Aquila Red Low-G goes *pop*

Sporin

Sporin

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I've been REALLY digging my Aquila Red Series Low G string. I've been playing a LOT on it since I am prepping for a gig and the tone, the feel, it's just perfect.

To my total surprise today, it went POP. I was sitting at my disk fiddling with the tabs for Gillian Welch's "I Am An Orphan Girl" and had just set my Islander on the stand next to me when it went. So I wasn't playing it when it popped.

Not sure why it happened. It's only been on my uke for a couple of weeks with daily play including many days of multi-hour playing. The string did require an adjustment (always a tightening) daily, perhaps I just reached the stretchy boy's limits?

Not sure. So I guess I'll put on my spare, metal-wound Aquila Low G and use that through my gig on the 20th, just to be safe.

Anyone else broken one yet? This is a GREAT sounding string, I'll be ordering more.

IMG_1439.jpg
 
From the photo it looks like it broke in the part that was wrapped and like you had quite a bit of overlap, maybe. I try to avoid overlapping strings because the top part can cut the bottom part if it is crossing at an angle; at least that sometimes happens with steel strings, I'm not sure if nylon strings would do that or not.

John
 
The unwound g is quite a bit fatter than the wound g. Sounds like perhaps the unwound string got wedged in the nut slot, becoming unable to slide smoothly through. I wouldn't consider those two strings to be interchangeable without some nut work.

Steve
 
Let me be really clear, this has NOT soured me on these strings. Strings break, that's a fact of life. I've already ordered more, i LOVE this string and how it sounds. I was just curious if anyone else had popped one yet.

I definitley had some overlap John and I suspect that might have been it. The string is really stretchy and I wound up with WAY more winds then I planned on. Mimmo hadn't put out his stringing recommendation video yet when I put mine on. I know now that I really need to stretch it out before I start winding it.
 
Selfish and unrelated to your issue: You have tabs for Orphan Girl????? Could you help a fellow uker out and tell me where I can find 'em?


Sporin said:
I've been REALLY digging my Aquila Red Series Low G string. I've been playing a LOT on it since I am prepping for a gig and the tone, the feel, it's just perfect.

To my total surprise today, it went POP. I was sitting at my disk fiddling with the tabs for Gillian Welch's "I Am An Orphan Girl" and had just set my Islander on the stand next to me when it went. So I wasn't playing it when it popped.

Not sure why it happened. It's only been on my uke for a couple of weeks with daily play including many days of multi-hour playing. The string did require an adjustment (always a tightening) daily, perhaps I just reached the stretchy boy's limits?

Not sure. So I guess I'll put on my spare, metal-wound Aquila Low G and use that through my gig on the 20th, just to be safe.

Anyone else broken one yet? This is a GREAT sounding string, I'll be ordering more.

View attachment 40142
Click to expand...
 
Thank you!
(I still get a bit muddled about vocab: I think of tabs as those numerical lines of individual strings that usually offer a melody -- but I might be mistaken about this. Are you working those out for yourself? In any event, THANK YOU for the chords!)
 
I know the feeling. My aquila red string broke on my baritone ukulele after just 10 hours of it being on there.
 
I think it is just the color red that is the problem :( I bought a pack of Kala reds once and popped the very first string I tried to put in my uke. They felt weird anyway. I threw the rest of them in the trash and never looked back.
 
luluwrites said:
Thank you!
(I still get a bit muddled about vocab: I think of tabs as those numerical lines of individual strings that usually offer a melody -- but I might be mistaken about this. Are you working those out for yourself? In any event, THANK YOU for the chords!)
Click to expand...

You are correct. It's just the 3 chords so I went with the "Richard G's" style layout. I don't have it with the tabs overhead.

I started with Chordie then just blew it up and made it easier for me to read. http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/w...-crd?1944-06-06=always&transpose=&tuning=GCEA
 
I've had the Red on my uke just over 2 months, no probs at this point and time.
 
I installed the Red Low-G and Red C strings about four days ago, and a couple hours after my last play, sitting in it's case I heard the C string go pop. :( I too had overlap, mainly because I literally had no more room on the peg! The pegs on my Kala KA-TEM look shorter than some other ukes I've seen.

Good thing I bought two of each kind of string, though! I'll just be extra careful/slow winding the replacement C up so there's little/no overlap. I loooove the sound of these compared to the wound, but yeah, they sure do streeeeeetch. :eek:
 
I saw one pop last week. Not on my uke, but it did happen in front of a crowd. I have one but probably won't use it since there seems to be issues with them. The player whose string popped clearly was in pain afterward.
 
What are these red Aquilas made of, anyhow? Obviously, it's not Nylgut which is not too stretchy and would be, I think, hard to pop.

My guess, it's not your winding but it's the new string material.
 
hello, for those that had the red Series broken.
I am happy to replace the broken strings in a very fast way
please can you mail me a private message with you adress?
(on 10,000 red series strings sold out in two months complaints were just 10 till today. This is very good)
Thanks
Mimmo
 
I broke a Red tenor low G today at the 2nd or 3rd fret.
I was plucking pretty hard, trying to articulate a melody on the G string.
It lasted seven weeks, which is better life than I get with the wound strings on average.

I'm having better luck with the Red low G's on strumming ukes with higher action (less buzz).
I'm going back to a wound string when I want more power and tension on the low G for melody picking.

Like everything in life, there are trade-offs, no single perfect solution for every uke and application.
It's great to have both options.
 
The Orange Mage said:
I too had overlap, mainly because I literally had no more room on the peg!
Click to expand...

A suggestion for installing red strings:
Pre-stretch the string, then use a capo to clamp it at the second fret.

That allows you to use both hands to thread the string and take out most of the slack.
You should end up with the recommended three or four wraps on the peg when tuned up to pitch.
 
So, curious. In the same period of time that any one of you popped the red Aquila, how many other strings of any brand did you break?

I think I know the answer.
 
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