Aquila Ukulele Strings
Aquila strings are one of the most popular brands of ukulele strings around, if not the most popular.
They are made in Italy of their own, special Nylgut material. Nylgut is a synthetic material that is intended to combine the best qualities of nylon and gut strings (hence the name). The strings are easy to play and have a warm tone to them.
There’s plenty of debate on the ukulele forums on this subject, different people prefer different strings. Overall, it seems like Aquila are winning the string wars. Even though I’m a Worth man at heart, I regularly and quite happily use Aquilas.
On Video
Bosko and Honey go on a tour of the Aquila factory.
On eBay US
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On eBay UK
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Aquila String Colors
When I first used Aquila strings, I was a little confused by the color coding system. It took me a while to find the strings each color refers to on the back of the packet. In case you’ve lost the packet, here’s what they refer to.
1st (A) = Red
2nd (E) = Blue
3rd (C) = Green
4th (G) = White
A review of Aquila Ukulele Strings
“Further thoughts on turning your Mahalos into Martins (I concur with Woodshed)”
Todd B.
Ukulele Evangelist
Non-recovering Uke-Aholic
The rambling introduction: I’ve been a musician for around 20 years. I’ve been thrifty as long as I can remember…..thrifty is not to be confused with “absolute tightwad.”
If I’m spending, and you put a 500.00 Alvarez acoustic guitar and a 1000.00 dollar Martin in front of me, I’m gonna go with the Alvarez.
The same could be said with regard to my new found love, the ukulele. Put a Bushman Jenny or a Fluke up against some hand crafted instrument from a very talented Luthier (let’s say a Glyph or an Earnest) and unless they’re working some sort of promotional deal, I’ll choose the former two….it’s a matter of pragmatism.
I love the sound of plenty of high end instruments, but with the way I play (not gingerly) and handle my instruments (sometimes not as thoughtfully as I should) mixed with the decent sound you get out of most mid-level rigs, I just won’t do it (unless I suddenly experience a windfall in the area of finances).
Working on the Point: Let’s cross over to the subject of strings now……for some time now, I’ve been a pretty big stickler on keeping my strings both clean and changed on my instruments. I play steel string guitar, bass, nylon string guitar (classical), and the uke.
**I’ve never had any trouble with using lower end guitar strings. The only thing I’ve ever noticed was the need to perhaps change them a little more often (btw, Dr Stringfellow’s string cleaner can help greatly with this 🙂
***Not so with our diminutive friend…..In my three short years of playing, I’ve tried Martin Strings, GHS black nylon strings, La Bellas, and Hilo black nylon strings. While they have all served there purpose, I believe I have crossed a threshold……
As a result of reading Woodshed’s article “Turning your Mahalos into Martins,” I was inspired to enter into the land of “high-end” strings just this past weekend. I called around and found a purveyor of the infamous “Aquila Nylagut” strings. So far, I’ve slapped them on my Lanikai Tenor, my Ovation Soprano, and I’ll be putting some on my Fluke later this week. Now, for curious uke-aholics, please take note that these strings (at least here in the States) run at about 10.00 a pack as opposed to the normal 3.00/4.50 for most of the other brands. Say what? Yes you read correctly.
O.K. now we’re getting somewhere: Here’s the rub….I may never go back. They really do make “that much of a difference.” Please allow me to share my observations.
Aquilas and the soprano Uke: One of the things that has chafed me a bit about the other strings I have used on my soprano uke is this, unless you tune them up a whole step (A, D, F#, E) every type of string I have use just felt downright “floppy and sloppy.” I put the Aquilas on my soprano and immediately I could tell a difference. The tension is better and there is more “bite” to the sound. I would venture to say that the volume output may even be slightly higher.
Aquilas and the Tenor Uke: I opted for the “non-wound” C string set with this uke. My Lanikai is the lowest end uke of my collection and I can honestly say that the Aquilas have improved the sound of this rig by 5 points (what constitutes a point? Well, I’m not sure, but it sounds good) at least. Not to mention they just “feel” right. I had GHS strings on it before and they felt “too-tight” almost. I’d say there’s just enough bend to the Aquilas and the tone is much warmer, and again, I’d say the volume output might be slightly higher.
Aquilas and my concert Fluke: I haven’t got there yet, but I’m pretty confident I’ll come up with the same results. Do yourself a favor….save your pennies and spend the extra few bucks to invest in some higher-end strings for your uke J
You’ll be glad you did!
Happy Strumming,
Todd
58 Comments
Hello, I was very interested to read your article on Aquila strings. They are Fabulous. Not having very much money and coming back to Uke playing after 30 odd years, I purchased a Mahalo soprano uke and was kind of shocked to find it was dead when I received it (I bought it new on e-bay). At first I thought it was me and I had been away from uks for too long and I had forgoten how they sounded but I couldn’t remember them being as bad as that. I read an article on the net saying that uke strings on new instruments were terrible and you should fit new ones. They gave a list of different string manufacturers and I liked the name Aquila, so I sent for some. When they arrived, I remembered how to fit them (after so many years) and did. After about an hour, WOW, that is what I remembered a uke should sound like! I have moved on from the Mahalo now but no matter which uke I have, I will always fit it with Aquila strings.
Strange question, but what colour are Aquila strings, my eleuke came with an Aquila tag on it, but the strings are black, are these Aquila strings??
i think Aquila strings are the best strings money can buy. I found out about them when buying a couple $25 Mahalo sopranos. A blue and an orange one. The clerk said if I really wanted them to sound good I should put Aquila strings on them. I didn’t know….I was a beginner. So, for an extra $10 I went for it. What a major difference. They even make a cheapo $25 beginner uke sound good. WOW! Not only in sound but in the feel. They actually feel softer to the touch. That was a few years ago. I now teach a six week ukulele class with an $80 Lanikai LU-21C (concert), with Aquila strings, but also take along my $25 Mahalos. I let all the students play around with them so they can feel the difference good strings make. All my ukuleles, Mahalo, Applause, Triumph, Samick, Lanikai, Kamaka, and even a couple banjoleles have Aquila’s. Wouldn’t play on anything else!
CowUkeA
Spr-y:
I’m not sure I speak for all Aquila’s, but my strings are white.
I have Aquila strings on a Cordoba, and I’ve never used another brand of strings. I’m not sure what it is, the strings, or the beautiful ukulele, but something makes mine sound damn good. The tension is great, strings stay in tune FOREVER, and the sound is crispy and clear, no warbling or rattling. Excellent.
I’ve used a very cheap ukulele for a while, the other day I decided to get a better one. I found a tenor high-G-tuned Lanikai which I liked the sound of. I compared it with another very nice uke which was 3 times the price of the Lanikai. While that one sounded good too, I preferred the sound of the Lanikai and bought it (I couldn’t really afford the high-price one anyway..). I later noticed the Lanikai had the Acquila Nylagut (non-wound) strings, while the expensive one didn’t. Today I downloaded the mp3 files from the Acquila site which compares the sound of black nylon and nylagut on the same instrument. The difference in character was exactly the one I heard between the two instruments.
I do think though that for certain cases I would want the black nylon sound, it all depends. It probably depends on the instrument as well, I’ve much more experience with guitars and at least there you will find some instruments which will gain tremendously from certain strings while those same strings will do nothing for another instrument. Particularly special-type strings. E.g. the coated Elixirs which can do wonders for the cheap small-bodied Ibanez AEG-8E-series, but sounding just dull on one of my Larrivee’s.
yo guys, these strings are gonna be the best bet. if you still have your factory strings it will sound gross. so i strum over the neck (making the sound warmer) but these strings will sound perfect… they may not look like the factory strings but sound amazing. they are made with care! buy them
I just had to add my thoughts in regard to Aquila strings. I have been playing for about a year on a satisfactory stagg soprano uke with standard factory strings. Up until recently I thought the strings that were on it were perfectly fine, I was a beginner what did I know? But recently I was checking out a lanikai which was strung with aquila and I dcided to give them a try on my own uke to see what difference they made….. I was genuinely shocked and delighted to find that they almost instantly gave my uke a much fuller and vibrant sound! They are still settling so they slip a little out of tune still but for me the difference is genuinely exciting. Yes, they are a little more expensive, but I couldn’t care less. Seems to me its worth 8.50 euro…..easy.
Aquila strings are the best strings around, imo. They improve the sound quality by so much. Even my cheapy Makala concert (my very first uke) sounds good with them. Also, I like the contrast of the white strings on a dark fretboard. Maybe it’s just me.
I have ukuleles that range from an introductory level Lanakai (LU-21C) to a KoAloha Scepter Concert, including an electric uke. I have every range of uke (soprano, concert, tenor, baritone). I’ve tried Aquila, D’Addario, Ghs, Laguna, and Martin. I’ve tried nylon, nylagut, and monofilament. I openly admit from the start that I am very hard on strings.
The winner is, hands down, Aquila. Martin comes in a not-too-distant second.
Aquilas (nylagut) have a warm, resonant, rich sound that is, at the same time, punchy (bright, but not as bright as Martins). The strings respond well to both a strum and a pluck, and even hold their own against a felt pick. Of all the strings, these take the longest to settle (e.g. stretch). However, they also hold their tune longer once they settle. Aquilas are the most forgiving in regard to bending a chord/note. We’ve all slid into a chord or note only to have it distort. I’ve also found them to be very resistant to chipping or notching. However, once chipped or notched, they need to be replaced (in my opinion… and that holds for every other string as well).
Martins (monofilament/fluorocarbon) have good, pure sound. These are slightly brighter in tone than an Aquila, but they do not have the same depth and richness. They settled more quickly than Aquilas. I also find they are a bit more elastic, but not in a good way. This causes chords/notes to bend with very little effort. For blues-based players, this might not be so bad. For the rest, it can sour a song. Martin are not the worst of the lot in this regard. I find these strings (and perhaps monofilaments in general) can notch rather quickly, especially when purposefully bending a note. My fingernails routinely chipped Martins. Once these strings chip, they break in rapid order.
Lagunas (monofilament) came equipped on one of my ukes, and I used them for several weeks. The stack up against Martins pretty well and in similar manners. They feel “thicker” than Martins. The tone was not as bright as Martin, but this did not enhance the low tones; thus fairly poorly against Aquilas. The settling was uneven, even after three weeks. Like Martins, these also chipped too easily and broke rapidly.
D’Addario (black nylon). I am not fond of these strings. They felt like cheap plastic. I thought the tone was far too high for a string (tried on both soprano and tenor). They settled unevenly and the G string never actually settled at all (this happened on both). Chords and notes would bend with hardly any effort (worse than monofilament, but nowhere near the atrocity that is Ghs). One song I like has a quick change from Em to Dm, and the Dm would distort regardless of my repeated efforts to improve the fingering, wrist position, and timing. Chipping, notching and breaking are all issues as well.
Ghs (nylon). Are these made for toys? Seriously, these feel more like bad fishing line than instrument strings. The most “plastic-y” of all the strings. I tried three sets and not a one every settled on two different ukes. Not only that, but I regularly had to re-tune after playing 2 or 3 songs. These strings do nothing but bend chords and notes. I stared at the strings too hard once and it bent the open chord (j/k, but barely). Chipping and notching were the same as D’Addario. Really, you can strum a chord and hear it go out of tune… and, no, the machine heads are not bad.
There you have it, and “it” goes to Aquila in my book. I will use Martins for back-up. Lagunas will suffice if Aquilas and Martins are absolutely impossible to come by. D’Addario and Ghs will never grace one of my ukuleles ever again. As far as price goes, I’ve seen the price of Aquilas come done to comparable levels as the rest. Sometimes a buck or two more, but worth every penny.
– Dag
I recently bought some Aquila gCEA strings for my Mahalo baritone uke – and neither the g or A strings seemed to want to come up to tune – and both subsequently snapped when they had almost reached their pitch. Has anyone else suffered this fate? The C and E strings seem as though they’ll settle down quickly and certainly sound much better than the factory fitted strings that have been on the instrument since I bought it, and which had started to fray and sound dead.
I think I’ve answered my own question – I left too much to wind around the tuning post! I followed the directions of another ukulele expert and (touch wood) I haven’t had the same problem with a second set!!
I have just started to learn the ukulele on my own. I have always wanted to play guitar but never felt the connection. My wife recently bought me a ukulele and from the first time I held it and strummed. Walla! I am in love. I search for best ukulele strings out in the world and found that the strings by Aquila are always best praised. I watched the video on your site here and see why these strings are so favored. I do not have the strings yet… but feel that I will not be disappointed. I will post back with results.
hiya,
i have a £25 manalo, i I restrung it with these strings, I was really careful to get them in the right places, i’ve tuned it and it sounds right but when i strum it sounds really wierd, like it’s all wrong. do they just need to ‘bed in’ or have i made a mistake somewhere?
also, could i have got the C string on a too high C? I’m using a digital tuner and no musical knowledge.
Thanks! great site; *love* all the Beirut stuff :o)
I’m not totally sold on the Aquilas. They definitely make a mid-range instrument (e.g. Lanakai) sound much better, but I find the A string lacking in punch. I suppose what I ought to do is try a hybrid approach a nylon A string (but NOT GHS, those are crap) and Aquilas on the rest.
@lucy blue
A cheaper instrument (and many older instruments) will probably not sound right when tuned with a tuner. It isn’t the strings, it is the intonation of the instrument itself. Rather than tune it using a tuner, try tuning it to itself. It won’t be perfect, but it will be closer.
Some say – you should be able to play it on a cigar box with rubberbands (skill over purchase power).
Mind you I’m the piano player but on my mid-level string instruments, I find the brand of strings does make a difference and the Nylagut strings sound better. Happy strummin to all.
I personally prefer Worth Browns on my Kala Acacia Tenor. Yes the Aquilas are louder, but they don’t have much tone on some frets, and a lot less sustain than Worth Browns. If you’re Uke is rather quiet and you more or less just strumm open chords, Aquilas will impress. But for picking and playing higher frets, the worth browns are A LOT more musical and better in my ears. On my KALA Acacia Tenor right now I only have the C and E string Aquila and the G and A are Worth Browns, but I might go totally back to Worths. I am sure it depends on the instrument, because on my Soprano Aquilas are better than Worth Browns.
All the best!
Michael
I found Aquila strings are perfect on my Soprano & Tenor Kamaka’s but, for my National concert I love the regular Hilo Concert strings. I do not like the sound the Aquila’s make on the National vintage steel concert Uke. IMHO!
Slap that Uke!
James
Brooklyn, NY
I just bought a concert size aNueNue papa II and it came with aquila strings. I bought this uke as an upgrade from a cheap Oscar Schmidt model I learned to play on, which has GHS strings.
Though I think the sound (especially the resonance) on the new uke is better, I am finding the aquila strings to be quite stiff and this makes the uke more difficult to play. I have to press down very hard to get a good sound!
I am wondering if this is just because the strings are new? It’s surprising as I thought a more expensive and higher quality uke would be easier to play… but so far it’s harder!
I would appreciate any help or suggestions.
I have switched out my hard to play Aquila strings for Martin fluorocarbon strings on my concert aNueNue and I’m so happy with these new strings!! They sounds awesome and they are much easier to play!! I’ve also had the action lowered a tad at the nut, which helps even more.
I would recommend the Martin fluorocarbon strings to anyone who isn’t loving the Aquilas!
As a birthday present I was given a les paul style mahalo ukulele, this was very different to the previous ukulele I had owned, this new ukulele had white strings that sounded amazing and felt amazing to play (I now realise they were already fitted with aquila strings). Months later I snapped one of the strings and was gutted because I didn’t have a clue where I would find these strings as I had no idea what they were called, after a bit of googling I finally found them. Picked them up off amazon for about £5. Don’t think I’ll ever use any other brand of strings they make the uke sound amazing and actually keep in tune.
Hey guys thanks for all you comments. I just had a question. I just put on a set of Aquila strings for the new Ukulele I got for Christmas. But they seem “floppy and sloppy” for lack of a better description. Maybe I’m just used to guitar string tension but it seems a bit over the top. I made sure to buy concert strings for my concert ukulele. Is this normal? Most of the youtube videos I’ve seen appear to have a much higher string tension. Please someone help a new Uker out. thanks
PJ, these strings do take a lot longer to settle than most, so that is probably what you are experiencing. I have a baritone, which, according to some, is not a real Uke. The Aquila company is probably in that camp because their baritone strings are subpar. The D string is always significantly louder and buzzier than the others. Aquila is great with their nylgut, but metal does not appear to be their area of expertise.
But the two nylgut strings on the baritone are very good even if they do take a long time to settle, so I can see how they’d be good on a nonmetal uke.
so, I just bought a soprano ukulele, and I read that its a good idea to buy a set of low-G strings, to play other chords, so I was looking at some Auila strings on Amazon.com, and this set looks promising, but I was wondering what “SLWG” means… O.o http://www.amazon.com/AQUILA-Ukulele-Strings-Soprano-Nylgut/dp/B005KGPL1C/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1343843989&sr=1-2&keywords=low+g+soprano+ukulele+strings this is the link to the strings I was looking at
I’m coming from the perspective of a mandolin player, so I’m used to high tension steel strings & have hard fingertips. I’ve got a relatively cheap Clearwater Tenor & having heard my wife’s uke with Aquilas I fitted a set on mine. The price wasn’t high ( I’m used to buying D’Addario mandolin strings ) the feel is great – very playable & the difference in the sound is stunning. I appreciate not everyone would have the same opinion, but I wouldn’t go back. To back this up I fitted a set to my daughters £20 soprano & the difference can only be compared to running a moped on methanol.
Much like other posters, I re-strung two Makala Dolphin beginner ukes with Aquilas when we started to learn to play, and they really were good – vast improvement over the supplied strings. I have subsequently fitted Aquilas on a concert scale banjo uke (now with the red non wound low G string!) and an old East German ‘Marma’ Formby lookalike banjo uke, as well as a Vintage electric soprano uke. A Lanikai flame maple soprano came with Aquilas fitted as standard. All these instrument/string combinations do very well indeed! Then, on my last birthday (59, since you ask!) I got a beautiful Barnes & Mullins spalt maple concert uke and replaced the supplied strings with Worth BM LG (brown, medium low G) strings, and they certainly sound and feel different to Aquilas, and the low G string rattles on occasion.
But, I will have to reserve judgement, as I have been suffering from a nerve problem in my left arm/hand, and wonder whether this has affected the way I have been learning to play the new scale size, and the jazz style which I aspire to. Anyhow, I had my nerve block injections yesterday, and I will persevere.
Can anyone propose a method of using Aquila white strings (of whatever ‘size’) on the concert uke, so as to tune it Low G? I don’t like the wound string, and I am not yet convinced by my wife’s red Low G. Thanks for any/all help!
They never wanted to settle out seemed like i was tuneing twice a day when not playing they never sounded as good as the nylons my uke came with and i was pissed
Looks like everyone buys a cheap $25 ukulele for their first. Well, yesterday I went to the music shop and bought a $140 KeAloha tenor ukulele already fitted with Aquila Nylgut strings; my first uke. They slip out of tune from time to time but the tone is warm and it sounds just plain awesome! They give out the perfect sound and makes any ukulele sound like a… ukulele! Even though they’re a bit more expensive than those regular strings, I definitely recommend the Aquila Nylgut strings.
Aquila Nylgut strings have a real quality but they are really hard on the fingers. I did try Worth mediums on my Kanilea to attempt to get more volume. Im now back to the Aquilas as I in fact lost volume with the Worths.I do however feel the Worths are more user friendly and would be my first choice on eg a Koaloha.
John
Hi, I have a set of new nylgut strings by Aquila and, despite the adhesive on the back says EBGD, the front has these four letters written in pen ABGT. Could you tell me what it means? The code is 21U.
And another set with only nylon strings (no wound), code 23U. Could it be that this is a reentrant set? They are marked AECG. I presume they’re a fifth higher than the regular EBGD, is that right? These have ABVK written in pen on them. Sorry but could not make the connection. Are these letterings in Italian? Thanks a lot. Bruno.
Re: Aquila red strings for low G tenor uke. The strings sound great but there is one problem for which I seek some advice. I have purchased two of these strings and they have broken almost immediately. And no, I did not over stretch them. I worked up toward the G in easy increments and slowly got the instrument into tune. Those strings are very stretchy and continuously require re-tuning. Both strings broke between the peg and the nut. The 1st I re-tied three times after it broke and it now seems to be holding its own. The other string is on a Kala resophonic and it did the same thing. What’s the deal with these? They say no warranty for breakage, but I am not overstressing the strings. Has any one had the same experience and with whom from Aquila can I get in touch to air my complaints? Thanks, Bill C.
Hello Notselrach- I had the EXACT problem with several of my ukes. I Love these low g strings and they kept breaking! I wrote to the company and got a flippant reply and am now trying to escalate to someone who will address the problem. I’ll keep you posted!
I bought red Aquila things, They sound beautiful when strummed but when I pick the strings they make a “hissing” sound constantly and it’s very audible, is anyone else finding this with theirs?
I just changed my white gut string on my soprano Lanakai uke to Aquila Red string with a low G. .. Floppy and sloppy, ringy and buzzy. These strings are so disappointing. It’s like they are tuned down a step and a half. The is no brightness or firm attack with these strings. I am wondering if the ”good reviews and improvement with sound that everyone is experiencing on their instruments are even about the Aquilas I have. Will not buy again. My friend with his uke collection and I played every uke he had and I was embarrassed by this set of strings.They were a total letdown. They simply will not cut it for any music I play. Time to move to another top name and keep looking.
I like to keep at least one uke in my arsenal tuned with a low G, but I absolutely hate the buzz you get from sliding your finger on a wound G. The red string fits the bill beautifully. However, that being said, I have just a couple of quick warnings for anyone considering the Aquila red low G.
First: It is considerably thicker than a standard or wound G. The nut HAS to be adjusted to get it in the proper position and to allow it to be tuned without breaking.
It took three strings on my Oscar Schmidt OU4 before I realized what was going on. After a quick trip to the local repair shop and a couple of seconds with a nut file, the action is correct, and the string plays as advertised.
Second: As with a new set of Aquilas there is a “stretch period” to these strings. When you first string it, you’ll get two strums before it goes out of tune. The next day, a quarter of a song. It takes a little more than a week for it to get to that sweet spot.
I just bought a Kala KA-T tenor the other day and i wanted a low G for it because i wanted to do some fingerstyle songs. I’ve been playing the acoustic and classical guitar for 8 years. I just bought a aquila red series low G from a renowned ukulele store in the philippines and when i got home i put them right on. i didn’t have any difficulty placing the strings because i’m used to replacing the stings of my classical guitar (the method is very similar). And jsut after a few minutes, *TING* i got so depressed because the store was very hard to go to and it cost me 300 pesos ($6.5). I’m never buying one again and i would settle for my aquila high G rather than spending that much again.
Yes–I used Aquila Uke strings for many years…then they invented the RED–SNAPPER..the very latest in string technology…Oh dear tune them up ….let them rest ..and then they snap at the nut….Not good for demonstrating.I switched to Ken Middletons made in the U.K..flouro Carbons. Once you use these strings for 10 times plus they settle down and hold pitch..tone and volume ..as they wear they get better. Same price as nylon snappers. But 100% reliable.
I have no idea whether Worth or Aquila strings sound better on soprano, but for unwound Low-G tenor I would not even consider using Aquila. Their strings are just too thick for me, and the sounds seem to “gruntle.” In addition, it is very difficult to find the thickness (gauge) of their strings on the net. Even their homepage is difficult to navigate. When you finally do find them, they are listed as “singles” and that is very confusing.
Personally, I use Worth brown and Fremont black. Worth gauges: 0.0224, 0.0291, 0.0319, 0.0358. Fremont gauges: 0.0230, 0.0270, 0.0310, 0.0360. So these two sets of strings are interchangeable. They produce mellow, snappy sound, so they perform well for playing chords and melody alike. I wouldn’t use any other strings on my tenors.
I have a Makala Dolphin Soprano, standard tuning. Which Aquila strings should I get? The SOPRANO REGULAR TUNING, key of C (all Nylgut® strings) GCEA ? PLEASE answers, I just got my first uke 4 days agp, total rookie.
ive never seen black nylon D addarios usually they are clear same as classical guitar strings and they are very good Jake Shimabukuro actually had a part in designing them and uses them so definetley worth a try
I play a Kala KA-C, their intro-level concert uke. I’m a former rhythm guitarist, been strumming with Jim Dunlop gray nylon .60mm picks forever (they were orange when I started playing) and since my classroom music and retirement home jobs require volume, I’m getting great results with the same pick on the uke. (Yes, I know that many uke players cross themselves & spit on the ground at the thought of playing uke with a pick; sue me.) Switched to low-G almost immediately, with Worth strings, thought I was set; this time, however, I went with the Aquila low-G set. The three white strings seemed tighter, and had a noticeably better sound, immediately. The bad news: I hadn’t realized that the low-G string would be wound, and when that wound string started to unravel after less than 3 hours of playing, I was underwhelmed, to say the least. My local music shop replaced the wound low-G with an Aquila red low-G; I think I’m in love. The whole set looks cool (red + 3 whites) and sounds great, to boot. Next time, I’ll try the Aquila red low-G set; I REALLY like the look & feel of the red! “Better red than dead”, one might say…anyone else tried the reds?
I decided to give classical guitar strings a shot (Augustine red series), but the sound transition between the metal strings and the nylon was too jarring. What worked really well was using the Aquila Red C string in place of the Augustine G string. Plays like a dream now!
I like Living Water strings. they simply sound better, play better, and improve everything i have put them on. This is totally subjective and i have no connection with the manufacturer. i have them on an 8 string and a 4 with both sorts of G. The 8 is superb with them on, and the low G does not touch the high G in the pair as happened with other strings.
For strings (and other things) you usually get what you pay for! The difficulty in comparing strings from a brand to another is that you really need to have two identical instruments, each with a string set, so you can really compare the sound. But, because there is no such thing as two “identical” ukes the comparison may not be completely objective. Bottomline: try them out, and decide what you like best! Anything is better than the cheap strings you get on most brand new ukes.
Savarez strings are also worth trying.
Update: I recently installed a set of D’Addario Nyltech strings, the web site says the strings were developed along with Aquila. The strings have a slightly shiny finish in the pack, which made me a bit worried, I don’t like slippery shiny strings! But once installed and stretched, the surface turns matte like the Aquila. I have Aquila on another uke, so I can do a bit of comparison, but the Nyltech are very punchy and have lots of sustain. They also took a lot less time to settle than the Aquila, after 1 day the uke stayed in tune. I am a D’Addario fan for guitar strings, looks like the uke strings are now part of the family!
I would just like to agree with the positive comments regarding Living Water Strings. Ken himself has been of great help with advice on string tension, and with his help my tenor uke which was consigned to being a wall decoration is now my favourite past time. I had fitted Aquilas and assumed that if these did not produce results then the instrument was to blame, but after meeting Ken and fitting his high tension strings, my tenor sang! Even my wife was impressed with my prowess!!
Give them a try and I don’t think you will regret it.
Hi. Im totally new with ukalele. I’ll buy Lanikai LU-21C concerto ukulele. But what Aquila strings should I buy?
I have used Aquilas Low G and it kept breaking. I did follow the instructions on You tube. I have 9 ukuleles and all are strung with low g. Aquilas on c.e.a and Worth brown Low G on g strings. Sound good. Can Aquila come up with some solutions. Love the sound Aquilas Low G but it can also send me broke.
Aquila Low G Red (88U) works very well on our Tanglewood TU-4. Yes, there can be problems with getting them up to tension, with the E & A tending to snap when approaching concert pitch.
But ours always broke at the bridge, next to the knot. Think the internals of the bridge may have a sharp edge? Either way, we tried wrapping the Aquila string with a few turns of heavy linen thread, then knotting the thread next to the knot in the string.
This was intended to provide a soft ‘washer’ that protected the delicate string material, and it seems to have worked well. No more problems ten days later…!
…and my wife prefers the tone of these Red strings to all others so far. They sound good to us, and to others. I particularly like playing on them, since they also feel good to me.
PS…
Definitely prefer these 88U Red strings to the standard NylGut and the 107U Super Nylgut Low G set.
After being an “Aquila only” dude I was unhappy with the way my KoAloha was sounding and in desperation I decided to give Worth strings a go.
They arrived – all nice and brown which matched my KoAloha beautifully AND – goodness gracious! the length of them equals TWO SETS!!! For the price of one. I am impressed straight off. Then I put them on and it took around a week and a half for them to settle in and stabalise. Now, let me be dogmatic about this: they are fantastic!!! They ring so nicely and true to what a KoAloha should sound like. Not to mince words – they are great! I am now a “Worth man”. If you don’t believe me, try them yourself; you won’t be unhappy!
Jay
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