StringsAquila, RED SERIES

U

Ukejolly

Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2015
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Location
Finland
Hello there uke-lovers!


I've been looking for new strings for my tenor Kala ukulele, and I found this youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wckA0zDk5cU


Has anyone tried the Aquila, Red Series ?
Any comments or thoughts?

They are very stretchy, he shows this at 3:30 in the video.

Never seen anything like this... but I have never changed my own strings neither...
 
Quick reply from work, I have not watched the video yet.

I have reds on the Dixie banjolele, and I tried them on the Kamaka briefly before the Oasis set arrived. Reds seem to be louder than other strings on the same instrument, keeping in mind that I've compared to few other strings. They have a bit of an edge to the sound, slightly metalic maybe. They played in tune on the Kamaka, even though they were used strings from the Dixie. The string texture is a bit matt, not slick, on the set I have. Overall I like them, but they may not be right for every ukulele. For example, we have a Kala Traveler that has a bit of an edge to it's voice (sounding more like a ukulele impersonating a mandolin, if that makes sense) and I would guess that reds may be too much of a good thing on that instrument.

I hope that helps.
 
You can search on the prior threads about the string breaking issues people have with the reds. They used to be my favorite string but i gave up after replacing so many. Went to worth browns which are pretty close to my ear, feel very different but never break.
 
Have Reds on both concerts and a Flea soprano. Find them to be very good, and I mainly flatpick them. They do require that the nut slot is correctly sized and preferable rounded at the base. Most of the snapping problems I've seen associated with Reds have been due to the strings being gouged/sliced due to improper nut slotting.
 
billten said:
You can search on the prior threads about the string breaking issues people have with the reds. They used to be my favorite string but i gave up after replacing so many. Went to worth browns which are pretty close to my ear, feel very different but never break.
Click to expand...

Agreed! I also like South coast medium softs.
 
I have them on a vintage Silvertone soprano. Sounds perfect with that ukulele. I like the texture of the strings, too.
 
Here's the YouTube sound check/review I did on the Aquila Red strings in February 2013. I put the strings on my Kala Cedar Top, and haven't taken them off yet.

No breakage, still sounds real nice to me.
 
As has been commented before I think the breakages were due to a fault in an early production run. I currently have full sets of reds on three ukuleles and previously have used the red low Gs and have never had a problem.
 
I'm a big fan of the strings, having tried them on probably 10+ ukes I've owned. I have yet to break a Red string and I've been through at least 15 sets.

In my experience, they've always sounded at least good and on quite a few ukes were the best sounding strings I tried. And I have been prone to experimenting with different strings on any particular uke (SCO = String Changing Obsession). In addition to their excellent sound, they also tend to project very well. Their feel -- a bit papyrus like -- is different and I admit when I first tried them I was like, "what the heck...", but soon grew to like the feel. I also like how the strings vary less in diameter across the four strings than many other sets do.

@bilten and I must have polar opposite ears. To my ears, Worth Browns and Aquila Reds are quite opposite in most respects: volume, feel & tone. Other than that, they're a lot alike. ;-) Of course, we're both right because we each like what we like.
 
I have tried them on my luthier built soprano uke with spruce top, mahogany back and sides. The sound seemed to be kind of overpowered so I took them off soon. I also tried them on Ohana TK-20CE (solid top mahogany, laminated back and sides) - muted-sounding ukulele really came alive with these! No breaking issues on both set I owned. I also liked the texture of the strings.
 
Local uke store here in Long Bach (Dave's Island Instruments) carried these and told me that they are particularly good for people transitioning from steel string guitar to uke. All the comments here seem to jive with that. I just like the red color lol. Wish someone made a set of clear strings with black trebles like on a flamenco.
 
My limited research on flamenco guitar was a guy showing how to get different string tensions depending on which holes he tied to on the bridge. This was necessary because he was using strings from different sets to get the sound he wanted.

If you wanted half clear and half black strings on a ukulele it really wouldn't be that hard at all. Getting it to sound or feel correct will likely put you in the same territory as that guitar player.

Aquila reds:

My current favorite string set.

I myself snapped two low G's on a Risa soprano stick due to the design of the instrument. Same issue the string sticks in the crossover bar and snaps in midair between this point and the tuner on the back of the ukulele. Put the high g on and strung my KA-SEM the same day with another reentrant set with no issues to report on either. Both are still going strong.

To me the feeling of the strings is not waxy but papery or like velvet. I read somewhere this past week a player stated they felt more like true gut strings. Somewhere in these forums the member connected to Aquila recommended polishing them with some type of cloth. They took almost no time to get used to they do smooth out a bit with use as others have stated. Regular white Aquila strings now feel wrong or off.

~peace~
 
Very interesting thanks for sharing. It's good to hear these reds break in. I've always felt that regular Aquilas dont really break in that well. Are the reds noticeably more warmer than the regulars? Like say compared to worth clears vs browns which I think is like night and day. Thanks again.
 
I've put Aquila reds on both my and my daughter's concert flea ukes. The sounds is fine, but the big benefit for me is the feel. I loved how they played. The flea ones lasted a long time and were intact when I swapped them out for a set of Oasis strings on my flea. The Oasis definitely where a step up in volume and tone, but don't feel quite as nice.
 
I like Aquila strings but I was not able to use the Reds. I got one to work, but for that one, I broke six and finally gave up on Reds, good luck. They seem like rubber bands to me, not good.
 
Count me in the group of people who love the sound but gave up on them due to breakage. And I made sure to get the proper production run.

A shop in my area said they are being discontinued. Make of that what you will.

I suggest you go with something sturdier (Worth Browns, Fremonts, PHDs are my favorites) and get used to changing the strings, stretching them slowly, noticing how they fit in the nut, etc. Then try the Reds. Changing strings is very easy and I find it fun to to see how it affects the instrument, but I don't think you want to start with the most challenging ones.
 
I just tried these on a Koaloha concert. I just strung them up like I do all my strings with no problems. I'm not sure what the video is about on installing them a certain way. They are bright - surprisingly to me given the rough texture (compared to flouros). Overall really nice sound coming from these strings. I'm sure the Koaloha also has a lot to do with it but the sustain lingers for a while. But the rubbing sound against the course texture of the strings is also audible. I gave it a couple days to see if either I'd get used to it or it might subside or maybe a little of both. Just didn't happen. I took them off.

[edit] I should point out I had no breakage issues at all. And I was tugging on them like I do all new string installs to break them in. I treated them like any other strings. Because I didn't know though not because I was testing them.
 
The formula has changed at least once since they have been released.

As far as being discontinued I hope its only in your local store.

The texture takes a little while of playing to smooth out. I wouldn't expect much difference in just 48 hours. If you search I believe there was talk that they can be polished to speed the process along.
 
Last edited:
In my experience, the Aquila Reds are thinner than usual. That makes for comfortable playing, but they're also very stretchy. So if you fret the string, it's easy to inadvertently bend the string a bit, resulting in an out-of-tune chord. I also find them to sound pretty 'plinky' and toy-like.

Personally, I prefer the fluorocarbons from aquila. A much fuller sound.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

efiscella
New Uke Day (NUD) KoAloha Red Label 2022 AAA Cedar and Koa Concert
Replies
9
Views
316
Arik
Arik
Just1More
Sold Red KoAloha Shirt NWT - size L
Replies
0
Views
223
Just1More
Just1More
rhiggie
NUD - KoAloha Red Label
Replies
14
Views
376
eternal tinkerer
E
Laudra
Sold KoAloha Red label concert beautiful cedar top and koa back and sides.
Replies
8
Views
618
rhiggie
rhiggie
EDW
No longer available Aquila Red Soprano strings
Replies
7
Views
380
EDW
EDW
Top Bottom