Not using Aquilas? Solid Mohogany Uke

MichaelAngelo

MichaelAngelo

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Hello once more guys!

Every once and a while I've noticed people that don't like the stereotypical gold-standard Aquila strings. I was wondering a) why and b) what strings should I use on my new in-transit LSM-T solid mohogany?

You guys are great thanks for all the help so far!

Michael
 
I use Worths Clears. I like them because they are thin and soft. They don't require a lot of effort to fret. I tried the pro artes and the problem with them was that they were a high tension strings. They were just too thick and required too much effort on my part to fret with my little hands. I find that Worths Clears have a brightness of aquillas but not as thick and much softer.
 
Aquilas also tend to bring out the "brightness" of an instrument. Sometimes that's good. I have a Jenny that is "too bright" for my ears, and has Aquilas. I'm going to try and "mellow" it out with Worths (browns?)

I find it fascinating how much difference a set of strings can be. Around here GHS strings are $4 and Aquilas $8 (for example), but what a difference those four bucks make!
 
for me there is only one option. worth browns! they give a wonderful mellow sound. feel nice and look good with mahogany ukes
 
My solid mahogany concert uke came from MGM with Aquila strings. I use Aquilas on my other laminate mahogany uke and like them. However, they sounded pretty bad to my ear on the solid mahogany. They had a good punchy sound on the C & E strings which I like, but the A string was very weak. It felt to me like the Aquilas were just too low tension to get the sound I wanted out of that A string. I recently got some Worth clear high tension strings and I now love the sound of my uke. The A string is louder and the overall sound sound has improved as well.The higher tension strings seemed to cause the soundboard to vibrate much more and has also increased sustain.

It seems like people with solid mahogany ukes are more likely to favor strings other than the aquilas, but maybe I'm just seeeing what I want to believe.
 
Banjo said:
My solid mahogany concert uke came from MGM with Aquila strings. I use Aquilas on my other laminate mahogany uke and like them. However, they sounded pretty bad to my ear on the solid mahogany. They had a good punchy sound on the C & E strings which I like, but the A string was very weak. It felt to me like the Aquilas were just too low tension to get the sound I wanted out of that A string. I recently got some Worth clear high tension strings and I now love the sound of my uke. The A string is louder and the overall sound sound has improved as well.The higher tension strings seemed to cause the soundboard to vibrate much more and has also increased sustain.

It seems like people with solid mahogany ukes are more likely to favor strings other than the aquilas, but maybe I'm just seeeing what I want to believe.
Click to expand...

Banjo:

Did you have the aquilas tuned to D or C?
 
I use the D'Addario's Porte Arte high tension strings on my Pono All Solid Mahogany 'ukulele. I like how they sound and how they tend to virbrate more and it can sustain the notes better.
 
I would only use Aquilas on a laminate instrument

even then , I would likely avoid them

On a solid-wood instrument, they seem overbearing and louder than the tones of the wood.
Also, being into finger-picking, the rough texture doesn't do it for me.
 
mokai said:
I would only use Aquilas on a laminate instrument

even then , I would likely avoid them

On a solid-wood instrument, they seem overbearing and louder than the tones of the wood.
Also, being into finger-picking, the rough texture doesn't do it for me.
Click to expand...

Soo... what strings do you use? :)
 
I pretty much ONLY like them on my CBU, which is a deep box made of cedar. It's a concert size and there they work great, though I am currently reworking the uke and will try new strings on it, probably Worth Clears. I have clears on my one tenor and brown mediums and lights on all my other ukes, sopranos and concerts. The lights are nice for all the delicate vintage ukes.

I do have a new little Ohana Vita soprano that came from MGM with Aquilas and they are ok but they squeak! They also don't feel as kind to my fingers as the Worths. And on some of my ukes that have had them on in the past, it seems they went dead fairly quickly. The thing I like most about Aquilas is the color more than the sound, they look great with a white binding or as contrast on a dark uke.

Just my personal experience.
 
I just bought my Martin tenor and it had the original 50 year old strings. I replaced them with Aquilla and it sounds great. All I have is Aquilla strings, though. I will begin experimenting with others as I can. It will be a slow process as I don't just want to throw money away, so I'll change the strings as they need it.
 
I have a solid mahogany tenor that came with Aquilas. I prefer Worths, as the Aquilas seem thick, hard and clunky under my fingers in comparison. Worths just feel more fluid and easier to press down on, and the sound seems sweeter to me.

I'm leaning towards the Worth Browns. I wanted Clears but MGM didn't have them at the time so I got Browns. I don't normally like dark colored strings on say, a spruce-topped classical guitar, but the Browns blend in beautifully on a mahogany uke. I've since tried some Clears and then switched back to the Browns and think I prefer the Browns.

But strings are always a personal choice. What sounds great on one uke may not sound so great on another.
 
I like the Worth strings, as they have a nice bell like ring and a very well balanced set of overtones that give a very nice richness. They also have a great sustain. I find them to have a very nice singing quality.
 
I recently changed from Aquilas to Fremont Clear on my KTS-4 after two years. The uke sounds a bit less louder with the Flourocarbons but more "elegant" & subtile. I like the Aquilas with their "barky" sound on it, but it seems that the Flourocarbons are - at least for my ears - the better choice for a solid mahogany instrument.
 
I just put Kala Reds on my Mainland Mahogany and they are just OK. At first I thought they sounded really plastic and now the just seem bright. I can't really recommend them. I'll try the Worth browns next.

I was planning to put them on tonight, but I am having one of those days where everything I touch breaks. The light-bulb blew-out, printer cart ran out, cat's water fountain took a short vacation, and the iPod playing into the TV freaked out.

I think it best to wait till tomorrow ;)
 
pdxuke said:
Soo... what strings do you use? :)
Click to expand...

I have had great luck with worth browns on quite a few ukuleles, but I don't think they would suit the LSM-T as nice as others.
The LSM-T has thick mahogany top/back/sides and a fairly thick gloss finish. I am guessing it will have a nice mellow tone but will lack volume with certain strings

Worth Clears, as mentioned by Melissa may be a good choice because they are said to be 'brighter' than browns

MichaelAngelo... Seeing that the LSM-T is a tenor, I think you should try a set of Savarez Alliance strings ( you have to order the strings individually )
I have not tried them myself, but I have read great things

Also, you may want to wait a few days and try out the new Ko'olau strings
They are not out yet, but MGM said they're purplish, bright, and pro-arte-like.
They may be worth a try.
 
Worth also makes some others that I believe are higher tension and might work better for some of the other instruments out there.
 
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