Alex and Mark - what do the sugar strings feel like to play? I have a solid mahogany Kala tenor and fingerpick a lot - and I have some issues with pain/loss of strength in my hands and fingers: would you recommend these strings?
I've had a set of Reds on my uke for about 6 years now (looking to finally make a change.) I'm not a daily player so I haven't had any problems with them and I've loved them for this whole time. I can understand not everyone being into them but for me the Reds are awesome. Thanks for this review, gonna give the lavas a try (but I'm buying some reds as a backup!)
Hi Alex, I phoned in 2015 about getting DGBE(D) and you sent me quila 93U Piccolo strings for a Sopranino 🙂 I bought some other strings from you since. Good to see you and thanks so much for that initial help. Much appreciated.
Thank you so much for doing this! I’ve been playing ukulele for 12 years and have been having a hell of a time navigating the Aquila string monopoly. I’m fluorocarbon player and most of my local music stores sell nothing but Aquila. Now, if I can just get them to stock soprano strings.
Thank you! Excellent tutorial. The most comprehensive and honest one I’ve found yet. Just ordered a set of Super Nylgut AQ-107 to replace a stock set of D’addarios that came with my Maui Ukulele Co. TK-100 tenor. I actually bought two ukes, one for Maui and one for my other home on the mainland in NorCal. The Norcal uke (slight upgrade over the TK-100) came with Aqulas which I much prefer to the D’addarios with two black and two wound strings. Your great video really helped to inform my choice. There are a lot of choices out there and it seems like a lot of shop reps don’t know a lot about all those strings.
Very helpful! I’m new to ukulele and have not got a clue about strings. Have Aquila on currently so was just looking to top up knowledge for when strings need changing. Bit if a mine field but you have completely cleared that up.
Another great video that I really needed. I loved the red strings on my daughter's baritone. 1st string snapped after months (9-10) and while messing around with tuning. And I thought they were mellow.
Thanks so much for the wonderful explanation of the differences between the different Aquilas! I found several I want to try based on your information!
Hi there, many thanks for the hind regarding the Aquila sugar strings 152U GCEA for a concert Uku. Originaly standard Nylgut was on it. Now it sound realy brilliant without any sharpness. Improved my cheap Uku really dramaticly....
Thank You. Very thorough review. The sugars have been fixed, so there is no more sqeek from them. My first ukulele was a 14 £ Thomann, just to try a ukulele and it sounded like a cigarbox with rubberbands. I was using Aquila strings on my romantic guitars, so I tried a set of Lavas on the ukulele and the cheap ukulele suddenly sounded like a musical instrument. So much so, that I now own 6 ukuleles, all with Aquila strings. The 14 £'er has been moved on ;-)
I used the reds low G when I was gigging and they were lucky to last 3 gigs, never buy again, no confidence in them whatsoever, great explanation of Aquila Strings and as for the rest of the brand, I find them fantastic particularly on laminates
Thanks for this - I've just picked up an 8 string tenor timbridge tiki ukulele for something different and i'm still trying to figure out which strings to put on it but this has given me a good starting point!
Thanks for this video. I personally didn't get on with the aquila strings that came with my tenor, and I didn't realise the range aquila had so I kind of wrote them off as a brand for me. I have just ordered three sets of strings mentioned in this video, they all sound right up my street.
"I'm not the most expressive player in the world" ??? No sir, on the contrary, you certainly are ... I love the way you play. And the fact of being a left handed guy who plays ukes set up fpr righters .... Oh oh it might be part of the secret: where a righter would simply make a string descending arpeggio using (inevitably) a rude bulky thumb you would instead caress it upwards with your other fingers, which are softer and four. That's heavenly to the ear and the soul, believe me . I am actually fancying about stringying myself a leftist concerto uke just in order to mimick your upside down sweet technique. Bravissimo.
I have fluorocarbon strings on all of my ukes and I gotta say they are a lot warmer sounding to me. I cut the Aquila strings off immediately and it was a good choice.
Thanks Alex. Very interesting. There was another Mimo development in the pipeline for the red low G and D Baritone Strings. I read somewhere that this was to happen last September. I follow the forums, and have not heard if these strings have reached the market yet ?
japoofry I remember this actually... I haven’t seen anything set specific change although more and more of the Low G sets are featuring sound low G strings with a red stain.
Ooh. THe Sugar strings sound like something I might want to try. Learning about hard strumming, mellow sounds, etc. was very good to know! I have been trying to find what strings I might want to use, this is very nice to learn! I feel like if you ever redo the old string video about all the other brands, this information should be super prominent! Thank you for sharing both of these videos though!
It is Àquila, with accent on the A ( I’m italian 😉) and you also want to pronounce the U, so you will have three accents; on the first a, the i and last a Love your videos, you’re helping a lot over here 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 P.S. Just got a Kala tenor, I loooove a warm mellow sound, wich ones would you suggest? Thanx a lot!!
Southern Ukulele Store thanx a lot!! I actually got a Living water set of strings and put them on.... but I don’t like them, as the sound in general is kind of “close” I am still trying to define my preferences and I think I sure want a worm sound, but it also has to be quiet opened and clear. Use to have the Aquila red series and I am crazy about their sound, I changed them cause was having issues playing the tenor and thought it was for the strings, so I am trying different ones. Turned out I just have to get the muscles used to a bigger uke size🙇🏻♀️ Just ordered Aquila AG, I also want to try the Sugar ones, but the Red series sound still run in my head😂😂😂
Thanks, Alex! I'm generally a FC guy and concur about the Nylguts. A bit meh. Also, the reds did snap on me. Still, I admire what Mimmo does and use his strings if they work for me. I have the sugars on a concert with a cedar top that gets a lot of play at jams. They can take a lot of heavy play and sound great. I put a set of the Martin/carbons on a cheap Makala and it sounds fantastic; punches way above its weight. The next time I change strings on my Martin I may give the sugars a try.
I love the sugar strings, on my concert right now. I have red on a sporano. The red feel mushy (maybe soft?) and less volume. I switched another soprano to Martin FC and like them. But not as much as the sugar. Only wish the low G sugar was not wound (squeaky!)
Tom Moser - a bit expensive, but have you tried the Fremont Soloist low G string? They last for ages and have absolutely no squeak and do not boom and overwhelm the other strings - before this I used a classical guitar 4th string like Augustine's - but they do squeak and boom a bit. I'm thinking of trying the sugar strings on my Kala solid mahogany tenor though - didn't like the Reds at all - they break and sound really raspy IMO>
The good thing with Aquila strings, is that one cannot loose. They deliver good sound on any uke. Just my personal opinion. I own and play on 24 different ukes. Those I like the best, have Aquila strings of course 😀
I got an Enya Nova U Acoustic+ for my first ukulele and it came with clear strings, the spares just say Enya E6S on them, but I’m guessing they’re Fluorocarbon because they are easy enough to press down on. Edit: Yeah it looks like they are fluorocarbon which I’m fine with.
Wonderful review of Aquila Strings. I will try out the Aquila Sugar strings next. Also, what is the difference between the "Aquila Sugar" and the fluorocarbon "Living Water Strings" - especially for a high g? Which do you like personally and why? Thanks.
Personally not a fan of Ken’s living water strings... we get customers bringing instruments in for set ups after fitting them because the balance of the set is a bit off, especially Tenors and Baritones. Plenty of people like them but our experiences with them haven’t been excellent. The Aquila’s have a lot of projection without being as thick as other Fluorocarbon strings. The slight squeak until your oils on your fingers calm the string down are a bit annoying but they are a fine choice. I also recommend Daddario EJ99’s and the Martin Fluorocarbon strings 👍
I am looking for strings to try on my Kanile'a KCST Premium Gloss Tenor Ukulele. At the moment it has Aquila Super Nylgut that came on the uke. Do you sell Aquila Sugar Tenor strings, D'Addario EJ99, Martin Fluorocarbon Strings, and Aquila Super Nylgut high g tenor strings? I can only find the Aquila Sugar and the Aquila Super Nylgut on your website? Would these be the best for my Kanile'a uke or are there other alternatives?
Out of stock of ej99t’s and Martins at the moment. Daddario is due next week and Martin before the end of the month. I would definitely go for clear fluorocarbon next if you are experimenting
Thanks @@SouthernUkuleleStore for your clear, friendly, and informative reply. You're the best! I wish you lived closer, so that I could visit. I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I really enjoy your reviews and Q&A's. Sincerely, Nick
Here’s my guess on pronunciation: “Aquila” happens to contain a common Spanish word, “aqui” which is pronounced “ah-KEE.” I have no idea if the proper noun has anything to do with the adverb, but because of the spelling similarity I’d pronounce it “Ah-KEE-la.” (I recognize Aquila is an Italian company, so a Spanish sound to the word might be totally wrong. But as I said, that’s my guess. )
I have the red series on mine and I’ve made them last for so long, the only reason I’ve come across this video is because I was hoping to buy the lava series because I’ve had my red series on for a year and a half :P I’ve also found that the red series has a very bright and happy sound
What kind of ukulele do you have? My daughter's baritone is what I would call mellow with these. I loved it and the high string snapped after 9-10 months ONLY because I was messing with the tuning. I'll definitely get them again.
Worth, uke logic or Fremont are the common options. I've featured the Worth ones in a video all about Worth strings and a video that just does various low Gs.
Hello Alex from Toronto, Canada, watch all of your reviews. Today I upgraded my Epiphone concert Les Paul uke for a Magic Fluke soprano Flea. I like it a lot but feel that the strings don't have that Hawaiian sound that I am seeking. I put Aquilla Reds on the Les Paul and really liked them. What do you suggest for a guiet senior player looking for an authentic Hawaiian sound. P.S. colour wise I would prefer a dark string as I don't like the white strings that the Flea came with. Thanks from Toronto Canada. Merri-jane
Hi Merri-Jane, lovely to hear from you and to know you are watching and enjoying the videos. Il be honest with you - strings are only going to do so much to move you tonally towards a Hawaiian sound. Fleas/Flukes are great but a composite back and sides instrument has a distinctly different sound to Koa or Acacia... Your current strings are likely the white D'addario Nyltech strings and they are somewhere in the middle, a bit plastic sounding and a bit brittle on those Ukes. I would try either a dark fluorocarbon string next like Worth browns or Fremont Blackline and if you find that it's still not warm and mellow enough - try either some Kamaka strings or Daddario pro arte black nylon strings (I talk about them in the video). I hope that helps, stay safe and well over there and if you have other questions, you know where to find me! Alex
Great video, thank you so much. I use Aquila Sugar strings for my concert ukulele. I am thinking about new strings but right now I start to wonder should I buy Aquila Sugar or something new and better. If so what should I buy? I also have tenor ukulele and I am thinking about string set with low G. But I really don't know what to choose.
For your concert; if you like the Sugars try a set of Martin M600 next time as they are a similar string but about 100 times more popular. For a Low G Tenor set I would say you have so much choice just pick one and go for it! 🙂
Hi Alex, thanks for this video, it's really interesting ! I'm a newbie in the ukulele world. I have a tenor (with 43 cm diapason), and I'm looking for very light tension strings. Do you have any recommandation ?
I have a Luna Sahara. It has a solid spruce board. I was thinking the New NG string but I would like to know if anyone else has a spruce top and I using one of the strings
Right. Well, I'm still confused. This is my situation. I'm a beginner when it comes to ukuleles. However, I have been playing stringed instruments (guitar, bass, mandolin, etc.) for a great many years (30 plus) and I'm currently building a cigar box baritone ukulele (20 inch scale length) that I intend to tune to DGBE. I got a pack of Aquila new nylgut strings and there are 2 wound strings in the pack and 2 nylgut strings.... which are which? I got them from someone else and not a shop and after watching your string videos I'm beginning to think that they aren't a matched set. If you could recommend a set of good strings that won't take forever to stretch, preferably with that nylon or nylgut feel for all 4 strings- the Lavas perhaps- that would be fantastic. Cheers!
They sound like a matched set to me. Think of a baritone set as being the middle 4 strings of a classical guitar pack... your two wound strings are your Low D and G. Hope that helps? I can't recommend an entirely unwound nylon or nylgut set but you could try Worth CB or Worth BB for the closest alternative.
The theory of having two wound strings and two unwound would still apply. I'm not sure how much further I can assist with this. If you don't trust the set you have been given then don't use them 💁♂️
Amazing. Bought the red ones 10 months ago, and they have just snapped, thats why i came to this video jajajaj. Thank you sir! From Argentina, understand you half of what you say and i was waiting for a table or something write with the summary of the diferences between them, but thank you anyway! All the info that i was looking for
I've always enjoyed your videos but I do have a question I recently bought a beautiful new kala acacia tenor ukulele and it had some form of Aquila strings on it. It was my understanding that these strings were super nylgut however they felt so much lighter than that. When I tried to restring the instrument with my usual fluorocarbons which are 22-20 a very light gauge however I hear that the pool tension of fluorocarbons is actually heavier then say something like super nylgut where the strings actually have a bigger diameter??? This kind of confused me a little so I was wondering if you might be able to give me a little insight on that? It would be much appreciated...
I'd love to help. This thickness of the string does not always translate to the pounds of pressure and because nylgut is a different material to fluorocarbon it has a little bit more elasticity which comes across when you first the string and the string melds and bends around your finger like nylon. Put another way, Fluorocarbon has very little stretch in it so it is possible to have the strings tightened up to pitch without necessarily having such a thick string... Worth are the best example because they produce various different Fluorocarbon strings with different diameters and different tensions.
@@SouthernUkuleleStore thank you for the answer I truly do appreciate it and I very much apologize for the autocorrects which made my question almost illegible, lol. I did my best to correct them 😬
Thanks for the video, very helpful. I have Super Nylgut on my Kala Resonator, loving the sound so far but have nothing to compare it with - what would your suggestions be please? Would like to experiment with a low G set so long as the G is not wound, so was wondering about Worth Browns...
I find resonators rarely benefit from good quality strings. String tension is the most important factor as your tone is coming from the cone. When I had a Beltona I used Worth CF Clear fat strings or cheap nylon strings... Aquila’s are fine but a bit lifeless on a Resonator cone. Good luck!
Aquila Red... Mellower??? :) Nope. Those are so BRIGHT, they sound like metallic strings because they partly are, it's a copper and plastic mixture, which is probably also why they are more likely to snap - plastic and metal doesn't bond well together. They can be played much quieter but still sounding clear compared to Nylgut which only sounds right above certain volume. I also feel they are softer, easier to press, more "tangly" when you get your finger into them, with much less resistance. Almost rubbery. I think your description of "mellow" means in fact "less loud when banging", which is another reason why they probably snap for some people so often - to get more volume, you have to strech them more because they have less resistance, thus store less energy, thus also vibrate with higher harmonics, thus sounding brighter, but they simply won't provide the same volume unless you strech them to hell. But I still love them because I play at night in my living room while neighbours are sleeping and those work so nice for that. As for the rest of them - I couldn't tell you what Aquila string you were playing (except for the Red), but I could probably tell them apart when comparing, especially the Super Nylgut sounds even more plasticky to me than the rest.
Ukes with alex Low G sounds great on Mango ukes and Ponos. Koolau Alohi strings are the best option with a wound 3rd included... Once again that is a good fit for Ponos and is how they used to come strung until about 2019.
could you help me I had a big problem with the red g string low g, they wear very fast and when I play the 3rd fret always sounds when it is with an amplifier and sounds very ugly, I would like to know what you recommend me that is not coated, please. Greetings from Peru
Hello! I have. Kala Super Tenor and my strings have very high tension on them. It came with carbon strings on it and a low wound G string. But since i began changing my strings I often break my A string. What do you recommend I do? I have been told to try Baritone GCEA strings .... Di you have a recommendation?
good video .i noticed in the string comparison videos you dont mention the wound c or that many players have issues with the c string most common on soprano having a dead or thud sound higher up the fret board .i have seen players use a wound c string it solves this problem but not sure if there is another option??? a non wound string that improves the c on many ukes .??this seems to be a well known issue but i dont see string companies adress it its very important should not be over looked .maybe in the u.k you dont mind but in usa this problem is talked about alot.thank you
patrick kerns I wasn’t aware people were having problems with wound C’s on Sopranos - I don’t know of anyone using a wound C on a soprano so it’s never come up. The only strings we have sold with wound 3rds are the Ko’olau strings and they only offer the wound C strings on Tenor sizes. I’m not surprised it doesn’t work on smaller scales, the aluminium winding gives off a very brittle sound and lots of vibration which on a smaller scale would mean having to have a higher action. I didn’t know KoAloha offer this and I am surprised considering that they only use unwound Worth strings on the instruments that leave both their Thailand and Hawaiian facilities. If I get the opportunity to try them I will 👍 thanks for the info.
thanks yea there is a guy on here vic he talks about it and he ordered thomas enfield wound c .the plays 7th fret christsmas time is here you can here much difference in the c string it sustains much longer not a dead tone that you sometimes hear .since he brought this up i hae noticed it on some ukes 7th fret c string is little dead .i think the enfield string was a mandolin or violin string but you can hear a noticeable difference . he used a koaloha long neck soprano i think it was i will post the link here you can check it out see if you notice it@@SouthernUkuleleStore
i sent you the link it is the 9th fret c string he demosstrates ion a opio long neck ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N8iM3QmKmHw.html@@SouthernUkuleleStore
Hi Andy, this ukulele reminds me of the Kala KA-T and the Laka VUT40... Laminate Ukuleles tend to be pretty good with Aquilas fitted as I hint throughout the video. If you want to try something different then I recommend either a set of Worth Browns BT's or any clear fluorocarbon tenor string like Martin M620, D'addario EJ99t etc Thanks for watching
@@SouthernUkuleleStore brilliant! I'll swap my Aquilas out for some Supers or Sugars I think in a few months - this uke was new at Christmas. If I carry on progressing, I'll be saving up for my next level (I'm on my second after 1 year of playing) ukulele. When I do, I can see a road trip down to you guys on the cards...👍
I've just answered this on another video. If you want low G with an unwound G try Worth CT-LG or wound strings test the waters with just a single string either an Aquila 16U or Fremont Soloist. I use Ukes With Alex strings on my Kanile'a signature model. I honestly believe it's the best set for a Kanile'a as it has a good tension but sounds sweet
So if we are getting a Full setup should we get it with some other strings so it's not as easy to set up? Especially if we are not going to use Aquila? I had a KA-C set up by Mim but when I changed the strings it buzzes I put D'addario Titanium on it.
There is no right answer there... every Uke is different and if you are going to try different strings - you may need to readjust the set up each time. I guess the best way to guess is look at string gauges and try to use thinner strings as your initial setup because it is easier to widen the nut for a thicker string later on
Ernie Ball are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. Not many people have given feedback about them because they only came out on March. There is a video on the channel where I play and compare them to some fluorocarbon strings you might want to check out?
Just replied to this comment on another video. In addition to the Fremont Hard Blackline strings I recommended on the last comment you left; you should have a look at the Worth website which lists all of the tensions and diameters of their strings. I can’t remember exactly which set is thin and hard (maybe CH or CD) but the tension is very good.
I find them too thick, soft, and poor for finger style playing. Still have newgut on my Soprano, however, no sustain when you move up the neck so only good for first position strumming. I have the Lava on my Baritone but still too dull. All my Ukes are Mahogany wood sub $300 ukes. Trying Martin fluro on my Tenor at the moment, first string up they were very stretchy. I hadn't heard of the Sugar so might give them a go.
No, the Concert and Tenor scales take slightly different gauge strings. The Concert strings may work but they will be quite tight and more prone to snapping - it’s definitely easier just to buy Tenor strings.
I really wonder, as I can’t find any comments on that anywhere, but Aquila doesn’t improve the intonation, on the contrary they are not in pitch. I’ve tried on many different brands of ukuleles and it is always the same… very obvious if you actually can hear it! I must admit that they do have a lovely timbre and in that respect they are probably the best sounding on the market, but they are not in pitch. Martin ukulele strings however - mind you not as good sounding - are in pitch. So there you have it… put a quality tuner, like Cleartune, and test it!!!
It is so interesting how subjective things like this are John because I can say with full confidence that practically none of my regular customers prefer the tonality of Aquila to a clear fluorocarbon string. Even clear nylon string is a more fashionable choice. There is nothing wrong with different opinions and experiences though and I'm glad you weighed in, perhaps your ukuleles need setting up to take the different tension of Aquilas better? Who knows without seeing it firsthand... Take care Alex
