Aquila Bass Uke Strings - Yes!

Just put a set of white Aquila Bass uke strings on my Kala U-Bass.

Excellent! Compared to the stock black strings that come standard on the U-Bass the Aquilas:

1. Stay in tune longer.
2. Tune up easier when new.
3. Have a clearer tone.

Give them a try.

Yeah it was the strings that did my husband in with the Ubass, it's the single reason he sold it on. The strings would NEVER settle in, and before each playing session, they had to be stretched and restrung. Meanwhile his '73 Ibanez? Always in tune. Gee, wonder which one he never played?

He liked the sound, (plugged in) but never got over those strings. That's cool that the Aquilas actually work.

I understand what you say and why you do so.

Yet there are other views also:

For me the Pahoehoe strings coming with the UBass are very friendly on my hands, which have severe problems with the strings on my upright, now that age and arthritis have a saying.

A professional player has given up on the Aquila strings, because their stickiness changes the sound of his note attack and also limits his agility up and down the neck.

Players of fretted UBasses tell that the frets will leave indented marks on the Aquila strings.

I like my fretted UBass very much even if even my huge hands have problems with reaching the upper frets. So much that I depending on availability of funds plan on getting a fretless one also just to see whether I at all will be able to play it reasonably in tune. If I get one I likely will try the Aquila strings on it.

Klaus

PS: On my Yahoo based download project I have made material for the UBass available for free. A method for 7 modal scales and 1 synthetic scale plus several arrangements from Bach’s Cello Suites. Almost all UBass editions are with standard notation and tablature:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/YorkMasterBBb3/files/Solos%20for%20Kala%20U-Bass/

Plainsong said:

...The strings would NEVER settle in, and before each playing session, they had to be stretched and restrung...

Click to expand...

I discovered that it only seems that way (the "never" part). After several months of reasonably frequent use (and two or three times of being cut-off and re-strung to avoid gumming up the tuners with the extra winds) mine finally settled in pretty well. They'll now hold tuning through a gig and only require a little tweaking even after sitting for weeks between uses.

They still give zip for sustain and are too sticky for smooth slides though which is why I still prefer my full-size steel-string bass 95% of the time.

John