Southcoast Strings - Completely Transformed my Uke!

[southcoastukes]

The thing with the wound C is that it's aluminum. .... A shame because I really prefer the punch and sustain of a wound C.

Yes, Andrew, we agree completely on the benefits of a wound 3rd, at least for Medium Gauges. Ours, however, is not aluminum. To us the sound of that material is generally a bit metallic. We use aluminum in only one instance for one string in one of our six string sets.

Our 3rd string is the key to the SW sets. We use that material in varying gauges as a third for our reentrant sets as well. It's a material that allows for a much smoother polish and a much smoother sound than aluminum.

 

[AndrewKuker]

Very cool Dirk.

add: just ordered a set of the MU-W3 to try

 

[Dan Uke]

Very cool Dirk.

add: just ordered a set of the MU-W3 to try

If you like it, you gotta try a Low G set!

 

[Hammond]

Will there be a SMU-W3 set?
If I want softer warm sound with the wound 3rd

 

[southcoastukes]

Thanks for the order Andrew & thanks for the compliment on the Linear sets, Daniel.

Will there be a SMU-W3 set?
If I want softer warm sound with the wound 3rd

Ham,

I don't know if you've tried this set yet or not. I'm inclined to say no to putting a wound 3rd with those other strings. The reason is for balance in sound, tone & sustain.

The wound 3rds are inherently brighter than a plain 3rd, yet the Soft series sets are designed for a warmer sound. I just feel there would be too much contrast. The better fit to me is with the brighter standard set.

That said, if you haven't tried the SMUs, we actually do a little something like you suggest - as a matter of fact, it's standard practice in all our plain sets. We don't make up our plain sets from a single material. It's a lot more time, trouble and expense, but a 4 string plain set from us will be made up of 2-4 different materials. 3-4 is probably average.

We put higher density material in the 2 & 3 positions, and lighter density on the outsides. It gives more even, and therefore more playable diameters, and the high notes are less likely to come across as harsh, while the bass notes sound clearer, with more sustain - more in character with the highs.

That effect is similar to what you have with a wound 3rd. A wound string, of course, is much higher density than a plain string. That's what gives it more clarity and sustain than a thick plain string in that position.

So while the overall sound of an SMU-NW set can be described as "semi-warm", compared to a "warm" set made from a single material, our bass notes will be much clearer with more sustain. Not as much as a wound 3rd, but as I mentioned, I don't feel you can go too far in that regard without having the 3rd sound unbalanced.

If, however, you want to try it anyway, at the bottom of the Ukulele set page, there is an option to add an extra wound 3rd to any reentrant set. The sets this is recommended for are called out. Go ahead and order it that way, but follow up with an e-mail saying you understand you are going "outside the box".

 

[blue_knight_usa]

I am doing a before and after video/audio where I will show an all unwound set on my Collings UC3K and then show it with the MU-W3's. I'm going to be busy at the uke festival this weekend but maybe the week after I'll get the video up on my YouTube channel. I bought 4 different sets to test and test #1 was a fantastic result. This will be test #2.

Very cool Dirk.

add: just ordered a set of the MU-W3 to try

 

[Hammond]

Thanks for the order Andrew & thanks for the compliment on the Linear sets, Daniel.



Ham,

I don't know if you've tried this set yet or not. I'm inclined to say no to putting a wound 3rd with those other strings. The reason is for balance in sound, tone & sustain.

The wound 3rds are inherently brighter than a plain 3rd, yet the Soft series sets are designed for a warmer sound. I just feel there would be too much contrast. The better fit to me is with the brighter standard set.

That said, if you haven't tried the SMUs, we actually do a little something like you suggest - as a matter of fact, it's standard practice in all our plain sets. We don't make up our plain sets from a single material. It's a lot more time, trouble and expense, but a 4 string plain set from us will be made up of 2-4 different materials. 3-4 is probably average.

We put higher density material in the 2 & 3 positions, and lighter density on the outsides. It gives more even, and therefore more playable diameters, and the high notes are less likely to come across as harsh, while the bass notes sound clearer, with more sustain - more in character with the highs.

That effect is similar to what you have with a wound 3rd. A wound string, of course, is much higher density than a plain string. That's what gives it more clarity and sustain than a thick plain string in that position.

So while the overall sound of an SMU-NW set can be described as "semi-warm", compared to a "warm" set made from a single material, our bass notes will be much clearer with more sustain. Not as much as a wound 3rd, but as I mentioned, I don't feel you can go too far in that regard without having the 3rd sound unbalanced.

If, however, you want to try it anyway, at the bottom of the Ukulele set page, there is an option to add an extra wound 3rd to any reentrant set. The sets this is recommended for are called out. Go ahead and order it that way, but follow up with an e-mail saying you understand you are going "outside the box".

Dirk,
Thank you for your reply. The SMU-NW set was already in my plan. I ask because of the string set on my uke at the moment is the black nylon with a wound C set. That was designed for warm sound. According to your recommendations I will try the SMU-NW first. I really like the concept that you match more than one materials on a set. Thank you.

**Add**
Both your reply and the web pages are so informative. Million thanks.

 

[blue_knight_usa]

Test complete, video has been posted here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jVhplcDLmg&feature=c4-overview&list=UUzjTtZZ3_UAZlTJdY9JFoFw

I am doing a before and after video/audio where I will show an all unwound set on my Collings UC3K and then show it with the MU-W3's. I'm going to be busy at the uke festival this weekend but maybe the week after I'll get the video up on my YouTube channel. I bought 4 different sets to test and test #1 was a fantastic result. This will be test #2.