Recomendations for black strings please

eclipsme

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I normally use Aquila Nylgut strings and am quite happy with their sound and feel. However, a recent build looks better with black strings than with white.
I have tried D'Addario Black Nylon but was displeased with both the sound and the feel, esp. since they are thicker than the Aquila.
Is there a black string that is close to the thickness and sound of the Aquilas?
This is a soprano ukulele.
Thanks!
 
You can consider the Martin Premium, which are like dark grey or graphite colored. If brown would work on that instrument worth browns are nice
 
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I recently tried Fremont Blacklines on a cedar top tenor. They sound and feel great. So great that the other sets I bought to try on this uke (Living Water, Uke Logic) are on the back burner. I just don't want to change these Blacklines yet, they sound that good to me.

I would second positive reports on Fremont Blackline. On the recommendation of another UU member I tried FBL on one of my Sopranos and was very pleased with the result, certainly they worked better for me than Nyglut did on that particular Uke (the Nyglut was fine and the FBL simply better). IIRC the Blacklines are slightly harder on the finger tips than Aquila’s, but that was soon forgotten (your finger tips harden) and that is typical of fluorocarbon strings. M600’s are almost always (so not always) a good choice for every instrument, by a small margin they are my default selection and preference. However FBL isn’t expensive, is readily available (in the USA if not the U.K.) and does a very good job (I rate them as a close second to M600’s). If you want a black string then what’s not to like? Lucy’s Ukuleles in Seattle sell FBL via Reverb and eBay, I’ve found Lucy’s to be very helpful.
 
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Black GHS strings were on my used Ko'olau concert when I bought it. Thinner than Aquila Nylgut strings but surprisingly good sounding.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions! I have ordered the Aquila Lava. Evidently, they are the same as the Nylgut, only black. I didn't know that.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions! I have ordered the Aquila Lava. Evidently, they are the same as the Nylgut, only black. I didn't know that.

The Martin premium, which are made by Aquila are in the same family, although I don't know exactly what the differences are between each
 
Thanks for all the suggestions! I have ordered the Aquila Lava. Evidently, they are the same as the Nylgut, only black. I didn't know that.

I’d be interested to know how you rate them once they’ve settled in. Please would you let folks know in say two weeks time?

Worth Browns are dark and are close to black on a ukulele.

Funny you should say that, it was my thought too. I’ve used them briefly but it wasn’t a fair trial so I’ll not comment on them, they’re also a bit dear to buy (you do get two sets of strings in one pack though).
 
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Fremont blackline worked for me.

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I've used Aquila Lava strings before and here is what I can tell you: Long story. Back in my redwood top days I made some pretty ukes from free sets given to me by a local luthier. Gorgeous sinker wood from a river that runs near my house. I built a number of them (tenor sized) with mahogany sides/backs with redwood tops and I was never quite satisfied with the result. The sound could best be described as "delicate" and "good finger picking ukuleles". In an attempt to coax some volume out them I switched from clear fluorocarbon (Martin M600's) to Nylaguts. Now I hate the white stinged look of Aquila Nylaguts but to my ear at least, they do sound louder than fluorocarbons. So I tried the black Lava strings and they did coax some more volume out of the ukes but a sheep in wolf's clothing is still a sheep. As for playability, the black Lava's seemed the same as the white Nylaguts so no difference there. I think they just add black dye to the mix and call them Lava's for marketing purposes. Get it? Ukulele = Hawaii = Volcanoes = Money.
 
I've used Aquila Lava strings before and here is what I can tell you: Long story. Back in my redwood top days I made some pretty ukes from free sets given to me by a local luthier. Gorgeous sinker wood from a river that runs near my house. I built a number of them (tenor sized) with mahogany sides/backs with redwood tops and I was never quite satisfied with the result. The sound could best be described as "delicate" and "good finger picking ukuleles". In an attempt to coax some volume out them I switched from clear fluorocarbon (Martin M600's) to Nylaguts. Now I hate the white stinged look of Aquila Nylaguts but to my ear at least, they do sound louder than fluorocarbons. So I tried the black Lava strings and they did coax some more volume out of the ukes but a sheep in wolf's clothing is still a sheep. As for playability, the black Lava's seemed the same as the white Nylaguts so no difference there. I think they just add black dye to the mix and call them Lava's for marketing purposes. Get it? Ukulele = Hawaii = Volcanoes = Money.

Interesting experience, sequoia. I have been making sopranos, not with sinker redwood, but using old growth (first growth, tight grain) redwood tops. The few ukes I have made from redwood/mahogany have been rather loud with a satisfying sound of resonance, if that describes it correctly. The uke I am swapping strings on is a redwood top with cherry sides and back.

What kind of mahogany were you using? Mine is Honduran. How thick did you make the soundboard? Mine are a bit over 1.5mm. How was the action?

Sometimes, (perhaps more often than not?) it seems to be a mystery what makes 1 uke loud and full and another, not.

As for the strings, I began by using Nylgut - don't remember how I arrived at that decision but they worked so I have stayed with them. Not knowing about Lava, I put some Addagios on the uke resulting in a much diminished sound, so I have ordered Lavas. I am sure other strings could be as good or even better, and maybe someday I will explore this further.

Thanks for your input. Appreciated.
 
if you like nylguts then nylblacks (NBUKS4)! same as nylguts but black. bazmaz/gotaukulele mentioned these in a recent review. made for ibanez, not widely available, a bit pricier as well

I did a quick search but didn't find them :-{
 
What kind of mahogany were you using? Mine is Honduran. How thick did you make the soundboard? Mine are a bit over 1.5mm. How was the action?

Sometimes, (perhaps more often than not?) it seems to be a mystery what makes 1 uke loud and full and another, not.

I was using Honduran mahogany... Here is the thing I think: It is not so much the wood that makes an ukulele sound good, but the construction and maybe my approach was wrong... Some people swear by sinker redwood but in MY hands at least I'm not able to coax a good sound out of it. To my ear anyway... Since I consider redwood a "soft wood" I aimed for a bit thicker than a "hard wood" top and as I remember they were around 2 mm thick or quite a bit thicker than your 1.5 mm. 2 mm + is the ballpark figure I use on spruce tops so I figured it would work for redwood. Of course the bracing is a huge factor and I used standard three strut scalloped fan bracing as per usual.
 
I did a quick search but didn't find them :-{

The Nylblacks (I think) were renamed Carbonblacks which are now the Martin Premiums. If that makes sense. I'm a fan of the FBLs and the Aquila Sugars (again, a light, almost clear string), but the Martin Premiums are my favorites of the dark Aquilas.
 
The Nylblacks (I think) were renamed Carbonblacks which are now the Martin Premiums. If that makes sense. I'm a fan of the FBLs and the Aquila Sugars (again, a light, almost clear string), but the Martin Premiums are my favorites of the dark Aquilas.

Thanks. I have good things about the Martins. Still waiting for the dark Aquilas to arrive.
 
I was using Honduran mahogany... Here is the thing I think: It is not so much the wood that makes an ukulele sound good, but the construction and maybe my approach was wrong... Some people swear by sinker redwood but in MY hands at least I'm not able to coax a good sound out of it. To my ear anyway... Since I consider redwood a "soft wood" I aimed for a bit thicker than a "hard wood" top and as I remember they were around 2 mm thick or quite a bit thicker than your 1.5 mm. 2 mm + is the ballpark figure I use on spruce tops so I figured it would work for redwood. Of course the bracing is a huge factor and I used standard three strut scalloped fan bracing as per usual.

Well, I am still pretty new at this but my 1st ukes made of redwood/mahogany were, if anything under braced. Along with the thinner tops there is a bit of dishing in the top just above the bridge. Plays great, though.

Now making my fist Koa ukes, using similar techniques, but with mahogany neck and Quila fretboard. Ever hear of it? It is from NZ, I believe - very hard. I ran into it many years ago when I lived in the Bay Area and hadn't seen it since, until somebody gave me a pretty good stash. Great fretboards, but don't try to make a neck with it. Very heavy!
 
nylblacks are on amazon (isn't everything?)- search "nbuks4" (can't post link)
 
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