Aquila Squekless sugar strings finally available

Someone sent me an uke from Southern California on priority mail. Scheduled delivery was a Monday. Eight days later, I finally received it. I suspect there is chaos in a lot of the shipping departments, whether private or public.

I gave up on trying to order the strings, having been given the runaround from Aquila multiple times (some listed here in thread). Tried to order, unable, told to send an email to order, they replied to now order online. Repeat twice. Hope the strings are good and they show up in shops here if they are.
 
Update.
My order shipped on the day I ordered and arrived in Memphis, TN (FedEx hub) on the 14th... it's now the 26th and tracking has no estimated date of delivery. Anna (from Mimmo's shipping) contact me FIRST to learn if I had received. She's checking with shipper to learn of the delay. I suspect something to do with imports and virus? Not to worry. Mimmo and Aquila did their part in a very fast manner...

I had ordered some and they followed a similar path. They seemed to sit for a week with no info other than "pending". I finally called Fedex and spoke to someone. They had no info and said they would look into why they were not scanned and why they were delayed. They did not contact me back (as promised) BUT, they were released and arrived the following day.
 
I had ordered some and they followed a similar path. They seemed to sit for a week with no info other than "pending". I finally called Fedex and spoke to someone. They had no info and said they would look into why they were not scanned and why they were delayed. They did not contact me back (as promised) BUT, they were released and arrived the following day.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Nice to know that something eventually fulfills :)
 
Finally arrived. Ordered May 12th,
Left Italy on May 13th.
Arrived Memphis Tennessee on May 14th
Lounged around FedEx for SIXTEEN days until departing Memphis on May 30th.
Arrived Madison Wisconsin (FedEx) June 1st.

View attachment 127487
 
Hi Mimmo, I just got mine last night. I'll put them on this weekend and let you know.
I think the postal service might have been faster than FedEx (for much cheaper, but without the tracking)! At least Fedex didn't try to collect duties from me this time. :p
 
hello guys, we have done our best but that damn postal service sometime make us upset.
Please guys, can you share with us your experience with these Sugar?
thanks
Mimmo

Hi mimmo,
Thanks again to your and your staff for tracking these down and getting FedEx to get-a-move-on !! I installed a soprano set on a 'travel' uke, spruce top, mahogany sides and back. I chose this uke because it is loud and really projects. Regrettably the results are not favorable. Compared to my 'original' Sugars I think this set is noisier/squeak-ier! The texture of the string IS smoother ( I could only describe the originals as 'chalky' ). But whether thumb picking or finger picking, as the digit rolls off the string there is a definite squeak. I'll keep playing / strumming over the next few days. Hopefully as the strings set in there will be improvement. Will report back. (added: all four sets have the 'squeakless!' sticker affixed)
 
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Hi mimmo,
Thanks again to your and your staff for tracking these down and getting FedEx to get-a-move-on !! I installed a soprano set on a 'travel' uke, spruce top, mahogany sides and back. I chose this uke because it is loud and really projects. Regrettably the results are not favorable. Compared to my 'original' Sugars I think this set is noisier/squeak-ier! The texture of the string IS smoother ( I could only describe the originals as 'chalky' ). But whether thumb picking or finger picking, as the digit rolls off the string there is a definite squeak. I'll keep playing / strumming over the next few days. Hopefully as the strings set in there will be improvement. Will report back.
I experienced the squeak but it went away. So far I quite like on the Koa soprano. The strings are loud and produce a good strum or finger picked melody.
 
When I tested the prototype of the strings, I experienced slight squeakyness as well but it went away fairly quickly, and I also thought there was less squeak than the originals, even with fresh strings. I would keep trying them for at least a couple of days.
 
Thanks guys,
I am a bit surprised that you still have squeak. at present we have received just very few complaints from those that have very dry skins. I have done a video were it is possible to hear how laud was the squeak on the first sugar version and no problem it is on this version. There is another chance however but we are at the end of the possibility.
In any case thank you very much.
if you want to be a refund please mail us
Mimmo
 
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Thanks guys,
I am a bit surprised that you still have squeak. at present we have received just very few complaints form those that has very hard and dry skins. I have done a video were it is possible to hear how laud is the squeak on the first sugar version and how lower is on this version. There is another chance however but we are at the end of the possibility.
In any case thank you very much.
if you want to be a refund please mail us
Mimmo

Thanks for the offer. However I'm going to try a set of the concerts on my Ohana 50G. The resonant cedar top can be an amplifier of characteristics better than anything I've tried !!!

I'll keep playing the soprano and maybe create a simple sound sample for you to analyze. I fully appreciate and respect your efforts and expertise... I hope you realize I'm most interested in helping... there's no criticism intended!

s2
 
I experienced the squeak but it went away. So far I quite like on the Koa soprano. The strings are loud and produce a good strum or finger picked melody.

I'm going to keep trying with daily strumming and warming up, picking through my scale warmups. As I mention in my reply to mimmo, no criticism is intended... only feedback :) I agree on the volume, especially on strum. Looking forward to how they sound on my Ohana 50G
 
When I tested the prototype of the strings, I experienced slight squeakyness as well but it went away fairly quickly, and I also thought there was less squeak than the originals, even with fresh strings. I would keep trying them for at least a couple of days.

Thanks. As in my other comments, I am going to keep trying, and trying a set on a concert.
 
I will give a longer assessment as I play them more, but have not had trouble with squeaking. I generally have fairly dry skin and had a prominent squeak with the early version, but these have been good. My initial impressions of the strings is very positive.
 
I restrung my uke and no squeak so far. My skin is pretty dry, especially with all the extra hand washing lately!
So far, I like them. They're a bit of a change from the fluorocarbons I was using before. The old sugars were more similar to fluorocarbon in look and feel. These look and feel more like nylguts. The sound is nice though. I didn't put them on the same uke as I had the old sugars on, so I can't make a direct comparison. They're a change from what I'm used to, so I'll have to see how I like them in time. I just noticed the A string has a weird intonation issue. I remember a similar issue a few years ago with a set of Reds. Not sure what's going on.
 
The new Sugar strings sound great, but I’m also noticing squeaking while finger picking. Much less than the original Sugars so I’m happy with them.
 
They are working fine for me. There a bit of squeak initially but it does die off. The sound is really good. Have not tried soprano yet just tenor.
 
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