Aquila Reds Low G- NOT RECOMMENDED! BREAK CONSISTENTLY.

blue_knight_usa

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Hi All, after several attempts to get the new Aquila Red low G's on my tenors I have come to the conclusion there is definitely something wrong with these strings. They break every time. I stopped using Aquila's all together a few years ago due to the sound which is not to my liking as I like a more richer and fuller sounding uke and not one that is extremely bright which the Aquila's tend to provide.

I have changed probably 50 sets of strings in the past two years trying new strings on a regular basis and never had strings break in the middle of the fret board. These could not even get to a G when they broke. I tried to slowly tighten the tension over several hours on the second attempt and over 1 day on the third attempt. These are the most elastic strings I have ever seen which I think is one of the problems as they can't seem to handle the appropriate tension for a low G note.

I am extremely dissapointed and it appears the material is not appropriate for the tension required on the G strings. I have seen other posts with people complaining about breakage and clearly it's not a limited situation. I am not sure why but am contacting Aquila to complain about this. This should not happen.

I definitely would not recommend these strings at this point until they come up with a new formula that does not break. The fact the strings are breaking in the middle of the fret board (not by the nut or down by the saddle) indicates a weakness in the material.

Just my .02 but for those of you experiencing the same thing, I would stick to a solid low G unwound such as the Fremonts, Savarez, Living Waters or Ph.D's which are all excellent. The Living Waters are a bit less tension but work fine. It was a good experiment but frustrating to the point that I'm definitely done with the Aquila brand for now. The regular strings do work fine, but the Low G is a failure in my opinion.
 
Hi All, after several attempts to get the new Aquila Red low G's on my tenors I have come to the conclusion there is definitely something wrong with these strings. They break every time. I stopped using Aquila's all together a few years ago due to the sound which is not to my liking as I like a more richer and fuller sounding uke and not one that is extremely bright which the Aquila's tend to provide.

I have changed probably 50 sets of strings in the past two years trying new strings on a regular basis and never had strings break in the middle of the fret board. These could not even get to a G when they broke. I tried to slowly tighten the tension over several hours on the second attempt and over 1 day on the third attempt. These are the most elastic strings I have ever seen which I think is one of the problems as they can't seem to handle the appropriate tension for a low G note.

I am extremely dissapointed and it appears the material is not appropriate for the tension required on the G strings. I have seen other posts with people complaining about breakage and clearly it's not a limited situation. I am not sure why but am contacting Aquila to complain about this. This should not happen.

I definitely would not recommend these strings at this point until they come up with a new formula that does not break. The fact the strings are breaking in the middle of the fret board (not by the nut or down by the saddle) indicates a weakness in the material.

Just my .02 but for those of you experiencing the same thing, I would stick to a solid low G unwound such as the Fremonts, Savarez, Living Waters or Ph.D's which are all excellent. The Living Waters are a bit less tension but work fine. It was a good experiment but frustrating to the point that I'm definitely done with the Aquila brand for now. The regular strings do work fine, but the Low G is a failure in my opinion.

I wonder if you even tried the newer versions. Significantly better in every way and not rubber bandy like the ones you keep getting. Totally different so don't advertise your dislike too strong, you just might like them in the end..or not
 
I just got these several weeks ago. They are the newest ones. I bought them from two separate distributors I have bought from for years so I think these are the newest. They shouldn't break. Again just my opinion there is something wrong with the formula in these strings for sure. Three strings, all breaking the same way indicates consistent failures with this particular string. If there are new ones then I'll make sure I get them directly from Aquila as I am hoping they replace the broken ones that were brand new out of a factory sealed package.

I wonder if you even tried the newer versions. Significantly better in every way and not rubber bandy like the ones you keep getting. Totally different so don't advertise your dislike too strong, you just might like them in the end..or not
 
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I just got these several weeks ago. They are the newest ones. I bought them from two separate distributors I have bought from for years so I think these are the newest. They shouldn't break. Again just my opinion there is something wrong with the formula in these strings for sure. Three strings, all breaking the same way indicates consistent failures with this particular string. If there are new ones then I'll make sure I get them directly from Aquila as I am hoping they replace the broken ones that were brand new out of a factory sealed package.

hmm, sold hundreds of the newer ones without complaints yet. perhaps people are just trying to be nice. Never broke on the ones in store as well so it doesn't seem to be happening too often. I bet they save the good ones for us :)
 
I understand your frustration and will take into account your experience. It seems from what I've read about these strings that they are hit and miss. I had one of the very first generation for testing purposes, when Mimmo first had them. I, like you, am not a fan of the Nylgut strings for their sound (too harsh for me), but the sample red low G impressed me. It sounded very nice for a non-wound low G, and it sounded good for at least a couple of months. But, some seem to break under normal tension, even after the reformulation. Bad batches? Who knows. These strings are still quite new and probably still a work in progress. Perhaps you'll feel a little less upset after you contact Aquila. I'll bet they make appropriate reparations. Aquila is a most reputable company with mostly very good products (personal tastes notwithstanding).
 
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I also had problems with the original reds, however, since I got the new ones from HMS in Hawaii I havn't had any problems and I really enjoy the Red unwound low G.
 
I will work with Aquila and certainly update this thread with any new results. I sent them an email and am awaiting a reply.

I also had problems with the original reds, however, since I got the new ones from HMS in Hawaii I havn't had any problems and I really enjoy the Red unwound low G.
 
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I've used the Reds a little over a year and have had no probs with em. I still prefer wounds tho.
 
Maybe I've been extremely lucky.
I have a concert uke tuned with the original Aquila red (the rubber-band like one), and it has not broken on me.
I've had it on for many months now.

And in terms of feel and sound, I am finding it really good. Definitely prefer it over droning wound strings.

The other strings on the uke are Fremonts, hard tension. The Aquila red blends in well with these strings in my opinion.
Not a fan of Aquila nylgut..
 
I too am preferring a wound low G. Which low G's do you use Chuck?
Tnx


I like wound LowG strings too..but not all of my ukes have a wound LowG

on my Compass Rose i use Savarez 520R classical strings..the top 4 strings..and use the wound D string for LowG..Rick Turner likes these..

Hey Blue Knight i live in Belmont..
 
hmm, sold hundreds of the newer ones without complaints yet. perhaps people are just trying to be nice. Never broke on the ones in store as well so it doesn't seem to be happening too often. I bet they save the good ones for us :)
I've finally put one of the 2 I bought from you on, and I got to say I like it better than the wound that came with my t2 set. it's been on for 2 days now, and is still stretching a little, but it sounds and feels great.the package did have a date stamp [BE 9/20/12]SO FAR SO GOOD, i'LL REPORT IN IF IT BREAKS.
So far, I'd recommend them.
 
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FOLLOW UP TO MY EMAIL TO AQUILA: I received a response from the U.S. distributor last night who was extremely nice (Curtis) and was going to send me new strings, however I received a respond today from Mimmo Peruffo at Aquila directly after I emailed them and they are going to send out new strings on Monday. This will guarantee I have the new formula strings. The distributor said it's been a very trying time due to the first sets that did break a lot and the new sets come in packs sometimes with a white dot and some without. Mine had the white dot. I'll keep you posted once I get the new strings. The distributor I spoke with supplies the larger string stores and said the new batch he received has not broken on his Ohana, so I'm hopefully optimisitic I had 3 of the old formula and the new ones won't break. I'll post my results once I get the new set.

I've finally put one of the 2 I bought from you on, and I got to say I like it better than the wound that came with my t2 set. it's been on for 2 days now, and is still stretching a little, but it sounds and feels great.the package did have a date stamp [BE 9/20/12]SO FAR SO GOOD, i'LL REPORT IN IF IT BREAKS.
So far, I'd recommend them.
 
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I see you have a Mya-Moe. I buy my strings from Char and Gordon. Their string advice is always excellent. I use the wound low G strings they recommend.
 
FOLLOW UP TO MY EMAIL TO AQUILA: I received a response from the U.S. distributor last night who was extremely nice (Curtis) and was going to send me new strings, however I received a respond today from Mimmo Peruffo at Aquila directly after I emailed them and they are going to send out new strings on Monday. This will guarantee I have the new formula strings. The distributor said it's been a very trying time due to the first sets that did break a lot and the new sets come in packs sometimes with a white dot and some without. Mine had the white dot. I'll keep you posted once I get the new strings. The distributor I spoke with supplies the larger string stores and said the new batch he received has not broken on his Ohana, so I'm hopefully optimisitic I had 3 of the old formula and the new ones won't break. I'll post my results once I get the new set.

Hmmm, I should Aquila know I've broken about a hundred sets of the red.
...On a related note, I will be selling new reds in a couple weeks :D
 
On some ukes I really do prefer Aquilas..they make the uke sound so great.... some others not, like any other strings...you gotta match them to the uke
I really do like the low G that Mimmo sent me too and they have never broken and sound great to me...no issues whatsoever
could you have been getting the old ones and the distributor made a mistake....anyways you are getting the real thing from Mimmo now
he is a great guy..... you really should have contacted him first and not aired it publically on the forums until you knew for sure..well that is just my thought...
 
On some ukes I really do prefer Aquilas..they make the uke sound so great.... some others not, like any other strings...you gotta match them to the uke
I really do like the low G that Mimmo sent me too and they have never broken and sound great to me...no issues whatsoever
could you have been getting the old ones and the distributor made a mistake....anyways you are getting the real thing from Mimmo now
he is a great guy..... you really should have contacted him first and not aired it publically on the forums until you knew for sure..well that is just my thought...


Right On Stan..
 
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