How to change

Changing the string set on your ukulele can make a significant difference in the sound of your instrument. It's not unrealistic to give an inexpensive ukulele a radically improved sound just by changing out the strings. Nowadays there are a lot of string choices available and string sets will sound different on different ukuleles. It may take a bit of experimenting to find the combination that you like but that's all part of the fun. Even if you don't want to change your sound, your existing strings do wear out and should be replaced roughly once a year. You'll be surprised how much "fresher" your uke will feel.

It may seem scary disassembling your beloved instrument but it really isn't too hard to change the strings. First-timers may need about 20-30 minutes but it gets a lot easier once you've changed a few string sets. The information below will hopefully get you going.

Buying Ukulele Strings

Size

Make sure you buy the string set for the size of ukulele that you have.

- Soprano (13-14 inches neck length)
- Concert (15-16 inches neck length)
- Tenor (17-18 inches neck length)
- Baritone (19-20 inches neck length)

String Material

You may not have realized it but ukulele string is essentially fishing line. Each type has its pros and cons.

- Nylon - aka monofiliment
- Metal Wound Nylon - typically included in a Nylon set of strings to produce the lower notes.
- Special Formula Nylon - Not your ordinary fishing line. These strings are specially formulated for musical instruments.
- Fluorocarbon - Thinner strings that can handle much more tension than nylon. Most fluorocarbon string sets do not contain any metal wound strings including low-G sets.

Other Buying Considerations

- Low-G - A substitute for the normal re-entrant tuning. Produces a fuller range but may depart from the familiar 'uke' sound.
- Alternate tunings - Most people are accustom to the GCEA tuning but there are many other tunings that can be used.
- Tension - Some players prefer high-tension or low-tension strings
- Thickness - Some players prefer thicker strings or thinner strings
- Where to buy - eBay is actually a good source for uke strings at cheap prices. Elderly Instruments has a complete line of uke strings (although the shipping fee may kill you). Local music stores may carry Aquila and D'Addario.

Common Ukulele String Brands

- GHS Strings - Black nylon strings with a wound-C string. Standard issue on many ukes. Some players swear by the sound of these.
- Aquila Nylgut - These special formula nylon strings are the defacto standard for many ukulele brands. These strings produce that ubiquitous ukulele sound on most instruments. It's hard to go wrong with these strings.
- D'Addario Pro-Arte - Made popular by Jake Shimabukuro. These nylon strings are thick and produce a mellow sound.
- Worth Clears or Browns - All Fluorocarbon strings including low-G sets. Clears have a crisp bright sound; Browns have a softer mellower sound.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Ukulele strings are numbered 1 through 4. #1 is the string closest to the ground and #4 is on the top. For a standard GCEA tuned uke that would mean #1=A, #2=E, #3=C, #4=G

Items needed in preparation

- New set of Ukulele strings (obviously!)
- Bath-size towel - used to protect your ukulele while performing the operation
- Fingernail clipper - the easiest and safest way to cut excess string
- String Winder (optional) - makes winding the tuning pegs a lot easier
- Ukulele Chromatic Tuner (optional) - used to tune up after the string change
- Fretboard cleaner (optional) - it would be a good time to clean your fretboard if it needs it

Types of Bridges

Tie-bar Bridge

The Tie-bar Bridge is a common style found on many ukuleles.

This type of bridge has a bar that you to loop the string around. There is a very specific knot used to hold the string in place. The video above does a good job demonstrating how to tie this type of knot.

There are a couple of ways you can finish the bridge end of the string. The easiest way is to clip each string like this:

You could also get fancier and insert the ends into the loops of the other strings:

Alternatively, you could also buy "bridge beads" if you don't want to fuss with tying that knot or if you like to change your strings often.

You can commonly find bridge beads at music stores that sell guitar strings.

Slotted Bridge

The Slotted Bridge style is also very popular on many ukuleles. This type of bridge has a slot where you insert a string that is end knotted. This bridge style makes it really easy to change strings.

Although you might be able to get away with a regular knot, it's better to use a double-knot or a figure-8 knot. Here's an over-sized rope illustrating the knot that can be used on the end of a ukulele string:

Click here to see step-by-step pictures on how to tie this type of knot.

Pin Bridge

This bridge type is commonly found on acoustic guitars but there are a few ukulele makers that use a Pin Bridge. The string is held in place by a ball or bead at the end of the string and kept in place by a bridge pin.

Ukulele strings do not come with end beads so you'll likely need to re-use the existing ones. What you do is slip the bead onto the string, and then tie a knot so that the bead can not come off. Then you feed the end of the string with the bead through the hole in the bridge, slip it into the small slot, then insert the pin and push it in snug.

If you have a Pin Bridge ukulele, please refer to the manufacturer's instructions for specific information.

Bridge Tie

There are few ukulele brands that use the Bridge Tie style. It's basically like a tie-bar but there are off-set holes to loop the string around and under itself. Study the picture below if you have this type of bridge.

NOTE: This is a picture of a guitar bridge tie. I couldn't find a picture of a ukulele with a bridge tie but it works the same way.

Tuning Pegs: Winding the string

Once you have the string secured on the bridge end, you'll need to secure and wind the other end of the string around the tuning peg.

Although optional, using a string winder makes this task a lot easier. String winders are inexpensive (generally $2-$5) and widely available at most music stores. The same tool is used for a guitar or a ukulele.

Notice that all of the strings are wound facing inward (ie. G & C are wound counter-clockwise and E & A are clockwise).

Also notice that there are about 3 to 5 single-layer wraps around each post. You do not want the string to wind up onto a second layer. Also note that the windings are going downward.

It's debatable how to secure the string to the post. Usually it's not necessary to tie any knots or loops. Just threading the string through the hole and winding downward works fine.

The slightly varied technique shown here is a bit more preferable. In this technique, the first wind is above the inserted string and all other winds are below. This will eliminate any chance of string slippage.

When you first thread the string, it could be hard to gauge the initial slack tension that will end up with a perfectly wrapped tuner. Note that it would be better to end up with too many wraps rather than too little. A good general rule is thread the string through until it is taut. Don't pull the string too tight initially.

When first winding, just put enough layers onto the tuning peg so that the string is secured. Don't worry about tuning for now. Install all of your new strings before proceeding to tuning.

Tuning up after string replacement

It might be hard to tune each string to the proper note when you first start winding up. If you miss the tuning note, you'll over stretch your new strings which is not a good thing. A clip-on chromatic tuner is not the best tool to use for the initial tuning.

Use this ukulele tuning website instead. Scroll down to the 2nd section where you can click the ▶ button to play the sound of each string. Once the tuning is into the general range, you can use online chromatic tuner to fine tune each string. Your new strings will stretch a lot so you will need to adjust the initial tuning a few times.

After the initial tuning, using a clip-on chromatic tuner will help you keep your instrument fine-tuned. New strings may take 2-3 weeks to fully stretch out and hold their tuning. During that period, you'll need to tune up every time you play your uke. You'll probably even need to tune again after you've been playing for a few minutes.

At this point, you can use nail clippers to remove any excess string.

If you ended up with too many wraps on the tuning peg, loosen the peg all the way, pull in some excess and then rewind. You may want to wait a few weeks until your strings have fully stretched before doing this adjustment.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have completed a string change

Other information and tips

String stretching

Some people will pull on the strings to help stretch them out faster. There's a debate that this causes the string to stretch unevenly which will contribute to intonation problems.

Excess string

Is it cool not to clip? Some people prefer not to clip the excess string. The message that this says about you is up for interpretation. Excess string from the tuning pegs is a problem if it flops onto the fret board so some players like to twirl up the excess string into little coils.