Newbie: Gretsch 9100-L . . . strings or model?

[MikeZito]

Long story short - I just purchased a used Gretsch 9100-L . . . and I am not exactly thrilled with the tone. (Much thinner than my Martin S1, but better and louder than my Mitchell.)

To a newbie's eyes, the strings look like something that you would see on a $50.00 beginners uke, and nothing like the strings on any of my Martin's. My question is am I expection too much from a $150.00 uke, or should explore some better strings?

 

[EDW]

Long story short - I just purchased a used Gretsch 9100-L . . . and I am not exactly thrilled with the tone. (Much thinner than my Martin S1, but better and louder than my Mitchell.)

To a newbie's eyes, the strings look like something that you would see on a $50.00 beginners uke, and nothing like the strings on any of my Martin's. My question is am I expection too much from a $150.00 uke, or should explore some better strings?

The strings can certainly be a factor. Not knowing how old the strings are, you could put on a fresh set of the same Aquila Nylgut. If you prefer the fluorocarbon, the standard Martin string or something like Worth or D'Addario would work. Keep in mind that the Gretsch is a thin laminate, while the S-1 is solid which will lead to some differences.

 

[70sSanO]

This is a difficult situation to assess. As @EDW has pointed out, new strings might help, but any improvement might be limited because it is a laminate ukulele.

The tough part is the time and money spent on trying different strings. I would probably try to narrow down the strings that are the worst, such as the A is too brittle of the C thuds or too loose and lacks depth.

The general rule is larger diameter strings have more tension and a fatter/thicker sound. But too much tension chokes the soundboard.

You can do a rough assessment by increasing the pitch (higher tuning) slightly to see how the ukulele reacts. Or slightly lowering the pitch/tension and see what happens.

You don’t have to tune up to a particular note, just a small amount and tune string to string.

John

 

[EDW]

...... but any improvement might be limited because it is a laminate ukulele.

FYI- while a laminate will not necessarily have the same sound or response as a solid wood, that does not mean they are bad. Kiwaya/Famous is legendary for their very thin laminate instruments, which sound great. I have heard that the Gretsch is a nice thin laminate and sounds good. It may be just about finding the strings that work best for you.

This is not a criticism of the comment above. I just want to make this point so inexperienced players don't immediately assume laminate=bad. There are some that are like thick plywood, but there are some excellent ones as well.

 

[merlin666]

As it's a used uke the previous owner may not have told you what kind of strings they put on. I assume that since you are used to Martin ukes they have fluorocarbon strings, which may be a good choice to add some punch to laminate concert or soprano. So if your local music store has some d'addario or Martin fluorocarbon strings that might be good choice to get started.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

Long story short - I just purchased a used Gretsch 9100-L . . . and I am not exactly thrilled with the tone. (Much thinner than my Martin S1, but better and louder than my Mitchell.)

To a newbie's eyes, the strings look like something that you would see on a $50.00 beginners uke, and nothing like the strings on any of my Martin's. My question is am I expection too much from a $150.00 uke, or should explore some better strings?

The original strings would be the industry standard Aquila New Nylgut, I don’t favour them but I do like the Super Nylgut variant - I find that the two differ - and suggest a concert scale pack of them to you. Your Uke has a concert scale neck attached to a soprano body.
Here’s your Uke on the Gretsch site: https://www.gretschguitars.com/gear...ano-long-neck-ukulele-with-gig-bag/2732021321
An acquaintance of mine has one of these, which he selected from amongst other makes and models at a physical shop, and he’s both pleased with his and makes rather good music with it - he’s an able player too. As for the price, well it would be far to say that some nice enough Ukes offer better value for money than others and then leave it at that … Better strings always make a difference but identifying what strings would be better on any Uke isn’t easy - for me it’s been trial and error. I’ve given one suggestion already but otherwise a light set of fluorocarbon strings might work well.

I play inexpensive laminate Ukes and within limits significant improvement is usually possible, but they are never going to sound as good as a Martin. However, in my experience, a well set-up laminate can both sound fine and give you hours of pleasure . It’s a topic worthy of another thread but if someone wants to know how good music can sound on a cheaper instrument then (via YouTube) exploring what Dr Bekken (a professional musician) can do with them might help. Enjoy what you have, be aware of realistic expectations, and remember that the better that you play the better your Uke will sound - that’s work in progress for me and most of us here on UU .

 

[UkingViking]

I recently googled Gretsch Ukuleles, and was surprised to find that they only offered a solid top on their electric acoustic model with cutaway, while all the rest are all laminate. One could say that plugged in, the top matters less. So perhaps the pure acoustic ones should get the solid top. For all laminates, the prices doesnt seem super competitive. They have their brand and the nice look to sell them on. And who knows, perhaps they build their laminate ukes with extra skill, so they sound fantastic. A lot of people are happy with their Gretsch ukes to my understanding.

Anyway, it is common to see Aquila strings on many ukes from $50 to $300. Also on some pretty good solid wood ukes from Kala, Ohana etc.
If you think this kind of strings feel cheap or dont like the sound, try some flourcarbon strings on it. I have an all solid wood ukulele from Ohana, also a long neck soprano, that I didnt care much for before changing strings from Nylgut to flourcarbon. After that I have liked it a lot. To me, flourcarbon strings improves the sound the most on soprano bodies.