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So, I recently gave my Cordoba Uke a little upgrade. I swapped out the Stock tuners for some Grover ones and after researching different strings on YouTube I purchased A couple of sets of Aquila Sugar(Low G).
In 48 hours I’ve snapped 3 strings. They seem pretty weak. The standard Aquila’s that came with it I played for as long as I’ve had my Tenor (maybe 6 months).
Has anyone got any string recommendations..
Strings are a very personal thing. You ask 10 people and you’re likely to get 10 different answers and none of them will be right or wrong.
Personally, I love Living Water strings but they’re not as commonly sold as major brands because they’re sold through very limited dealers or directly through Ken Middleton’s website (he’s in the UK). They’re clear fluorocarbon and have a really crisp and clear tone. My second favorite are Worth Browns (also fluorocarbon). I like the tension and feel of both of those brands. I don’t care much for Aquila nylgut. They’re alright, but sound plain and ordinary to me. I’m also not a fan of how they feel, but they’re tried and true and many people like them (they’re also easy to find and are relatively cheap in comparison).
In the end, I think you should just try different brands and material types. I find it fun and exciting trying new strings because it can make your uke sound different. I tended to play my ukes less when I didn’t like the strings that were on them. I keep a bunch of spare sets so I can try them on different wood/size ukes.
Good luck! I hope you find your perfect set!
I broke a couple Aquila red low Gs in a very short period of time and never wanted to try them again. When I talked with Joel at the ukulele site he mentioned that his “uke logic” strings were like living water strings. The uke logic are advertised as high density flourocarbon. I have the uke logic on three tenors now and like them. I also really liked the Ukulele Creations PhD strings which I had on two tenors for almost a year. The Ukulele Creations PhD strings are advertised as high molecular weight fluorocarbon. I also have really liked regular Aquila nylgut on one solid wood koa tenor.
RonLike @kanae926 said, strings are very personal, but I also wanted to add Martin M600/M620 strings to your list. I’m loving them on my low G concert uke right now.
@surferjay – I´m surprised about your problem with Sugars. I have been using them for 8-9 months on my 3 ukuleles and not broken any of them yet. They are quite elastic but a little bit weaker then fluorocarbons or nylguts thou in my opinion, I have to change them every 1-1,5 months, because they get pressing marks underneath (especially A string). So usually at first I just change A string and play another month until I need whole new set.
Are you sure your ukulele have not any rough spots- on the nut for example? Or is it about tuners?So I like the Sugars and actually Reds from Aquila too- they just sound so much better then any fluorocarbon or nylon I have tried. I have not broke any Red yet too- I was very careful when I installed them (very slowly and over the paper straw), because they tend to snap. Reds are great for fingerpicking. As @kanae926 and @robinboyd sayd- strings are very personal choice :).
@evapaju In fairness the first one I broke was my fault as I was tightening the string with my tuner set to guitar not uke.
The other two times it was the A string and they broke in different places. I think the nut on my Uke could provably do with being filed down as the strings dont seem to sit inside the nut like on my other ukes so this could be the problem.
I just put on some Nylon strings which were the only ones available locally. The sound is a bit muted for my taste.
Im going to order a few brands and get a proper setup. Thanks for the input.
Of the different string materials I’ve tried, nylons were my least favorite. I tried two different types but both were low-tension and sounded dull. They never really settled and continued to stretch so I was always needing to tune them. I didn’t care for them at all!
FWIW, like @evapaju, I really like Reds. I didn’t suggest them, though, because I know some people have breakage issues with them, and if you already have those sorts of issues, they might not be right for your uke.
i like my aquila red low G strings too. been using them for about 1-2 months and can recommend them so far
I do not like nylon strings too. Sugars and Reds are like warm sounding, but with lot more sustain and character. Sugars fit to my cheap laminated ukulele really well and are good for strumming.
I was afraid of Reds for some time too- it is not overly pleasant to think about string snapping, but I´m happy I tried them anyway.
There is one Martin string set what is sounding and feeling similar to Reds- Martin M625 grey polygut (these are for tenor, but I saw these available for concert too). I have been using them only a week or so, but really pleased so far.
I´m totally agree with @kanae926 – changing strings and trying different strings is lot of fun too.
Well, with this conversation I already feel the urge to order now some new sets 🙂The sustain on the sugars are really good and I think if you are playing acoustically they offer a superior sound to the standard Aquila’s.
I play most of the time through an amp so to be honest by the time I add in reverb/chorus I’m not sure how much of a difference it makes.
The original Aquila’s had a decent sound (not outstanding) but we’re great through the amp … after messing around with a few sets I’m going to go back to the original and keep a low G.
I’m in the market for a more expensive Uke so will put on some of the suggestions in this post with that Uke 🙂
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