How to Avoid Snaps, Slips, and Sour Notes with Your Ukulele Strings
By Christopher Carr | Ukulele Trading Co Australia
Let’s face it—changing strings on your ukulele can feel intimidating, especially when you're new to it, or altering the tuning of a baritone up to be GCEA tuning.
Working with a premium baritone set like the PHD (Premium High-Density) GCEA Low G strings, helps by bing a premium product and they come with a spare A string, the string most likely to break on you.
Here are my tips to making string changing smooth sailing.
Changing your strings doesn’t have to be stressful. In fact, with the right method (and a little patience), you’ll breathe new life into your uke, improve tone, and rediscover that rich, full-bodied sound that made you fall in love with playing in the first place.
So grab your cuppa, your Kala, Ohana, or Flight ukulele, and follow these 6 tried-and-tested tips to make your next string change smooth, safe, and satisfying.
Me and the Quality Control Labradors follow these tips everyday, yes I change a lots of strings for customers.
🔧 1. Take Your Time With the A String – Seriously
The A string is the thinnest—and the most fragile. Tune it too fast, and snap, there goes your tone (and your good mood).
🎯 Pro Tip:
Bring the A string up to pitch gradually. Tune it slightly higher each time you walk past your uke throughout the day. Avoid rushing it to 440 Hz all at once. Slow and steady wins the tone.
🎛️ 2. Use a Tuner That Shows Frequency AND not just Notes
Here’s a common (and painful) mistake:
Tuning the string an octave too high. Boom—string gone.
Headstock tuners don’t show octave or frequency. That’s why we recommend using a tuner app that gives you both. OR use this free online tuner, it is excellent:
👉 Muted.io Chromatic Tuner
Here’s what to aim for:
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 4th | G (Low G) | 196 Hz |
| 3rd | C | 262 Hz |
| 2nd | E | 330 Hz |
| 1st | A | 440 Hz |
🎯 Pro Tip: Download a quality tuner app that displays both notes and frequency for accurate tuning.
🧼 3. Prepare the Nut Slots Before Installing Strings
A tight or dirty nut slot can bind the string and cause it to break. A little prep here saves a lot of frustration later.
✔ Clean the nut slots with a folded strip of fine sandpaper
✔ Ensure the width matches the string size
✔ Clear away any dust or debris
✔ Bonus Tip: Lubricate the Nut Slot with some Nut Lube, or if you do not have any, apply a little chap stick, good for your lips and safe for your nut and strings.
It only takes a minute—and it could save your string.
📄 4. String Breakage Isn’t Covered Under Warranty
We want you to have the best experience possible. And I want you to get it right, without stress. That’s why every string set we sell includes a printed installation guide. Be sure to Read the guide before installing.
💡 Important: If a string breaks during installation, it is not covered under warranty. Take your time and do it right the first time.
PHD (Premium High-Density) GCEA Low G strings, helps you by including a spare A string, the string most likely to break on you. So FIVE strings per packet, the G C E and TWO A strings.
🎵 5. How Often Should You Change Strings?
Like anything well-loved, ukulele strings wear down over time. The more you play, the faster they’ll lose tone clarity, volume, and tuning stability.
Here's our simple rule of thumb:
-
Play a few times a week? Change strings twice a year.
-
Play daily? Aim for four times a year.
🎯 New strings = new inspiration.
🎨 6. Know Your Colour-Coded Strings
With PHD Baritone GCEA Low G set, don’t judge string placement by thickness alone. Each string is colour-coded for easy identification.
| Colour | Note | String Position |
|---|---|---|
| Clear | G (Low G) | 4th (closest to your head) |
| Red | C | 3rd |
| Blue | E | 2nd |
| Black | A | 1st (closest to your feet) |
| Black | A (spare) | Bonus spare A string |
Yes, you get two A strings—because we know the A string is most likely to break if rushed or installed improperly. 😉
🎤 Final Thoughts from Christopher
Changing your ukulele strings is more than just maintenance—it’s an act of musical self-care, everyboy should learn this bit of maintenance.
People dont learn to DIY and instead pay shops to do the job for them. This means you will probably change your strings less than you should and that will feel and sound horrible.
With a little patience, and these tips, you’ll enjoy:
✅ Better tone
✅ Stable tuning
✅ A longer lifespan for your uke
So go ahead—refresh your sound, rediscover your rhythm, and fall back in love with playing.
🎸 Need a new set of strings or a quality uke to match?
Browse our curated selection of Kala, Flight, and Ohana ukuleles right here at:
👉 Ukulele Trading Co Australia
Here’s to happy playing—and fewer broken strings.
Cheers,
Christopher Carr
Founder, Ukulele Trading Co Australia
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