Guitarlele String comparison- Aquila Guilele Red Series 153c review 

Thank you for taking the time to do this comparison!

Thanks for this review. The Aquillas did sound a hair brighter to me, but not significantly. Secondly, Strings by Mail should have replaced your strings since it was obviously a defective string and not the result of weeks or months of play. In that those strings are notorious for breaking, and not labeled, tells me that the quality and attention to detail is poor. Having said that, I cannot recommend other strings as my Yamaha guitarlele is tuned A-A. Disclaimer: If your guitarlele is poorly built, and doesn't have a truss rod, put on silk and steel strings at your own risk. But..... As soon as I got my Yamaha GL-1 guitarlele I put a light set of silk and steel strings on it. Been using those for 2 years, absolutely zero issues tuned A-A. Never tuned it E-E, but that would be even less string tension of course. People will tell you that you cannot use steel strings on a guitarlele, but you can if the guitarlele is well built...... the Yamaha is a tank. First of all, the short scale length results in quite a bit less tension than that of a regular scale length guitar. Secondly, the silk and steel strings don't produce much more tension that a set of classical strings on a conventional scale length guitar. And, the Yamaha doesn't even have a truss rod, the Carmel does. I'm considering buying the Carmel for the 20" scale length, and before making a single note on it, I will put on some silk and steel strings..... With the Yamaha, the silk and steel strings allowed me to lower the action quite a bit, it's a pleasure to play, albeit a little crowded up the neck. $0.02.

I have the Yamaha guitalele and I use the pro art' D'addrio strings , ej46 hard tension and I'm able to go down to F tuning but any lower than that and the instrument won't hold a tune but the Yamaha guitalele is a 17 inch scale, I think the strings will work great on my Carmel when it comes and all write back because I enjoy your videos and we all have to sort out this string situation but if sounds great with the pro Arte ej46 in F tuning

I preferred the Aquila strings for sound but as you said there is still some buzzing at times. When I took delivery of my Caramel Guitarlele I replaced the stock strings with a set of ‘Requinto’ strings , tuned ‘A to A’, I find them much better to play and superior sound.

aquila has come up with their own micro guitar - they stress that it isn't a guilele since it's tuned to guitar tuning - it uses the red series strings and the demos sound awesome - of course they optimized the scale length for that string so it does have an advantage, would love to hear you compare - it's surprisingly affordable - 127 Euros

The Aquila Ambra 800 set works well for me on my Yamaha GL1 in A to a tuning. They sound lovely with a dropped G too. That's how I'm playing with it right now. There's an article on Southern Ukulele Store's website about guitalele strings and that's where I read about them. I went through a lot of different strings before settling on these. Here's the review for them that I can heartily endorse. Aquila Ambra 800 82C Nylgut Classical Guitar Strings - RRP £15.99 I dare you to find out more about these strings than I have. I was recommended these strings as a great AECGDA set by both a supplier and a customer that plays one of Kala's new guitaleles. I think they are basically the guitar version of the Aquila Nylgut ukulele strings. They are technically a guitar string aimed for period guitar players that play a lot of 'romantic' music and want a string that sounds like gut without getting intimate with cattle! These strings can be comfortably used in most tunings above standard guitar tuning, even in F which proved to be the lowest tuning I could comfortably live with. Pros: Everything - they feel nice and they are a good tight gauge so they are loud and responsive to a strummer and a picker. Cons: They are white and could be basically a heavier gauge of Aquila Guitalele strings in a different pack.

You might also want to check out the Pepe Romero Baritone Guilele Fluorocarbon Strings UG2. They're specifically made for this scale length, and with a name as fancy as Pepe Romero they have to be good strings.

Another great job. Thank you.

The reds are recommended for 17in scale instruments/tenor size. Your Guitalele I believe is bigger. Though the reds are recommended for low E to e tuning, they’re recommended for it on a 17in tenor length. If they are being put to a longer neck length that’s probably why the one broke.

Hi I know I am coming to the party here very late, years late as a matter of fact. I am a newbie Ukulele guy playing for only a month. Before that I tried guitar for 6 weeks. I just discovered the Guitalele a week ago and it has really gained in popularity quite a bit since this video was made. One main thing I have noticed is that all recent RU-vid videos and info out there only mentions the strings tuned to a standard of A,E, C,G,D,A. Or listed as normal Ukulele tuning on the 1st 4 strings with 2 extras strings, the D for the 5th string and an A for the 6th string. So as far as I am aware its not recommended to play it in guitar tuning at all but in regular Ukulele tuning for strings 1-4 and A and D for strings 5 & 6. Tomorrow I will be getting my hands on the Yamaha GL-1 Guitalele and can’t wait to try it out.

Hello, I think the strings are not be adapted to your guitalele, that’s why they can break! The Aquila Guilele Red Series 153c Strings set is specifically designed for the Guilele that has a scale length of about 17 inches or 420-432 mm. Your guitalele, like my Cordoba Mini, is not really a guitalele but rather a mini guitar… It has a scale length of 20 inches (510 mm). On my Cordoba Mini I like fitting Aquila 96C designed for 17 inches guitalele, but instead of A I tune it to F#. More and the little string will break. I kwow, I tried it…😁) I like the feel and sound of those Nylgut strings, but it looks like they break more easily if you put too much tension on them… By the way, I really like F# tuning! A is too high for me, and E too low for those little guitars…

Nice Jodi, like the reds think there brighter.......Very interesting.......

GirlMeetsUke You may wanna consider getting Classical Guitar bridge beads for easier restring so you could turn them into Ball End Strings.

Great review. I own the same solid acacia baritone Caramel Guitalele. I am disappointed in the tone and volume too. I own a tenor solid acacia Caramel uke which I love and expected the same. I tried different strings and settled on classical guitar strings for 1/2 size guitar. It is better but not a stunning improvement. The reds definitely improve the sound on yours but I agree with your assessment. I have tuned it ADGCEA And EADGBA and have been disappointed with both. Since it has a truss rod, I am going to try light steel strings on it next. I have another laminate acacia guitalele that has much better tone. I only tune it to ADGCEA. This guitalele is based on a shorter tenor uke scale. The sound is quite crisp and nice for a laminate uke. I thought the Caramel would have better tone with the solid top. I dont know if it is the x bracing of this little guitalele makes this a better uke or that the Caramel doesnt have the right strings and wrong bracing. I expected so much more from the Caramel guitalele.

Thanks for the sound comparison! The Aquilas are a definite improvement over the stock strings, but it wouldn't take much to improve upon those ;) This may sound odd, but the Aquilas sound like they are more comfortable to play than the stock strings. I can practically feel the flop of the stock strings when I listen. While an improvement, the Aquilas still sound a little muddy and I picked up some buzz too. However, I have noticed that guitaleles seem to buzz more than ukes in general from listening to sound samples of other models - even the KoAloha that Terry Carter plays in his guitalele videos buzzes sometimes. So, maybe it has something to do with that? Or, maybe the muddiness is due to the construction of the guitalele itself? Just speculation though - I don't even own a guitalele, so don't put too much stock in my ramblings! ;)

Maybe I’m the only one here... so apologies. I kind of wanted to love Guitarleles, but I just can’t hehe.... That’s no reflection on the research you are doing Jodi. I’m still watching the vids, so it ain’t ALL bad! The Guitarlele may be classed as a relative of the Uke, ....but then so is a piano haha! Variety may be the spice of life, but personally I can’t wait till you get back to ukulele-ukuleles! Before anyone says it... yes... “each to their own.” Thanks again for all your efforts Jodi, we all appreciate it.

I cheated and didn't wear headphones.. Obvious difference anyway, the new ones sound and look like they're not flopping around. I'm not found of the red colour either. Thanks for sharing, a lot of people are interested in tuning guitarleles like classical guitars indeed.

GirlMeetsUke They even make a string set that has a Wound 3rd String like an Acoustic Guitar that's the 187C string set

The Aquila string definitely have a "tighter" sound when picking but I think they are a little muddier or muffled when strummed.

I just bought a Yamaha G1 ,and I don't much care for the strings on there I also bought some aquila 153c red strings ,but haven't put them on yet ,still experimenting!

I thought the "reds" had a crisper sound and the strumming sounded a bit better. I've been on the hunt for a guitalele and your video reviews have been a huge help. I wonder if you can find a better set of strings or maybe try ADGCEA? Thank you for sharing, I really enjoy your playing.

8:43 The Wound Strings are Stranded Nylon Wound in Red Metal.

Thank you Jody for the demo. They both sound a bit subdued... have you compared this guitarelle to GL1 and Ibanez model?

Hi there! What a beautiful sound! What chords are you playing, if I may ask?

Well, the Aquila strings certainly sound like an improvement from the stock strings...Warm sound but kind of mute or muffled? the color is cool....LOL I wrote first part of this comment before hearing your commentary at the end of that sample. OH and I enjoyed the playing too :-)

Thank you

Turns out the stock strings were meant to be tuned to A Standard (a Fourth above a Normal Guitar).

I think the reds sound warmer, but perhaps a bit muddier. I have had the same problem with red strings. I popped the A string on a tenor ukulele within the first 12 hours of bringing it to pitch. I won’t get them again. Maybe you should try high tension classical guitar strings?

Ahoy! I got an Ibanez Piccolo guitar and I would love to tune it in E standard. I know this doesn't really work with the original strings but I couldn't find steel strings that would work yet. I tried these Aquila Red Strings but the tension is still too low and usually the Ibanez is used with actual steel strings. Can anybody recommend me which ones would work on it since it's a 17 inch. Thanks a lot!

Hola qué Marca de guitalele usas eso también cuenta mucho

Hannabach 815 super high tension are what I will try on my Noah guitalele to tune like guitar.

Gracias very much

Aguila Red, Stock a close 2nd.

I prefer the Aquila, they sound softer and warmer..

Definitely the stock strings were more buzzy than the Aquila strings. The Aquila’s low, wrapped strings are less sharp (not as in sharp vs. flat, but more in terms of cutting through) than the stock ones to my ear. I wonder if the bit of residual buzzing after switching to Aquilas is due to the action being too low & a sounded string vibrating into a fret? The Caramel does have a truss rod, right? Maybe the neck could be adjusted?

And the E string of my pack did the same thing!

With the the 20" scale of the Caramels try the Hannabach 1/4 scale kids sting set on SBM. $14 but scaled for the size of the string length. I have the Zebrawood version and it has the same problem, floppy strings.

Stock strings much brighter. Reds more "loose" guitar sound, like floppy strings.

The Aquila strings especially the high e sound too warm. Still, I suppose they’ll do, especially for practicing. They did seem to buzz a bit and not like being quickly strummed. DADGAD tuning?

I agree

♥GirlMeetsUke

Good day! Can you please tell me which strings are better to put under Low-G tuning on a tenor ukulele (electro acoustics) from the AQUILA RED or Sugar series? I want it to be close to the guitar sound.

I think your stock set is a set of high E strings designed to tune a octave higher then standard guitar E-tuning.

I want to know if the calculation of E-Tune's বেগপ is like a big guitar or it changes.

The ſtandard ſtrings ſound better, are moꝛe balanced, and are louder. The Red ſtrings haue a tighter baſſe but not moꝛe volume except foꝛ in the trebele thꝛowing off the balance of regiſters. Neither are a ſolution. I would think thickeer ſteel ſtrings would be the way to go if the guitalele can hold the tenſion of the thicker ſtrings.

I bought this guitalele. Yep. Strings suck that come on it. I’m not sold on the reds though. I didn’t like the dry feeling of them. I’m a classical guitarist and I guess I’m used to diff strings. I’m gonna keep experimenting w the strings. I have a Córdoba Mini CE (reds sound great on it) and also bought a Glass House tenor guitalele - has to be in A tuning, and I don’t think reds are gonna work for it. Needs a thicker string to complement the thick sound. Incidentally, I’m from Dayton, Ohio as well. Lived in Cinci for years before moving to Omaha for work. Nice to see another Ohioan.

For now I am dabbling in guitar with my grandsons 1/2 size guitar Yamaha. Neck is same width as guitarlele. Not sure what I will purchase. Parlor travel or crossover or guitarlele. My hands are small.

hello I purchased a guitalele what book do you recommend me buying for beginners?

Would not touch Aquila Red. Notorious for breaking even when initial tuning

Anyone tried these on the Yamaha G1, Just got mine yesterday, I’m a very low average ukulele player that wanted to try the 6string in its small form as I have a wrist/shoulder problem that prevents me from using a full size. I will say the stick strings on the G1 are also poor, lots of buzzing. I do have Aquila on all my Ukes as there just the best imo. I was intending to keep my G1 in standard ADGCEA tuning, but this video has got me interested. Any tips what to do , try?? Thanks

could I use these if my guitarlele doesn't have a truss rod

The Aquila Reds are Red.

This comparison is not very useful as the sound difference is caused mainly by differences in microphone distance and positioning respect with the sound source.. If you want to do a fair comparison you need to take measures and make sure everything is as similar as possible..