Anyone tried the Aquila Sugar Strings?

Got a set of the thinner guage strings from Mimmo today. Will put them on and compare to the current version.
 
Just installed the tenor versions (Finally in stock at Strings By Mail) and installed them about an hour ago. They’re still settling, so I can’t say a whole lot. The squeak IS there, but I know that will disappear soon. I compared the thickness of each string to the Martin 620s I normally use, and these are definitely thicker...even visibly so...although we’re talking a fraction of a millimeter (I pulled out the digital caliper and the difference is .15mm to .20mm on each string)

That all said, they don’t feel “harder” than the Martins, and the pricing is close enough. I’m not sure I would want them any thinner. While I LOVE using the KIDS strings in my school, I’m not a fan of the feel of Super Nylgut (to each his/her/their own)...and it makes me happy to have a product that feels like the “smooth” fluorocarbon that I prefer.

I like supporting companies that support the community as well...I love the fact that Mimmo posts, reacts to suggestions, and provides insight into the business side of the process. This also goes for the other companies that interact with the community...including The Ukulele Site, Mim’s Ukes, and Mainland. Maybe that’s just “good business” in 2018...but it sure seems to go above and beyond the call of duty.

I still need to order a low G or two (unwound Sugar) and try them with Tenor Sugar strings on my Opio Sapele Tenor.
 
just another opinion:
I like the sound of Aquila sugar strings, bright and great sustain (Koa Pili Koko acacia long neck soprano) but I can't stand the squeakiness. It's very loud when I play classical/finger picking style. Unlike Aquila reds and carbonblacks, which are mostly just a feeling in the fingers, these actually feel smooth but squeak like crazy. It might not be a problem if you use only nails.

I'm not bothered by the squeaks of wound strings (long time guitar player), but it's counter intuitive to have squeakiness in clear strings. I've been playing them daily over a week, and the squeakiness won't go away.

Just expressing my disappointment. I hope Aquila will improve the formula in the future.

Eugenio
 
just another opinion:
I like the sound of Aquila sugar strings, bright and great sustain (Koa Pili Koko acacia long neck soprano) but I can't stand the squeakiness. It's very loud when I play classical/finger picking style. Unlike Aquila reds and carbonblacks, which are mostly just a feeling in the fingers, these actually feel smooth but squeak like crazy. It might not be a problem if you use only nails.

I'm not bothered by the squeaks of wound strings (long time guitar player), but it's counter intuitive to have squeakiness in clear strings. I've been playing them daily over a week, and the squeakiness won't go away.

Just expressing my disappointment. I hope Aquila will improve the formula in the future.

Eugenio

Put a bit of hand lotion on your fingers and the squeak will disappear.
 
Put them on my Larrivee concert this morning and I really like them! In fact, once they've finished settling, I think I will LOVE them.

This concert was new old stock, so the Titaniums that came on it may well have been on it since 2014! Not sure what Titaniums sound like brand new (I bought a pack but haven't installed). I wanted more sustain. These Sugars have it.

Right now I'm obsessed with Daniel Ward's Arpeggio Meditations. These Sugars seem perfect for the sound I'm seeking. Bright yet nuanced, with a bell-like sustain providing a continuum of sound from note to note. Today I am practicing Music Box Medley. That's what these strings evoke, a music box. I can close my eyes and see the little ballerina turning on her toes...

I've got some other strings to try on this uke - Carbonblacks, Martin 610s and Worth BM. I'm so happy with the Sugars, it may be a while before I do. :)
 
I have tried aquila sugar on two sopranos, one with a cheaper ABS plastic nut and one with a bone nut. I really like them and they are now my goto strings for sopranos, previously my favourite strings were worth clear. The sugars have a very lively sound all over the fretboard and a lot of sustain.

As others have mentioned, they squeak quite bad before they are broken in, especially if you have dry hands/fingers. However, the squeak seems to be less once the strings are broken in.

Withers my uk with a plastic nut, the strings seem to create a lot of friction in the nut which is evident when tuning. The string seems to get "stuck" in the nut and over tighten or under tighten a bit making it difficult to tune. I have not experienced this with the duke using a bone nut though.

Cheers,
Kimmy
 
Hi Yes,

The squeak goes away after a few weeks. Still not as good as pure fluorocarbon. I think
 
Hi Yes,

The squeak goes away after a few weeks. Still not as good as pure fluorocarbon. I think

Hard to say, as everyone has different tastes and some instruments seem to do better with different strings. I have had a set of the sugar strings on for a few months. The sound has a lot of ring and nice crispness and clarity, but is possibly a little fatter or has a little more depth than some fluorocarbons that I have tried. While I would be interested in comparing them to a set of fluorocarbons, at the moment they are working pretty well and I am too lazy to restring.
 
Now that this thread has been revived, I am wondering if Mimmo has fixed the squeak issue. He mentioned adding some kind of wax to the mixture. Maybe he will chime in here. I like the strings, but the squeaking drives me nuts.
 
Since I started this post, I have put 4 sets on my ukes. It gives a lot of volume and clarity. I mostly use it on my uke that has lower volume, the sugar string really boost it up. However, I found the volume range tends to stay up there and it takes a lot more finesse to play it soft.
As for the squeakiness, it decreases over time. Putting lotions on the fingers solves the problem.
 
Lol, you guys weren’t kidding about the squeakiness! Just tried a set for the first time and it’s crazy! Trying to hear past the squeaks, I think they are pretty nice. A little on the floppy side for a soprano, but I’ve been playing the Nyltechs for a while, so I might just need an adjustment period.
 
I found initially as some mentioned that if my fingers were dry in the winter or if I had just washed my hands it was more prominent. That seems to have diminished as now they really no longer squeak for me.
 
For those who use the DGBE baritone version of the Sugar strings, is the B string thicker than the B string in the Reds set? Or in the Martin set? It's hard to find information on gauges to make comparisons easier without buying blindly. (I only found one source for Sugar strings in Germany, and they don't have the baritone version yet.)
 
Just got a set of Sugars through Elderly, and slapped them on my Farallon (which is both very responsive to string changes, and quite picky). After playing them a lot over the past three days, I think they're the best strings I've used to date — at least for this instrument.

I'd describe the sound as a nice, clear, chimney tone with excellent sustain. And like the Carbon Blacks, a distinct "plunkiness" to the initial attack, which I quite like. Most important for my purposes, the unwound C eliminates the boominess typical of that sting, and balances it nicely with the rest of the strings. Sounds great strummed, but really excels with delicate fingerstyle playing. No detectable squeak on the set I'm using, but it could be my fingers...

My only complaint is the thickness and harness of the strings. The C and E are noticeably thicker than most anything I've used before, but they fit in the nut (although the C seems to bind up a bit, making tuning a bit of a hassle). Had to lube the slot, which helped. Although I can't be sure, they seem thicker, denser, and harder than the Carbon Blacks, which has been a bit of a trial for the fingers. Also pleased to report that they haven't broken yet -- a problem I often have with the Carbon Blacks. Although I loved the CBs, the constant breakage was a deal breaker, pun intended.

So, overall very pleased. Aquila has won me back with these. Best tone yet on my Farallon, for my style of playing and desired sound profile. Would definitely like to try the new smaller gauge sugars when they become available...
 
Disclaimer: I am not a big fan of nylon or wound strings. It's a personal thing. The, for want of a better word, brittle "whang" of them bugs me. Bothers my ears. And I find the thickness and hardness bothers my fingers after playing for a while. My favorite strings for my tenors are Living Waters Low-G fluorocarbon and Worth Low-G Browns. (Not the hard ones.)

That being said, I recently bought an inexpensive tenor resonator ($220 USD) and an inexpensive tenor banjolele ($240). They both came with thick white nylon strings. That I thought sounded a little dead. I replaced them with the sugar strings and voila! They responded very well. Clearer, more resonant and a pretty nice tone. To me they sound like a combination nylon/fluorocarbon. The sugar seems to damp down the annoying sharp harshness of nylons and mixes it with a somewhat softer brightness of fluoros to achieve a nicer, yet still crisp attack and overall sound. Quite loud as well. Louder than the strings that the ukes came with.

There is a pronounced squeak when I slide my fingers up and down the strings. Hand lotion helped a small amount. I can feel a texture on the string that is like a fine striation left by a very fine sandpaper or steel wool on a metal surface. It's smooth, but present.

Now, these aren't high-end instruments, and there is an element of metal resonator and synthetic Remo head to consider, but I think the sugars are just what these instruments needed. Bright, responsive and sound much better at low volumes as well as when played hard. I am quite interested in a Low-G non-wound version. I'll stick with the high-g for now.

I'm not giving up my Living Waters or Worths anytime soon on my other ukuleles. But these are great on the resonator & banjolele.
 
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