Aquila Red Series AQ-85 Ukulele Strings – High G

I’m not the greatest musician. I couldn’t tell you anything technical about these, but having replaces strings on a number ukes, I can say that these feel better and produce a better sound than others I have tried. I did have one string snap unexpectedly, so there may be some truth to the rumor that these are a bit more fragile than other strings, but I think its worth the risk for the tone they impart to my uke.

Absolutely love these strings. I have a Lanikai concert ukulele that I bought about a year ago and the strings that came with it finally started to wear out, so I took to Amazon to find a new set. The strings that came with my uke were the traditional Aquila strings. The traditional strings sound great but are still a bit thick. Once these came in, I immediately noticed how thin they were and the red color looks pretty cool too. But once I got my ukulele re-stringed is when I noticed the big difference between these strings and my old ones. The Reds are a lot thinner, so naturally they’re a lot easier to push down on (a big improvement for me especially because I have tiny hands), also they seem to have a more wholesome sound which I love. The only thing that might be a problem is the actual texture of the Reds. Compared to the traditional strings, these have a much more papery feel. This really isn’t a problem except for that it kind of effects the sound of the uke. When strumming, the sound is perfect. However, if you like to fingerpick, then these might not be for you. The papery texture kind of gives of a subtle gritty noise although it isn’t too noticeable. But overall, I absolutely love these strings. They make my uke easier to play and the red color gives it a cooler look.

The first thing you’ll notice about these red strings, besides the color, is the tactile feel. They feel more rubbery and coarse than other ukulele strings that I’ve used. I find this feature makes it easier to hold down the strings even when your fretting hand isn’t in the perfect position during fast chord changes. Some might not like the feel of the strings, but I enjoy the contrast. Color and feel aside, how do these strings sound? A little muted and less bright than nylgut, but with a slight percussive “chak” sound. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Nylgut has more sustain and harmonic overtones making it fuller sounding than the reds. In a finger-style arrangement, nylgut or fluorocarbon strings will sound prettier. I think the two standard types also fare better in regular strumming. Where the reds really stand out is when using a percussive or “chuck” heavy strum. Reggae would be a good example. I always found that the sudden mute and chuck of a reggae strum is somewhat jarring and harsh on my ears. Because of this, I would usually stay away from that particular style or replace the reggae strum with something else if I could. Now, the reds have changed my mind. The lack of some overtones in the sound make the transition from note to chuck much easier on the ears. So, in this case, less is more. If you only have one uke, traditional strings are more versatile. But if you have a second uke set up for percussive playing like I do, the reds will get you grooving to the reggae beat.

Für mich die besten Saiten. Ich kann sie nur empfehlen. Werde keine anderen mehr ausprobieren.

Nickel corde de haute qualité et le son rien a voir avec des Aquila classique la sonorité et beaucoup plus élevé et le toucher rien a voir aucun stri toucher très agréable bref le top ❤️ je conseil a 1000%

I was a little nervous when I decided to try these string on my Kala concert ukulele because people seemed to either love them or hate them. I’m so glad I gave them a try. They are just as comfortable as fluorocarbon but have an even fuller sound in my opinion. After reading warning about breakage when stretching them, I decided to let them settle by tuning and playing instead of risking breaking a string. I’ve had them for three days and they already hold their tune well. They squeaked a bit at first, but that is dying down. The more I play with them, the more convinced I am that they are my new favorite for my concert uke.

So my suggestion is, try them. Just take time to be careful and patient.

I took off a star because one string broke after about five minutes of use, but I hadn’t trimmed the ends yet and was able to restring it. No further breakage. The sound is great. It seams to bring out the treble and they are, for a ukulele, plenty loud. I didn’t have any trouble with the diameter of the strings going through the nut or saddle grooves. They stay in tune fine. They are overall very good strings and perhaps the broken string was a fluke. Barring breakage they would get a 5 star review from me. I’ll be buying them again.