen?

Vielen dank und lg

[Linho]

Weil\'s gerade so schön dazu passt, der gestern angekommene Newsletter von www.southcoastukes.com (meiner Lieblings-Saitenmarke) befasst sich genau mit dem Thema, weshalb ich ihn hier poste.



www.southcoastukes.com
 
Wound Strings on Ukuleles

- Hello Friends -
 
With this letter we will talk about the use of wound strings on Ukuleles.

Wound strings are not new on stringed instruments - they have been around for centuries.  They are new on the Ukulele.  First, it\'s a very new instrument in and of itself, and second, the larger sized instruments and deeper tunings are even more recent.

Two factors call for the use of a wound string: low notes and/or short scales.  On a given scale, the deeper the note, the thicker the string will need to be.  Also if you keep the same note and then move it to a shorter scale, you will also need a thicker string to keep good tension.  With an Ukulele you sometimes have the double whammy - low notes placed on a short scale.  

When these factors are present in your tuning, a plain string can reach a thickness where it starts to lose response - it starts to sound like a rubber band.  This is the point where a wound string brings life back to the tuning.

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  With our Ukulele reentrant sets, you may have noticed that they are predominately made up of plain strings.  This is because the reentrant 4th string goes up an octave over what you would have with a Linear tuning.  The range of notes in this reentrant set-up is closely spaced and traditionally at a relatively high pitch.

As those reentrant sets get heavier, for the traditional Tenor Key of G reentrant tuning for example, the strings get heavier and the 3rd string is the heaviest of all.  There comes a point - an intersection so to speak - where we feel both plain and wound materials can work.  At this intersection, the plain string may now be thick enough to be on the borderline when it comes to response. Still, for those who prefer a mellower sound and don\'t favor sustain on the deep notes, stay with a plain string.  For a crisper, more defined deep end with more sustain, move to a wound string.

This is why every Ukulele reentrant set from Medium Gauge through Heavy Gauge, is offered with both a plain and wound 3rd string - even with the option for a 5-string pack with both 3rd strings.  You can then try these sets with both set-ups.

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While the Ukulele reentrant strings are predominantly plain, you will see that our Linear sets use a lot of wound material.  It\'s a natural selection to move to wound strings when one of your notes drops a full octave.  You are simply more likely to run up against the limit of plain string response with that octave drop.  You cross that intersection where both materials meet.

Some companies will try to keep a bit of life in a plain Linear 4th string by not going too thick, but the result of this is poor tension.  It even reduces the response of the string, for a plain string at too low a tension is not a very lively string compared to how it would sound \"tuned up\" to a proper note.

With our lighter gauge linear sets, all plain string sets are still possible.  With the lightest sets, they\'re even preferable.  A wound string is thinner than a plain string tuned to the same pitch, and just as when a note gets deeper, a string gets thicker, when a note gets higher, a string gets thinner.  For light gauges and high tunings, a wound string would become too thin to feel right for most players, and durability starts to become an issue.

That same intersection we spoke of with reentrant strings occurs in Linear strings in the Light Gauges.  There again, we offer both options.  The wound option has a single wound string, and it is the only set that is configured this way.

Getting a good balance is not a simple matter when you start combining wound and plain string material.  We feel most of the offerings for wound string Ukulele sets have simply missed the mark by predominantly offering sets with a single wound 4th.  It\'s the reason wound string sets have a reputation for being out of balance.

With a Linear set, the 4th string is now your low note, but the 3rd string is still a fairly heavy string from the Medium Gauges on up.  We began to offer a wound 3rd as an option in reentrant sets, but in most Linear sets we feel it is a necessity.  The difference is that with the reentrant set, the wound 3rd can blend with the other strings because those other strings are relatively high notes with lively response.  When you put a brighter wound 4th into the equation, however, what was an optional choice with the 3rd string before, now more often becomes a requirement.

To leave a thick plain 3rd, with relatively low sustain and a muted tone next to a 4th string with long sustain and more clarity makes for a horrible 4-3 transition.  It only takes one string to sound out of place to throw off a whole tuning, and this is what we feel happens with most single wound Linear sets.  Our one single wound set - one of the Light Gauge sets - works in that configuration because with those light gauges it has a plain 3rd that is thin and lively enough to stand next to a wound 4th.

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There are some common misconceptions about wound strings.  One is that they imply more tension.  In that regard, there\'s little difference between a wound string and a plain string.  Wound strings of a light gauge can be just as floppy and loose as you want to make them.


The difference is with high tensions.  At that point, the wound string will almost always have a bit less \"give\" than the plain string, and thus a bit more care is advised.  With our ratings, any green zone rating is safe to use.  The one caveat is when it comes to a vintage instrument.  A set on the edge of the red zone might not be the best choice for an old delicate antique.  It\'s a universal practice to keep higher tensions off those instruments.

A lot of Ukulele players who have played exclusively with plain strings are put off with the noise of a wound string.  We can sympathize with this one.  As a result, we\'ve gone to great lengths to keep this to a minimum.  Round Wound strings are the noisiest, but in our case we have polished all of them.  They will likely be much quieter than you are used to.  Also a thinner round wound string is a quieter round wound string to begin with, so compared to a guitar 5th or 6th string, our lighter polished strings are in another, much quieter world.

In addition, we have several unique sets that reduce noise even further.  Our Smooth Wound strings have practically no noise at all, and our Flat Wound & Classical Metal sets eliminate finger noise altogether.

Another fear with wound strings is their durability.  Unfortunately, Ukulele players have this fear much more than any other players of stringed instruments.  I say unfortunately because this belief is not unfounded when it comes to Ukulele sets.

There has been one company - generally well respected and respected by us as well - that has been wholly responsible for this perception.  They make a large percentage of the string sets used on Ukuleles, and while their original formula plain sets are fine, those that use wound strings are simply way out of the norm when it comes to durability.  How an otherwise responsible company can have such a blind spot has always been a mystery to us.

There is a difference worth noting in durability with different string types, so here we\'ll address that in a general manner.  Among Ukulele players, the feeling is that plain strings keep peak performance for a longer time.  Actually, they decline more quickly.  The difference in the decline is that it is not as dramatic, so it\'s not as noticeable.  Concert Classical Guitar players, however, will change out their treble strings before they change their basses.  Then again, at the summit of their profession, their ears are simply better than most of the rest of us.

There will also be a difference in the durability of different types of wound strings.  Round wound strings are the most common, and with those, the thinner gauges will need replacement quicker than thicker gauges.  Again, drawing on guitars as an example, it\'s the thinner guitar 4th that gives out quickest.

With Ukuleles, the wound strings are indeed relatively thin.  Nonetheless, we tell folks that while they may not hear it as easily, by the time their wound strings need replacing, the plain strings could use refreshing as well.  If you\'ve been using the notoriously short-lived strings we referenced above, then rest assured about one thing.  Even our lightest gauge wound sets will outlast those.

Finally, if you place a premium on durability, then consider either our Flat Wound or Classical Metal sets.  These are now both all ball end sets, so in one respect installation is easier - no tying at the bridge.  At the post you need to be careful.  These Flat Wound basses are a somewhat brittle material - one light wrap around the post and slowly tighten is what we suggest.  Once they are installed, these sets are well outside the norm for wound string durability, with likely double the life of typical wound strings.

 www.southcoastukes.com

Southcoast String Tips #009



Ansonsten: Probieren geht über Studieren.


LG,
Linho

[speedy1991]

hallo,

Danke für die schnelle Antwort, leider hab ich nr ein Teil davon verstanden ( mein englisch  :\'(  )

Am Ende wird es einfach nur Geschmackssache sein ;-)

Kann mir vielleicht nochjemand etwas zu der Haltbarkeit der Umwundenen Saiten sagen?
Wielang kann man mit ihnen im Vergleich zu den normalen circa spielen?

lg

[torstenohneh]

Am Ende wird es einfach nur Geschmackssache sein ;-)

Ganz genau!

Kann mir vielleicht nochjemand etwas zu der Haltbarkeit der Umwundenen Saiten sagen?
Wielang kann man mit ihnen im Vergleich zu den normalen circa spielen?

Ich kann hier nur von meinen persönlichen Erfahrungen berichten. Da ich sehr viel (auch an den Händen und gerade beim spielen) schwitze, ist eine umwickelte G saite erfahrungsgemäß die Schwachstelle. Wenn mir eine Saite gerissen ist so war es in den meisten Fällen die umwickelte G Saite.

Die braunen Worth Saiten sind daher eine Überlegung wert.

[Linho]

Kann mir vielleicht nochjemand etwas zu der Haltbarkeit der Umwundenen Saiten sagen?
Wielang kann man mit ihnen im Vergleich zu den normalen circa spielen?

Dirk schreibt über seine Saiten:

\"Nonetheless, we tell folks that while they may not hear it as easily, by the time their wound strings need replacing, the plain strings could use refreshing as well.\"

In der Zeit, in der die umwundenen Saiten ersetzt werden müssen, könnten auch die normalen Saiten einen Austausch vertragen.

[torstenohneh]

In der Zeit, in der die umwundenen Saiten ersetzt werden müssen, könnten auch die normalen Saiten einen Austausch vertragen.

Das würde ich auch so unterschreiben. Alte Saiten klingen dumpf und matt. Das merkt man aber erst wenn man mal wieder neue Saiten aufgezogen hat

[Louis0815]

Wie schon gesagt: am Ende ist es eine Sache des persönlichen Geschmacks.

Ich hatte mal eine umwickelte low G von Aquila drauf, die hat mir überhaupt nicht gefallen. Und zwar genau wegen dem gitarrigen Klang - das passte einfach nicht zu den restlichen Saiten. Auf der Gitarre fällt es nicht so auf, weil da die meisten Saiten umsponnen sind und ziemlich lange nachklingen.
Zum Glück gibt es ja auch low-G Saitensätze ohne umsponnene Saiten (z.B. ukumele oder Living Water oder Worth BM), die klingen mir viel ausgewogener.

[speedy1991]

Vielen dank für eure Meinungen.

Ich werde es wohl mal versuchen mit der low Saite.

die nichtumwundene low g ist dabei auch eine Überlegung wert ;-)

Na mal schauen wie es mir gefällt

lg speedy