Life of wound Aquila strings - must be more than 2 weeks?!

byjimini

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
686
Reaction score
3
Location
North Yorkshire, UK.
Hi everyone;

I'm currently on my 3rd set of Low-G Aquila's, the ones with the wound G string. Have I just got a dodgy patch or is the life of them very short?

I've just this second come home from a festival weekend, and the replacement wound G I put on 2 weeks ago (which snapped right before a deluge of gigs) has already worn through the steel and down to the nylon, right on the fret markers. The frets don't feel any sharper than my other ukes and the other 3 strings are fine.

I do play it every night as I do a lot of practice myself and with the band, as well as folk nights & gigs, but I'd still have thought they'd last more than 2 weeks at a time, at £7 a set. Or is it possible to just get a single low-G string from Aquila?
 
The wound strings do have a bad rep for a short life. That said, I have had them last quite some time. Might want to dress your frets.
 
I'm going to hit both solutions (thanks for the help guys :D) and order 10 single strings, and have the local luthier take a look at the frets. Something definitely isn't right, for sure.
 
Might also consider how hard you're fretting and if you have any bad habits like pushing the string sideways a little as you fret it. That tends to happen most on the G string because it's the furthest reach for the fingers.

John
 
A wise luthier told me to change the low g string with a Hilo string. They lasted much longer and had the same feel and sound as an Aquilla. He was right and I used them til I switched to Southcoast strings.
 
Hi everyone;

I'm currently on my 3rd set of Low-G Aquila's, the ones with the wound G string. Have I just got a dodgy patch or is the life of them very short?

I've just this second come home from a festival weekend, and the replacement wound G I put on 2 weeks ago (which snapped right before a deluge of gigs) has already worn through the steel and down to the nylon, right on the fret markers. The frets don't feel any sharper than my other ukes and the other 3 strings are fine.

I do play it every night as I do a lot of practice myself and with the band, as well as folk nights & gigs, but I'd still have thought they'd last more than 2 weeks at a time, at £7 a set. Or is it possible to just get a single low-G string from Aquila?

I used to use Aquila's on my Baritone and replace the wound with GHS or D'Addario. The other day I put on a set of Aquila with their wounds and after about 4-5 hours of practice and two, 1 hour shows, pop the D goes while sitting on the stand while performing. I looked at the wound strings and they looked 2 months old. I replaced the D and G with GHS strings. I know they will last for a long time.

Look at "just strings" for a single wound for your Uke.
 
Last edited:
A classical guitar D string will do the job, any music shop should be able to supply one.
 
A classical guitar D string will do the job, any music shop should be able to supply one.

ditto on this, when I need wound strings I use D'addarios and buy them 6 at a time.
You might also want to try an unwound low g.
 
Some people have really acidic hands that will corrode strings much faster. Corrosion is also a problem for people with sweaty hands. Try washing your hands before you play, and wiping your strings down after playing.
I sometimes go through 3 shirts in three hours while playing, I also play pretty aggressive, but the Aquila wounds are really sub par. It's too bad.
 
Top Bottom