 |
|
|
Original Post By:
feedajane
|
Date: 5/7/2008 9:22:14 PM
(Updated: 5/7/2008 9:35:40 PM)
|
| I bought my sister a Fluke that came strung with Aquilas. After reading some threads here, I am wondering if she should restring it? I know she has some Martins. Has anybody out there tried Martin strings on a Fluke? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
Neal
|
Date: 5/7/2008 9:47:21 PM |
She's got 'em, try 'em. But no, I have not. But my answer did give it a bump to the top. :)
What made you think you should re-string it?
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
feedajane
|
Date: 5/7/2008 10:06:25 PM
(Updated: 5/7/2008 10:07:27 PM)
|
Thanks for the bump!
Well, by now I have seen a few people post here that Flukes/Fleas and Aquilas are not a good match soundwise. Also, she is a beginner and looking for something that is easy on her fingers and I think the Martins are kind of soft. I wondered if the longer scale of the concert Fluke might help offset some of the slack feeling that I think the Martins have.
When she received the Fluke she said she was going to restring it and I told her maybe she shouldn't because Aquilas are good. But she said they seemed hard to her. I don't know. If it was me, I'd try it. She is more of a casual player- playing mostly for her little boys to sing-along, so I can't see her spending a lot of time tinkering. That's one reason I bought her the Fluke!
Edit: I would restring for her in a heartbeat, but she lives about 2,000 miles away.
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
Neal
|
Date: 5/7/2008 10:12:42 PM |
Waitaminute, Martin strings are soprano. This is a tenor, yes? Not a good match.
Anyone with suggestions? I like 'em high tension, but I think this application will call for something easier on the fingers (although at this stage, I can't imagine anything easier on the fingers than nylon strings ;) ).
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
feedajane
|
Date: 5/7/2008 10:29:02 PM |
| Not a tenor- a concert. But maybe still not a good match. I was just thinking that the Martins feel so slack that it might even out in the end.
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
jeff mercer
|
Date: 5/8/2008 6:40:04 AM |
| Feedajane..don't you think worrying about the gauge & brand of string on a beginners ukulele is jumping the gun, somewhat? NOTHING was going to stop me me playing an old Nylon-string Guitar that was abandoned at our house when I was about 13 years old, incorrectly strung with Steel strings (I did'nt know),a missing Tuner button so the 'D' string had to be tuned with a pair of pliers(I did'nt mind).It was virtually unplayable,but I loved the sensation of "making music" so much that I did'nt even think of it in terms of Strings, Action,all that stuff ! Fluke ukes play really well, they tune up easily, and they sound good !Hope your Sister enjoys it, but I would'nt be worrying about the details just yet.
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
AlanJ
|
Date: 5/8/2008 8:12:23 AM |
| "I wondered if the longer scale of the concert Fluke might help offset some of the slack feeling that I think the Martins have." Martin strings are intended for ADF#B tuning .. a step up from GCEA that come on most ukes these days including the Fluke. That's why they feel slack. Personally, I'd stick with Aquilas. I have them on my Concert Fluke and really like them. But then I learned uke on gut strings. The most important factor here is what will enable her to get maximum enjoyment when she plays the uke such that she plays it often. If that's using slack strings.. go for it.
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
feedajane
|
Date: 5/8/2008 8:15:46 AM
(Updated: 5/8/2008 8:17:53 AM)
|
Hey, Jeff- I would feel the same way (as a matter of fact, I had a guitar that fits your description!), but I'm not sure she does. She already had a real cheapie 'ukulele, and complained about the strings hurting her fingers. So I just want the Fluke to be a REALLY friendly instrument for her. Again, she's mostly playing very casually for her boys- she's not obsessed like some of us!- so the "break-in" period for her fingers could go on indefinitely!
Edit: Yeah, Alan J, you get the picture! Thanks for the info.
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
ChefJeff
|
Date: 5/8/2008 5:50:26 PM |
Feedajane, please email me. I have an idea you might like and it's free.
ChefJeff
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
Bill1
|
Date: 5/8/2008 6:22:06 PM |
| This is an interesting question. I wonder if you should let your sister get to a point where she can play enough to notice the difference, before introducing the concept of new strings. Then as a learning experience you could work help her work through several types to find the one she likes, they are not all that expensive.
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
feedajane
|
Date: 5/8/2008 6:40:20 PM |
Well, Bill1, I guess since she's working w/ decent strings on the Fluke (the Aquilas) you and jeff mercer might have a point. When you have a cheapie 'ukulele w/ cheapie strings, my thought is that one of the best, easiest and cheapest upgrades is to change the strings. Obviously that's not the case here.
As I've said- her interest in uke is pretty minimal and she doesn't see that changing (though of course, who knows?). So I just wanted to hand her something super friendly that she didn't have to work on. She just wants to be able to grab the thing and play about 3 chords- no muss, no fuss. And I for one, think that's okay. If all she wants to do is sing "Clementine" with her boys, that's fine. And it's some quality time that many kids don't get.
On a side note, I also thought it would be cool to have a nice 'ukulele waiting for me when I go to visit! ;-)
|
|
|
|
|
Posted By:
jeanadriane
|
Date: 5/9/2008 4:00:22 AM |
Well, all the more reason then to stick to the Aquilas!
(But if you take your own uke along, you can play together and sometimes that is quite motivating for beginners that didn't really get hooked rightaway.)
|
|
|
|
