How to Replace Ukulele Strings

• Sam Marchuk
• Posted 4/25/22
• 2 comments

The ukulele is a fun, affordable, and easy to play instrument. A fantastic feature is that ukulele strings require very little maintenance to stay in excellent playing condition.

Guitar Strings vs. Ukulele Strings

Guitar and Ukulele string require different care and maintenance as they are made from different materials and produce different sounds. The metals used in acoustic guitar strings, and silver-wound classical guitar strings are susceptible to corrode, rust, stretch out, and break. Heavier gauge guitar strings are wound to provide additional mass to produce low tones. Steel, silver, and other metals used in guitar strings immediately begin oxidizing when exposed to air and from the oils from your skin. Therefore, it is recommended to change the string on the guitar as often as once per month to maintain an optimal tone. Equally, frequent guitar string changes prevent wear on the frets caused by corrosion on the strings, which can act as a nail file on the metal frets.

No need to worry about these factors on most ukuleles as they feature durable nylon strings. It is essential that to note it is standard for a soprano, concert, and tenor ukuleles to feature all-nylon strings. Baritone ukuleles and some soprano ukuleles are an exception. Because Baritone ukuleles utilize a combination of plain or non-wound strings and wound strings, similar to classical guitar strings. Furthermore, there are also some soprano ukulele string sets that have low wound G and C strings which need to be replaced more often. The wound strings are installed in the same fashion as plain, non-wound strings.

When to Change Strings

The ukulele gets a bad rap as beginners can trouble keeping it in tune. The truth is that the nylon strings stretch quite a bit more than you might expect and they take time to settle. Good news, once they do settle, or “break-in,” the strings have a long lifespan that can provide several years of playability. Hence, if you have a new ukulele that is not staying in tune, you may try to pre-stretch your strings and we can help.

Since most nylon strings have a lifespan of 1-2 years, the general rule is to change your strings when you start to see signs of wear, fraying, discoloration, or loss of tone. Changing your strings is also good if you are looking to experiment with the different ukulele tones or sounds.

What Kind of Strings Should I Use?

Aquila Nylgut strings are the most popular strings. Used on many beginner ukulele models due to the full, voluminous, tone and easy-to-play medium tension. As a result, Aquila Nylgut is perfect for strumming chords and a wide variety of applications on almost any ukulele model. These synthetic strings are made to replicate the sound and feel of vintage gut strings and are recognizable by their solid white appearance.

If you prefer a mellower or clearer tone, try a crystal, nylon, or other synthetic composite string such as Worth, D’Addario, or Martin. These strings offer a classical guitar-like tone with more clarity and a greater separation of timbre between notes. For most vintage instruments we recommend using these types of strings because they retain a more vintage look. The bold white Aquila strings have only been introduced in the past decade. On vintage instruments, you may find the nut and bridge needs to be re-fitted to accommodate the thicker gauge of the Aquila strings. We invite you to check out reviews on different types of strings and experiment to find out what sounds best for you!

Contributor

Sam Marchuk

Sam Marchuk served for 7 years as an Education Consultant for West Music specializing in folk instruments and curriculum for the elementary classroom. He has been playing ukulele since 2005 and is an avid collector of vintage and contemporary…

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