Past Bruko Strings

[Graham Greenbag]

I’ve long wanted a Bruko Soprano but when one recently became available on eBay U.K. I decided not to bid, or not to bid this time. To my ear, which picks out different sounds now than it used to, the Bruko’s can sound a bit too plunky for my taste. Different strings do, apparently, help change that but do I really want that hassle? People complain of intonation issues on the Bruko and high action too, I now know how to sort those out but do I want the hassle?

I watched a Southern Ukulele Store Video today on different string types and their different characteristics. It later occurred to me that the Bruko is an old design Uke that likely had different strings on it in the past. So the question is what strings were originally used on the older Bruko’s? Nylon, Cattle Gut or what? Did they sound differently with those strings? I suppose that the question expands to are those strings still available and might there be merit in going back to them? The answer to my question wouldn’t include comments about fluorocarbon strings (thanks, but I already have a good idea which of those people recommend).

So, for those of you with longer memories what’s the history: what was used, what were this issues with it, why was it used and what did it sound like?

 

[jimavery]

If I recall I bought my first Brüko about three years ago, and it was Pyramid Carbon strings then as it is now. I wouldn't read too much into what strings Brüko use. Pyramid is a German brand, so I expect that is as much a factor as any other (ease of supply etc,).

It's worth noting that ADF#B tuning is common for Sopranos in Germany, and Pyramid soprano strings are typically packaged in envelopes labelled a', d fis, h' so I reckon for the most authentic sound you need that tuning, not GCEA. Pyramid have been in business since 1850, so I think it entirely likely that Brüko have always used Pyramid strings.


Personally I find the feel of Pyramid Carbon strings too heavy, and much prefer Thomann's own brand 'Harley Benton' clear nylon strings. Worth Brown are (excuse the unintentional pun) worth a try too.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

Thanks Jim, some helpful information there and additional context.

As I understand it Bruko have been making Ukes since the 193O’s and my guess is that their basic Soprano models haven’t change much in their design since then. I don’t know when Fluorocarbon carbon strings became available but they are relatively recent; nylon strings would, I believe, have been available in the 1930’s. Perhaps nylon was factory fitted on the original Bruko models? In the 1930’s the Bruko factory was in Sudetenland, which is outside what we would call Germany today, and it was moved directly after the 2nd World War to Erlangen. They were difficult times but as an aside I suspect that the circumstances surrounding that move were quite horrific, see: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudetenland
http://database.ukulelecorner.co.uk/site/ukulelemakers/b/brko

Edit. This link gives a flavour of the instrument building going on before WW1, quite surprised me but that region was a ‘hot bed’ of Uke building: http://database.ukulelecorner.co.uk/multi/early-german
It’s also worth asking the site about Bruko but for some reason I can’t post that link.

Pyramid Strings are based in Erlangen, which is near Nuremberg, and until 1990 so was Bruko; with them being so near to each other it maybe that there is a long association between the two companies. Pyramid still do ‘manufacture’ nylon strings but whether they are the same as was supplied decades ago (when the Bruko Sopranos were first designed and developed) I do not know.
http://pyramid-saiten.de/de/products/other-international-ukulele.php
https://brueko-ukulelen.smoolis.com/screen/overview/language/en

The nylon Harley Benton strings (Continental European) mentioned come in both clear and black form, both have the same gauge sizes: 022 ,028, 032, 022 . For information those strings cost next to nothing but delivery charges are high. GHS use the identical gauge strings for their D tuning set and also sell a C tuning nylon set too (025, 032, 036, 028 gauge strings) http://www.ghsstrings.com/products/11434-nylon?category_id=1964772-ukulele. D’Addario EJ53S are black nylon strings in C tuning, they have the gauge sizes of: .028, .033. .040 and .029. [http://www.daddario.com/DADProductD...ano&sid=3206b18f-918e-401c-9563-943970c4c86c] If the reference data is correct (https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/str...MIrby19ZeX3gIVSpztCh2I0gYXEAQYASABEgJiVfD_BwE) then the Pyramid nylon strings are large/larger again at: 028, 035, 039, 031 (nominal metric sizes of 0.7, 0.9, 1.0, 0.8 mm). I find that gauge variation between string brands puzzling - the thickest string set is for the highest pitch?

I wonder what the original design tuning (D or C) for the Soprano Bruko’s actually was or whether that practically impacts on the pitch that they play best at? However, the standard tuning in Germany was D so perhaps the original Bruko’s were designed with that in mind.
https://www.ukulele-arts.com/learn/standard-tunings-for-the-ukulele/?lang=en

I think that I’ve moved forward a bit in getting answers for the questions but more information would be good, please. “So, for those of you with longer memories what’s the history: what was used, what were this issues with it, why was it used and what did it sound like?”

 

[actadh]

Thank you Graham Greenbag for the background on Brueko.

My maple soprano Brueko sounds wonderful with Living Waters in GCEA. When it had Worth Browns, I tuned it down a step.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

Thank you Graham Greenbag for the background on Brueko.

I’m pleased that my comments have been of some use to you.

Getting more information on Bruko’s has proved very difficult so far. I discovered that the basic Soprano design was the same from the late 1940’s until 1980 when it changed to the current design. As far as I can tell the body stayed the same and the fretboard changed, it used to terminate in a ‘birds beak’ and have rosewood dots ... but don’t quote me or rely on that information. A few owners have commented (on UU) that the pre 1980 Bruko’s are mellower sounding than the newer ones but whether that’s down to age or design I really don’t know.

My hope for extra data now seems to rest on the likes of Wilfried Welti or Uke Val picking up this thread and adding information. There’s a Bruko owners group too but it might be more about playing them than technical knowledge.

 

[wwelti]

I owned some different Brükos already (and I still own two), and I've seen and played quite a few more at different places, but I have to admit that I didn't research too much about Brüko. So all I can tell are my practical experiences.

The design of the Brüko ukuleles is very simple, however the quality of the woodworking is usually very high. I have seen a few with high action which can also cause intonation to be a bit off, but most of them were fine in this regard. When it comes to the special edition models (and Brüko always makes those), they are usually at a higher level in quality (and price).

The models I prefer most are the sopranos and the longnecks (concerto scale, soprano body). Right now I have two standard sopranos, a No. 3 and a No. 6.

The No.3 is an old model and I believe I got it with the original strings. Yes, these are most likely nylon strings and they are really plunky. Since I love to have a variety of different sounds at my disposal, I left them on and enjoy using it for pieces which work well with this kind of sound. I recorded a few pieces on YT with the No.3, like the Bergerette sans roch, so you can hear the oldschool Brüko sound if you want.

When it comes to intonation, be aware that especially with soprano ukuleles quite often the strings can be the cause for problems. This is something I experienced regularly, sometimes it may even help just to turn a string around. I know this sounds silly, but sometimes it really helps.

I own my Brüko No.6 since more than 10 years already and I do have the feeling that its sound improved a bit. This is no scientific measurement or anything, just a feeling. Maybe I just learned to get along with it better. But I really like it now. Sometimes when I'm trying different ukuleles, searching for the right sound for a piece, it turns out that the plain old No.6 just seems to work best.

Please don't hesitate to ask if anything needs more clarification, I wrote this post a bit in a hurry so I'm sure I forgot something.

Best Regards
Wilfried

 

[Graham Greenbag]

Wilfried, many thanks for your contribution above. Your comments are much appreciated and helpful.

I did look out a couple of pieces or Vidoes of you playing the Bruko No 3, of course it sounded perfect and not at all plunky. Matching the Uke to the music is outside of my awareness, really, but I do see how you might work with the characteristics of an instrument and indeed that idea is (meant to be) central to this thread. Was the No 3 in C tuning when you played it ?

Looking at the Videos I wasn’t certain what the differences between your no 3 and your no 6 are (beside the fancy headstock on the no 6). Are they both Mahogany bodies with Maple necks? Are the bodies identical in shape and all sizes? I see some difference in finish between the two, to my eyes the later model is more attractive.

I have struggled to find anything in the way of detail about the older or original Bruko models and now wonder when the models 4 (? maple body and neck), 5 (mahogany body and maple neck) and 6 (as no 5 but fancy headstock) were introduced. Do you happen to know of some sources of Bruko history / information please? (Perhaps there are some in Germany but if so are they available in English?).

Looking at an old thread started by Ukecaster the pre 1980 models are distinguished as follows: “pre-1980, according to Herr Pfeiffer at Bruko. ......... as seen by the square shaped back bracing and white soundhole ring.“. #8 in https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?133222-Bruko&highlight=Bruko
# 4 Frolicks: “The only thing I could add to determine the age has to do with the back bracing: If the small piece of wood glued to the back from the inside has a square profile, it was made before 1980. Because from 1980 onwards they used flattened and more round-shaped pieces for the bracing. I got this information personally from Brüko, so it seems reliable.”
#10 Frolicks: “My pre-1980s model Nr 3 (made of super light okoumé wood)”.
#20 Frolicks: “This model was built already in the 1950s.”
(So it looks like the No 6 model has been made for some time then, and if so then from when only Nylon strings would have been available.)

Edit.
Aucoumea klaineana (angouma, gaboon, or okoumé) is a tree in the family Burseraceae, native to equatorial west Africa in Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, and Rio Muni. It is a large hardwood tree growing to 30–40 m tall, rarely larger, with a trunk 1-2.5 m diameter above the often large basal buttresses. The tree generally grows in small stands, the roots of the trees intertwined with neighboring trees. In Gabon it is the primary timber species. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aucoumea_klaineana

Okoumé
Aucumea klainean
Natural colour: light salmon to dark pink, darkening when exposed to light. Fine to medium texture. Slightly interlocked to interlocked grain. Fine silver grain.
http://www.rougier.fr/en/essences/588-okoume.html

 

[wwelti]

Hi Graham!

Thanks... the No. 3 is in C tuning (re-entrant). However when I played the Bergerette I used D-tuning (re-entrant too).
I think the No.3 and the No.6 are quite different beasts.

I believe my No. 3 was made after 1980 because this back bracking is slightly rounded. The No. 3 is certainly not made of Mahogany (while the No. 6 is). Maybe the No. 3 is Okoumé, it is super-light indeed! However the bodies are identical in shape and size.

I have to admit that I don't know that much about Brüko history! I guess others know more about that. But I remember that when I was new to the ukulele, all Brükos had those nylon strings, and I really disliked those strings. When I bought my Brüko No.6 I thought these strings really were holding it back, and changing them to brown worths helped its sound a lot!

Best Regards
Wilfried

 

[Graham Greenbag]

Wilfried, many thanks for your additional comments and clarifications.

The way I now understand matters is that the Bruko 5 & 6 were orginally all supplied with nylon strings and that that later (within the last ten years) got changed to fluorocarbon strings. The nylon strings weren’t a great match to the Ukes but that’s what they fitted anyway, it may or may not be that the Uke was designed with the nylon strings in mind. Anyway it seems like about the best thing to do is fit Worth Browns to a Bruko - there are other strings that reportedly work well with them too - check it’s set-up and then get on and with playing it.

I’m hopeful that Frolicks and Val will contribute, at some point, with Bruko knowledge too. Now I’ll just keep a watchful eye open and see whether a Bruko finds me at some point or not. If not then I’ve plenty of other Ukes to play on and play with .

Thanks again to all who have contributed to this thread thus far.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

Prompted by a different current thread on string selection (bill1 made a comment but has since deleted it) I looked up when nylon strings started to get used on guitars and discovered a date of 1948 on Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_guitar_strings

Edit. The other thread questions my assumption that as supplied strings and Ukes are matched, the thread is:
https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?136018-Luthiers-String-Selection-Criteria

As Bruko have been making Ukes since well before 1948 (if in a different location that was once considered within Germany) and as the design of their basic Soprano (5 and 6) is unlikely to have changed much I’d say it was a safe bet to assume that the original ones - and likely into the 1950’s - used processed cattle gut for strings, and that that’s likely to work as well on them today as it did in the 1920’s. Apparently it was common practice (in the 1920’s) to use violin strings (cat gut) on Ukuleles, but whether that’s of relevance today I do not know.

Anyway the purpose of this additional post is just to share and record the information. They are relatively expensive bit if anyone fancies having a try with cat gut strings then Aquila have the technology (there’s some interesting comments on their site) and can supply you with a set, see: https://aquilacorde.com/en/shop/mod...sets/ukulele-banjouke-en/genuine-gut-strings/
The 1U Soprano set is available in the U.K. and USA by mail order from some of the normal string suppliers. Pyramid, who supply Bruko with strings and likely have for decades, still make catgut sets for guitars but they are rather expensive.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

This is a quote from the Bickford Method (Published in 1920s and sold by Ditson), which may give some insight into what they used for strings before nylon:
"It is usually sufficient in all of the better class music stores, to ask for first, second, third and fourth ukulele strings, but should this description not suffice, a first or second banjo string (gut or silk), or a thin violin or guitar E string may be used for the first and fourth strings, while a thick banjo second and or ordinary banjo third string, or even a thick violin A may be used for the second and third strings.The size or thickness of the strings is largely a matter of individual preference, although the choice should be guided somewhat by the use to which the instrument is to be put, since heavy strings will produce a better tone and withstand more forcing when volume is required than will the thin strings, while on the other hand, the thin strings (like the banjo strings) are better for light playingand are much easier on the fingers."
Ukulele Mag website has an article "Vintage Ukulele Strings" which has some more info.

Bill. Thank you very much for this information, it is much appreciated.
As you typically delete your older posts - and still may - I have captured your words. If you wish I can change the text above, to remove the direct quote, whilst still keeping the information available (just ask and it will be done).

http://www.ukulelemag.com/stories/vintage-ukulele-strings

 

[frolicks]

Graham, I just noticed your message and thus, this thread. And I'm afraid there is not much, I could still add, as wwelti already wrote most of the things I know, too. Nylon strings were used by Brüko for quite some time, until more or less ten or so years ago.
And although I never tried some on the standard models wwelti mentioned, I do tried them for some time on a custom model, a longneck soprano with cedar top and mahogany body, and they worked quite well with this instrument. I think they suited the somewhat percussive and little barking sound. I just tried them out of curiosity and played this uke for maybe half a year or so. But after restringing the same instrument with clear Worth, I suppose my motivation for further Nylon experiments vanished again.
And saying that, I can add that brown Worth strings worked very well on any of my Brükos. And I owned quite a few of them (and still do own a handful)!

Anyway, for any further information about the Brüko history: Don't hesitate to write to Brüko directly. They are very friendly and helpful, and the current owners, Mr. Pfeiffer and his wife, do know quite a bit about the past models and accessories. And they're not reluctant to share their knowledge. I'm just not sure about their English, but I guess it should be fine enough.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

Frolicks, thank you too for your contribution to the thread. Every piece of information and every confirmation of information is appreciated. I’m reluctant to contact Bruko directly (as surely they must be busy people with a business to run) but directions towards sources of information would be helpful. In one particular respect the search is difficult for me: regretfully I do not speak any German and so cannot access information that is almost certainly available within the German speaking community. That aside I’m very pleased with progress over the last couple of days. .

 

[Jan Haasler]

What an interesting thread.
I am quite "new" to the ukulele scene (stepped into the ukulele world in August 2020 from playing guitat styles since my childhood).

My first soprano is an old Brüko no. 4 which I purchased in a store selling near my place. It still is one of my favourites in my collection (I even recorded some tracks on my 2nd fingerstyle ukulele album with it). It came with original strings (nylons).

Last year it happened that I visited the workshop of Mr and Mrs Pfeiffer (who are generous, humble and very open and happy to share Information about their instrument making and beyond).
I also did an article about the company for the only german ukulele magazine "Simply Ukulele" by Stefanie Wendler.
I could play many models that day and I ended up having hand picked my two main gigging Sopranos a Pineapple (Spruce/rosewood) and a plain maple one with arched back which is by far the most "round" Standard soprano model of that company which I could get my hands on or have played at festivals.
The no. 4 I had with me was stated to be 1980s making which implies those old strings could have been of that era but I double it, because they would have been so long on the uke. An old no. 6 I also had with me was stated to be from the 1970s due to the making of the tuning pegs. It came with nylon strings when I bought it second Hand too (but had some string buzzes next to a fantastic aged tone).
I found nylon strings for the Brükos (older ones) very suiting due to a pronounced midrange tone (like Wilfried mentioned with his no. 3 before) and a nice not too thin feel while playing.

However. One of the experts in Germany concerning Brüko next to the artists/people here in that issue (Frolicks and Wilfried) is Iso Herquist who has gained a great expertise on (especially Brüko) ukuleles (and who is an extra ordinary player). In a talk about Brüko (he is responsible for a special model with a flat neck joint at the body and some other stuff) he mentioned that in older times (1970s to 1980s may be) plectrum playing was a big thing when strumming ukulele. A "higher" string Action suite that strong playing very well so that is why some older Brükos may have a bit higher action than more modern ukes or ithan in general (I personally find that quite cool on my old Brüko no. 4 it rings out very well but it is not too high anyways).
The Pfeiffers changed some things on the models like
-no laquer things anymore (like the cool "sunburst" or other finishes)
-an adjustable (by filing it) extra bridge bone remake piece
-thinner finishings (done by Mrs Pfeiffer) and more over the last two to three decades.

And yes it is hard to tell if older Brükos not just sound more mellow due to the aged instruments or due to the making per se.
Fact is: Brüko keeps an impeccable build quality and a big variety of sounds due to the range of models (Standard sopranos and concertos, special wood combination models, longneck sopranos, tenors, soprano pineapple and longneck soprano pineapples, baritones).

The Pfeiffers always are open to answer Emails with requests from which time a certain model may be is and as well to fullfill certain requests and demands concerning a specially built ukulele (custom made)).

I also figured out to not like the Pyramid strings too much (they are okay so far and I usually let them on for a while with a new Brüko) but found out my Brükos' sound and feel improved with Hannabach Goldin Soprano strings which are a bit "thicker" and make the instruments vibrate a bit fuller.
Iso Herquists swears on Savarez guitar strings (carte Balance and carte rouge D string as a low g, nylonmaterial).
Worth brown really do well too as do plain D'addario nylon strings (I used those for a while on the old no. 4).

Here I just used those Nylons.
Later Worth Brown (light set):


Those clips are from 2020 when I started on the ukulele (and this stairway cell was mostly empty due to pandemic restrictions...and when you really can tell my guitar originans more than today).

Kind regards
Jan Haasler

EDIT:
Here is a clip of an older ca 1980s no. 7 with carbon strings:


In this clip I display a pre 1980s Brüko no. 3 made from okume/gabun woods (square bracings like mentioned above).
Its tone is sweet, aged and less but still brüko like "plunky" which I really like and use for my own sound signature.