Ukulele Strings? Aquila vs d'addario

To me, Aquilas have a 'hard' feel on both fretting & strumming fingers, as do D'Addario. I like a softer feel. On my Kanile'a K1 concert I like Living Water fluorocarbon strings. Having said that, I'm really liking Fremont Blackline 'medium' on another uke.
 
So...I just got a Kanile'a K-2 CP and before, I was pretty sure I would switch out the Aquilas for Martins or something. But, after playing, I love the Aquilas! When it comes time to change, I might try Martins or...my other choices would be Fremont blacklines or Worth brown mediums, but the uke came with 2 spare sets of the original nyguts, so we'll just have to see.

I was dubious of someone's statement that Kanile'as were made for Aquilas, but it may just be true!
 
The author of this ukulele article comes off a bit offensive and arrogant, but he drives home a great point when he asks "Why not just play the damned thing?"

Always somewhat amusing when you come across an old thread, totally randomly, to find out someone called you offensive and arrogant.... ;-)
 
I like aquila and d'addario they are all a bit different but I can adapt to how I pick depending on the string character and gauge thickness
 
And we're off. ;)
 
Been using Fremont blacklines on my Kanilea tenor, buggah is winnaz.
 
Always somewhat amusing when you come across an old thread, totally randomly, to find out someone called you offensive and arrogant.... ;-)

Ahh, the down-side of knowledge. Too bad for you Baz, old boy.
 
Originally had Aquila nylguts on my Kanilea tenor but didn't care for the sound nor the way they felt. Switched out to Oasis bright with a smooth wound low G, and the Kanilea sounded much better, with deep base notes and clear, precise ringing high notes that have a good sustain. The warm Oasis do not sound as clear, precise, nor ring, and the sustain is not as long.
A friend who owns a Kanilea tenor strung with D'Addario strings played mine and noted that it sounded really good. Also, when purchasing Oasis strings, it comes in a length that is enough for two sets of strings.
 
Baz if you have an opinion in some milktoast cultures it is considered "arrogant and aggressive." Opinions are the reason for your website no? I find your opinions extremely useful, and often agree with you.

I too dislike Aquila strings on most ukes because I find them loud, clunky, and brashly unpleasant to the ear, not to mention ugly. I remember you gave kudos to the company and supported trying their different strings.

Recently shopping for strings D'addario nyltech package said they are made in cooperation or partnership with Aquila. Based on that I would imagine they are very similar. Probably have a slight chemical component difference. The package was sealed shut so I couldn't have a look. Why otherwise would D'addarrio advertise Aquila? I didn't buy em for that reason. Fremont blacklines can make my laminate sing without the brash muffled.
 
Last edited:
I am not on a quest for the perfect strings, but I change my strings every 2 months. In the process, I've tried a several lines of string on my Kanile'a Super Concert.

I love my Kanile'a for its warm, reedy tone that borders on dark. The Super Concert does beautiful things with the 1st and 2nd partials, so I prefer strings with strong fundamentals and lower partials with just a pinch of upper harmonics.

I have oscillated between Aquila and D’addario. Here are my impressions:

Aquila Nylgut - Stock strings. Warm, powerful, and widely available. Beatiful when fingerpicked with a shaped and polished fingernail. I usually use either these or D'addario Nyltechs.

D'addario Nyltech - I frequently use these. Less paper-like the touch than Aquila Nylguts but otherwise very similar.

D'addario J71/EJ65T - Classical guitar strings repackaged for the uke. High-tension strings with warmth and sustain. Excellent for strumming or rocking the melody between the A and re-entrant G strings. Good for addressing technical flaws. Great all-rounders but too guitaresque for my tastes.

Living Waters – my one foray into fluorocarbon on the Kanile'a. Good balance between strumming and picking. I miss the warmth of nylons whenever I use them, but I keep a few sets on hand for when I want the tonal change. Great choice if you’re seeking that "ukulele" sound from your Kanile'a, want a brighter tone, or want good all-rounders without the tension of the J71/EJ65Ts.

In short, I favor the Aquila Nylguts and D'addario Nyltechs, but I'm not seeking the typical "ukulele" sound. I have a Koaloha soprano strung with Worths for that.
 
I have Aquilla Super Nylgut on my K1 concert at the moment, it's ok to boring.
Generally I'm a fan of Worth BM but they were very ping, ping on this uke and Martin fluros were similar.
I would like a little brighter tone with a bit more oomph, so the Daddario Pro Arte Carbons are next on my list, ( as I believe they are a heavier gauge fluorocarbon string).
Savarez Alliance apparently sound good on this Uke so if I lay hands on those they are next instead.
Even if I don't like strings I like to leave them for as long as a month as it often takes at least two weeks for them to settle. Besides which how can you tell if you like one thing better than another if you are not sure of the sound.
If they feel terrible or buzz or give you some sort of discomfort then that's obviously a reason to change earlier.


Edited in italics
 
Last edited:
And another thing ... :eek:ld:

All my ukes have re-entrant tuning. I recently bought an Islander laminate spalted maple tenor that came with Aquila's Super Nylgut. Sounds wonderful, warm and precise. So I put a set on my KoAlana laminate mahogany concert (replacing worn-out Martins) and the C string buzzed and boomed terribly. I happened to have a D'Addario black nylon on hand, replaced the Aquila with that, and everything smoothed out wonderfully.

So depending on how you play and what you play, as several posters have noted, you may find you want strings of several different materials on the same uke. Good thing they don't cost much :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
Strings come down to personal preferences.
Most of the time I use Aquillas but occasionally I go with Worth Browns because they don't squeek when you move from fret to fret.
 
I just put a set of Phd on my K1 last night. Left them on overnight tuned way sharp so they would settle in.
tuned this morning and started to play...after 30 minutes, I pulled the lowG off and put a slightly used Fremont back on. Much better.
I'm still not sure I like the Phds all that much but I know for sure that I did not like their lowG at all.

(Best combination I've used so far is Oasis with the Fremont wound G but, I've got a set of Living Waters I'm going to try next.)
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom