Swapping Strings - How Long Before You Know/

[PereBourik]

How long do you give a set to settle before you decide you're getting the strings' true sound?

I've found that it takes a good two weeks or more before a set is giving me its best sound. Hard to imagine waiting that long between changes and still having a good sense of a set's sound when going to the next set.

 

[Wiggy]

... it takes a good two weeks or more before a set is giving me its best sound...

Yup. First impressions of a newly mounted set are rarely good. They take several days to come into focus and another week to become somewhat settled.

 

[TerryM]

2 weeks min. for me.

 

[DownUpDave]

I find about 5-7 hours playing time seems to do it

 

[merlin666]

When they stay in tune for longer than a couple of days.

 

[EDW]

To be honest, in many cases I can get a sense if string has potential for me or if I hate them within a few hours. It is often the strings that are somewhere in the middle that take some time to get a full idea.

 

[ampeep]

Apparently, I'm the minority here - I can tell as soon as I tune the strings up to pitch. Still have to through the days of stretching.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

How long do you give a set to settle before you decide you're getting the strings' true sound?

I've found that it takes a good two weeks or more before a set is giving me its best sound. Hard to imagine waiting that long between changes and still having a good sense of a set's sound when going to the next set.

I’m another person who thinks that it takes new strings a couple of weeks to settle and to give of their best. On the issue of comparison I have several Ukes and simply use one of them as a reference (comparison) point against which to judge changes; that’s perhaps not a perfect arrangement but for me it has been good enough for all practical purposes.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

A couple weeks to settle in has been my experience as well, but since I struggle to fit in more than half an hour of daily practice time, fourteen calendar days yields a maximum of 7 hours of direct string-stretching. I'm just past week 2 on a new set of High g Fremont Black Lines and they're now staying in tune, but (as advised elsewhere in UU) I jump-started the stretching process by initially tuning a full step higher than standard gCEA, then giving each string a good upward tug of around 1 inch (and holding each that way for a few seconds) just north of the saddle.

As I've mentioned in at least two other UU threads, from day one, the Fremonts have sounded, felt and looked far better than the Martin M600's they replaced. The aesthetic improvement was unexpected yet IMHO the black strings have added a degree of it's-not-a-toy-ness that is all the more surprising on an intentionally cartoonish, kit-built soprano. Because I'm a lifelong believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", I'm increasingly seeing no need to try a different brand and will soon order a single Fremont wound Low G to see how much difference it may make.
Cheers!

 

[Tiger Camo]

A couple weeks to settle in has been my experience as well, but since I struggle to fit in more than half an hour of daily practice time, fourteen calendar days yields a maximum of 7 hours of direct string-stretching. I'm just past week 2 on a new set of High g Fremont Black Lines and they're now staying in tune, but (as advised elsewhere in UU) I jump-started the stretching process by initially tuning a full step higher than standard gCEA, then giving each string a good upward tug of around 1 inch (and holding each that way for a few seconds) just north of the saddle.

As I've mentioned in at least two other UU threads, from day one, the Fremonts have sounded, felt and looked far better than the Martin M600's they replaced. The aesthetic improvement was unexpected yet IMHO the black strings have added a degree of it's-not-a-toy-ness that is all the more surprising on an intentionally cartoonish, kit-built soprano. Because I'm a lifelong believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", I'm increasingly seeing no need to try a different brand and will soon order a single Fremont wound Low G to see how much difference it may make.
Cheers!

I mean, while you're at it, not for nothin,' but the Fremont unwound low G is worth a rumble as well ... I prefer it to the wound, though the wound is great too.

 

[Wiggy]

I mean, while you're at it, not for nothin,' but the Fremont unwound low G is worth a rumble as well ... I prefer it to the wound, though the wound is great too.

I especially like the Fremont Blackline Low G (better than a wound) on a tenor scale; in this case an Ohana TK-70R. Very stable tuning.

 

[PereBourik]

A couple weeks to settle in has been my experience as well, but since I struggle to fit in more than half an hour of daily practice time, fourteen calendar days yields a maximum of 7 hours of direct string-stretching. I'm just past week 2 on a new set of High g Fremont Black Lines and they're now staying in tune, but (as advised elsewhere in UU) I jump-started the stretching process by initially tuning a full step higher than standard gCEA, then giving each string a good upward tug of around 1 inch (and holding each that way for a few seconds) just north of the saddle.

As I've mentioned in at least two other UU threads, from day one, the Fremonts have sounded, felt and looked far better than the Martin M600's they replaced. The aesthetic improvement was unexpected yet IMHO the black strings have added a degree of it's-not-a-toy-ness that is all the more surprising on an intentionally cartoonish, kit-built soprano. Because I'm a lifelong believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", I'm increasingly seeing no need to try a different brand and will soon order a single Fremont wound Low G to see how much difference it may make.
Cheers!

Fremont Blacklines are very nice. They sing on my Imua concert.