Spruce top tenor & Aquila Red/Worth BT ?

mrStones

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Hi everyone,
I was wondering if anyone has tried to put Aquila Red (one of my favourite set of strings) on a spruce top uke.
Sure, I could try 'em, but right now I run out of Reds and before buying another set I was just curious if anyone tried them on a spruce top.
Is the sound too bright ?
On the opposite side, anyone tried Worth brown always on spruce top ?
It hinders the "tone" of spruce or you like it ?
 
I've used them on multiple spruce tops with good success.
 
I'm also interested in the responses to this question. I changed out the original Aquilas with Reds on my spruce top and am very pleased with the result. However, with the original nylguts the instrument was very bright and loud. With the Reds those characteristics are even more enhanced with outstanding bell ringing clarity.
 
I just strung up my Kanile'a Spruce top tenor with the worth browns (BT 63) and I love it. It is just the right balance for the spruce top to my ears. Sounds equally great strummed or finger picked.

I have never tried Aquila reds, but I do find the normal aquila nylgut strings were too bright for my taste on this uke.
 
You mean the Reds or Worth BT ?

Both and in several cases have tried them both on the same uke. Latest example, I have a Collings UT3MSB (spruce top, maple body) and first put Reds on it. Sounded great. I then put Worth Browns on it and liked it even more and believe them to the optimal string for that uke and my playing "style."

I have also had instances were I tried both on a uke and preferred the Reds. It really does vary by the uke and your playing style, musical genres, etc.

Eddie
 
I have a set of each - Red's and BT which I will try over the next month or so on my MTD-SP. Currently strung with Southcoast medium high g which I like a lot. Curious about others who have tried. We're the examples above high or low g?
 
Both and in several cases have tried them both on the same uke. Latest example, I have a Collings UT3MSB (spruce top, maple body) and first put Reds on it. Sounded great. I then put Worth Browns on it and liked it even more and believe them to the optimal string for that uke and my playing "style."

I have also had instances were I tried both on a uke and preferred the Reds. It really does vary by the uke and your playing style, musical genres, etc.

Eddie

Thanks a lot Eddie. I think I will try 'em both and figure it out. Too bad Worth are so expensive ! Well, not so if you consider they give you 2 sets but if you don't like 'em and just want to try, it is quite a "risky" buy.
 
I'm also interested in the responses to this question. I changed out the original Aquilas with Reds on my spruce top and am very pleased with the result. However, with the original nylguts the instrument was very bright and loud. With the Reds those characteristics are even more enhanced with outstanding bell ringing clarity.

Thank you KanePono. Just out of curiousity : that model, brand and size is your uke ?
 
I just strung up my Kanile'a Spruce top tenor with the worth browns (BT 63) and I love it. It is just the right balance for the spruce top to my ears. Sounds equally great strummed or finger picked.

I have never tried Aquila reds, but I do find the normal aquila nylgut strings were too bright for my taste on this uke.

Thank you Mezcalero. For me Reds are brighter than nylgut (well, they also have rough surface that help with fingerpick and outstanding bending properties) so I don't think you would like 'em on your uke.
 
Thank you KanePono. Just out of curiousity : that model, brand and size is your uke ?

The spruce top/rosewood body is a Cordoba 32T. It is very lightly built and very loud. I think its better for finger picking than strumming.
 
I am a huge fan of the RED . I strung Red on every uke e.g. Acacia, spruce, mahogany , walnut, even a fluke.
I play finger style , Red feels great and sounds loud and clear.
The only wood that doesn't seem to like RED is my Ko'olau which is Koa.

Thank you solo Rule.
My fluke concert has RED and is great, but I didn't like RED on the Fluke Tenor. Too tight (was a tenor set of course) and on strumming it played really weird.
But maybe it was just that set (it was not new, but a "recycled" from other uke just to try)
Maybe I will try again with a brand new set.
 
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The spruce top/rosewood body is a Cordoba 32T. It is very lightly built and very loud. I think its better for finger picking than strumming.

Thank you KanePono.
I have the Kala, but same woods like yours. I really love that match of rosewood body and spruce top.
 
Just quick update : I mounted the Reds on my Kala KA-SRC-SC.
I didn't like a lot the original new Nylgut. They worked ok, but I don't like the "feel" of new nylgut. Then I tried a set of Living Water for a couple of weeks (another brand that I really love). They were really good, but I found 'em better on strumming than on fingerpicking on this uke and the sound was a little too "compressed" for my tastes.
And now, the Reds. I just played couple of hours with 'em so it is too early to set a "verdict", but I didn't expect they could sound so damn good with a spruce top.
They made me smile at every strum or pick.
Bright and clear, but not "annoyingly crispy" like I (wrongly) assumed.
And the feel is (like always) absolutely great. On this uke I found the (usual for Reds) sustain on slides even better. Hammer-ons and pull-offs really easy and resonant.
Side note : they also looks great on this uke. I am not the kind of guy that choose strings from what it look better (not at all), but when sound and look are so equally great, well, double victory.

Thanks everybody who pointed me in this direction.
 
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