Good non standard string buying advice in UK?

Hi: I'm trying (in UK) to find the right set of strings for a Cuatro de Puerto Rico strung as a 10 string octave mandolin. The cuatro is a 5 x 2 strung 20.5" scale length guitar style instrument usually tuned in 4ths. As a fiddle player, I want to tune it GDAEB low to high. That's like a GDAE 5ths tuned octave mandolin, but with an added high G4 string pair 3 semitones above the 2nd string. Any higher and strings break, tension gets very high. I think that's also in short scale bouzouki territory?

I need someone who can sell me the right strings for this scale length and tuning, so they have to understand more than "It says octave mandola on the packet". Any suggestions in UK please?

That’s an easy one; Newtone - https://newtonestrings.com/shop/cust...-configurator/

Stringjoy might be a good bet, they don’t specifically make mandolin strings, However their customer service is absolutely amazing, give them a message on Facebook and they’ll be able to tell you exactly the gauges you need. They’ve helped me with tuning a guitar in fifths F C G D A E with the C G D A being the same register as cello with low F and high E. If anyone can help you I’d bet on them.

As Ray said, Newtone.

You can get custom sets at Eagle Music near Huddersfield, they would probably be Newtones.

Dave H

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Originally Posted by Ray(T)

That’s an easy one; Newtone - https://newtonestrings.com/shop/cust...-configurator/

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Yes, they'll make a custom set for you: if you mention the scale length they'll also make the strings long enough in case you scale is longer than a "standard" mandola.

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Originally Posted by Dave Hanson

You can get custom sets at Eagle Music near Huddersfield, they would probably be Newtones.

Dave H

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Are they still Newtones? I used to buy Newtones from Eagle Music, as their customer service was brilliant. However the name on the strings changed from Newtone to 'Puretone'. I emailed once to ask was it a different brand or manufacturer, but didn't get a response. I also noticed that the name and details on my account's order history had changed from Newtone to Puretone as well. See attached; a screenshot from the original email confirmation, and a recent screenshot from my order history on my Eagle music account.

Attachment 181142
Attachment 181143

They certianly used to use Newtone (never heard of Puretone) but they may well have simply changed the name for commercila reasons; e.g. to stop people going straight to Newtone.

A history lesson! In times gone by, Eagle would package you up a single set of custom strings (they were Newtone) whereas from Newtone you had to order a minimum number of sets. When Neil Silverman took over from Malcolm Newton, things changed and they will now put a single set together (although I’ve never asked them to do so.). In my experience, going direct has always been cheaper.

I suppose it’s always possible that they’ve found a string maker called “Pureton”!!!

I have used Newtone for single sets, one for a Waldzither and the other a BB mandola.