Aquila dGBE tenor set -- what G string did you get?

Mivo

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I just received an Aquila dGBE (high-d) set for tenors, and even though the G string had been advertised as wound everywhere I looked, it was a single Red Series low-G string (rather thick, which is why I wanted a wound one).

So anyway, I'm curious if Aquila simply changed what they ship out, or if the dozen store fronts I checked all made a mistake when advertising the G string as wound. If you bought this set before, was the G string wound?

(I found a place that allegedly sells individual wound G strings for this set, so I bought a few. I'm half-expecting them to be also reds...)
 
(I need to add that Thomann.de responded to my email within an hour and refunded the cost of the two Aquila string sets. I hadn't asked for this, and only wanted to let them know of the incorrect product description, so this was unexpected. Great service, though, especially since it probably wasn't their fault.)
 
I ordered two sets Aquila tenor dGBE sets direct from Aquila in Italy and they both came with Red G strings. I was quite happy as I didn't want a wound G. They wouldn't fit on my Bruko tenor (too thick for the slots both at the nut and the bridge) but I tried them on my Fluke but wasn't keen on the result. The red G was very boomy. In the end I bought two packs of Worth Clear Fats, fitted them to my Bruko, replaced the Aquila on my Fluke and also fitted them on my Risa Uke'Ellie. I'm very happy with these strings on all three tenors. I also have a spare set as Worth strings come in double length packs. I also have an unused set of Aquila dGBE tenor strings with a red G which I no longer have a use for.
 
They wouldn't fit on my Bruko tenor (too thick for the slots both at the nut and the bridge) but I tried them on my Fluke but wasn't keen on the result.

Well, I tried them now. They wouldn't fit in the slotted bridge of my ukuMele acacia tenor (my first tenor) and I wasn't about to alter it, so I skipped that. I had more luck with the Barron River tenor where they fit fine (pin bridge), but these strings don't work on it. It just sounds dull. They also feel fairly thick in general. I don't really like them. So, I sent an email to Ken Middleton and ordered two sets of his LW custom string sets for dGBE tenor, which I should probably have done in the first place. Ah well, it was worth a try (and in the end I only paid for the low-G singles).
 
I just received an Aquila dGBE (high-d) set for tenors, and even though the G string had been advertised as wound everywhere I looked, it was a single Red Series low-G string (rather thick, which is why I wanted a wound one).

So anyway, I'm curious if Aquila simply changed what they ship out, or if the dozen store fronts I checked all made a mistake when advertising the G string as wound. If you bought this set before, was the G string wound?

(I found a place that allegedly sells individual wound G strings for this set, so I bought a few. I'm half-expecting them to be also reds...)

As far as I can tell from my catalog, Aquila dGBE (11U) only comes with a red G. I would have sent it back. I don't use the red ones. The store owner where I shop allows me to open the packages for a peek, but I know that one can't do that on the Internet.

If you're a strummer, all the low pitched strings (G, D, etc.) will probably boom. I don't like them for strumming either. :eek:ld:
 
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If I can interject with a newbee question.
All I know is Hi-G GCEA.
Why the different tuning of strings?

Thanks
 
Depending on where I buy them I get wound or unwound at a ratio of about 50-50. I prefer unwound because I quickly wear out the wound strings. I bought a low-G single in Hilo recently and it is unwound. Our local music store sometimes has both. I'll use Seagaur polymer rather than wound for the reason mentioned because breaking a string during a performance is messy. I use enough stomp boxes that the string type matters little to the sound.
 
Why the different tuning of strings?

The tenor's original tuning was dGBE, which was before the one-size-fits-all gCEA tuning became common. Lyle Ritz used/uses it, for example. dGBE is probably not ideal for a tenor, but since I spend a lot of time with my baritone (whose standard tuning is DGBE) lately, I was curious if I could simplify things a bit for myself by using the same tuning/key on my tenors (which have been tuned fBbDG). Southcoast also have a DGBE set for sopranos (a full octave higher than the baritone), which is also on my list of exploration desires. :)

But mostly I'm just curious about, and experimenting with, different tunings and strings. Part of the journey.
 
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I got a red G string in my set of 11U's and had no problem with the size, but I don't care for the sound of the strings much. I put them on a spruce topped tenor and I don't know if the spruce top or the strings were 'wrong' but I preferred Hi G Worth Brown Fats, D'Addario Carbons, or Fremont Black lines tuned dGBE., on my Zebras. I like the non-wound strings though.
 
My Aquila 11U set came with a red G as stated in Elderly's listing. I didn't use it, however, as the tenor had a Fremont wound Soloist G as #4, so I just moved the nicely broken in string to #3 position. I do have a red low G on another tenor & like the sound, but more care is needed to prevent the booming. The red is old and pretty smooth now, BTW. I like them both -- especially, as compared to a fat nylon.
 
Well, I tried them now. They wouldn't fit in the slotted bridge of my ukuMele acacia tenor (my first tenor) and I wasn't about to alter it, so I skipped that...

My feeling exactly. I didn't want to take a file or sand paper to either the bridge or the nut. The Bruko nut slots are rectangular rather than V-shaped so more scope for messing up the nut.
 
dGBE is probably not ideal for a tenor

Dirk from Southcoast strings seems to agree with you but I find it works very well, particularly with the Bruko tenor. No boominess in the G string and nice even tone across the four strings. The G string on my Fluke does boom a bit but it was originally designed as a concert. However I find that others seem to like how the Fluke sounds which makes me think the player is probably more conscious of the booming than listeners. I have had quite a fair number of people say how nice the Fluke sounds. With the solid uke, it doesn't matter as there is no hollow body so there is no issue of body resonance.
 
Dirk from Southcoast strings seems to agree with you but I find it works very well, particularly with the Bruko tenor.

Well, on the one hand, there is the theory of physics and acoustics that tells us what is and isn't ideal under specific conditions, but on the other hand there is practical experience. I've listened to Gordon Mark playing DGBE (low-D!) on a tenor, and of course there's Lyle Ritz with his dGBE tenors. Those specific conditions vary from instrument to instrument. My Barron River tenor has a bigger lower body than usual, and my Pono baritone is both slightly bigger and deeper than, say, plenty of the vintage baritones. So from that perspective, I feel it's probably best to look at each instrument individually instead of categorically deciding which tuning works or doesn't work for a given size (Dirk suggests to check the resonance point for each instrument, too).

This is the video of Gordon Mark playing a tenor in DGBE (low-D):

 
I have (low) DGBE on my Makala tenor (using concert length low G strings) & I now like the tenor size, but this is after using a bari for a couple of weeks. :)
 
I have (low) DGBE on my Makala tenor (using concert length low G strings) & I now like the tenor size, but this is after using a bari for a couple of weeks. :)

Perception is a funny thing, indeed. :) I always felt my two tenors were too large for comfort when I mostly practiced on soprano and concert. Now that J had the baritone for three weeks, I feel that the tenor size is fairly small! Stretches seem so short now on the 17" scale when before they seemed huge. It's both exciting and "frightening" how malleable my preferences are. (I need to get the guilele out of my mind.)
 
Too many strings! So I'm not in the least tempted by them. :rofl:

I generally agree, but then I saw and heard this:



Then again, I think I started a few decades too late to ever reach that level of skill. :) It's very beautiful sounding to my ears, though.
 
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