Newer gen Aquila Sugar strings

[Tactical Uke]

Anybody else using them?
The squeakless ones. I just put them on a soprano and concert and i absolutely love them. I hesitated when I heard all the bad reviews but then realized they were the old ones. When I first put them on I was like OH SH*T , they still squeak. But after only a day the squeak is almost totally gone and they have settled in quite quickly as well. They sound better than the Martin floros i was forever so keen on. I compared the sound to an old recording playing the same Uke through the same mic and the difference was amazing. They really sing, even higher up the frets, where as sound used to fall off on my soprano. I am sold.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

Agree, I think both the sugars and reds are really great in particular. I don't happen to have it strung on any of my ukes at the moment, but I do like bringing it into the rotation now and then. The overtones the sugars produce are really really nice!

 

[Tactical Uke]

Agree, I think both the sugars and reds are really great in particular. I don't happen to have it strung on any of my ukes at the moment, but I do like bringing it into the rotation now and then. The overtones the sugars produce are really really nice!

Ya...they are really making my soprano bark like it never has before . Just what I was looking for.

 

[hendulele]

I’ve not tried the reds in a few years. Too many unfortunate experiences. The new sugars are great. They’re on my Ken Timms, and boy does it sing!

 

[scrambled_eggs]

I’ve not tried the reds in a few years. Too many unfortunate experiences. The new sugars are great. They’re on my Ken Timms, and boy does it sing!

I think a lot of the red snapping issues may be from people tightening the string a little incorrectly. I recommend giving the string a frets worth of slack before starting to wind the tuning post, rather than having it taught when you start to wind the string. I've seen others post that if you don't do this it can create a sheering force at the string at the post, which leads to a lot of A string snaps for folks.

 

[Tactical Uke]

I’ve not tried the reds in a few years. Too many unfortunate experiences. The new sugars are great. They’re on my Ken Timms, and boy does it sing!

Heck, I bet weed-whacker string would even sound decent on that uke...hehe

 

[Bill Sheehan]

I think a lot of the red snapping issues may be from people tightening the string a little incorrectly. I recommend giving the string a frets worth of slack before starting to wind the tuning post, rather than having it taught when you start to wind the string. I've seen others post that if you don't do this it can create a sheering force at the string at the post, which leads to a lot of A string snaps for folks.

Interesting observations there, s_e. And it's also possible that giving the string approximately a fret's worth of slack before cranking it up, will result in a couple more windings down the tuning post, and thus a nice "break angle" from nut-to-post, which would seem to be desirable.

Wow, many are speaking highly about the Aquila Sugars! I'm going to have to grab a set and take 'em for a spin!

 

[Tactical Uke]

"...before cranking it up" "I'm going to have to grab a set and take 'em for a spin!"
...On your weed-whacker?
lol

 

[Bill Sheehan]

"...before cranking it up" "I'm going to have to grab a set and take 'em for a spin!"
...On your weed-whacker?
lol

Our variations in language usage are pretty interesting at times, aren't they, T.U.? Perhaps my favorite comes from "the other side of the pond", where our good friend Dave (aka S11LKO) occasionally mentions being "chuffed" about something, meaning "excited", or "pumped up." I had not heard that expression until I joined the Forum several years ago! Another is from our Australian friend "Anthonyg", who will often express a point of view followed by "that's my two bobs worth." Great expression.

 

[Tactical Uke]

Our variations in language usage are pretty interesting at times, aren't they, T.U.? Perhaps my favorite comes from "the other side of the pond", where our good friend Dave (aka S11LKO) occasionally mentions being "chuffed" about something, meaning "excited", or "pumped up." I had not heard that expression until I joined the Forum several years ago! Another is from our Australian friend "Anthonyg", who will often express a point of view followed by "that's my two bobs worth."

Bob's your uncle! = "and there you have".... in the UK. I lived there for about 10 yrs and picked up quite a few funny expressions. Like being pissed for instance. In the US it's being mad...in the UK it's being drunk. The "two Bob's worth" i reckon derives from the British expression of "bits and bobs" of which people seem to have many, mostly in opinions and Ukes around these parts...lol

 

[Bill Sheehan]

Bob's your uncle! = "and there you have".... in the UK. I lived there for about 10 yrs and picked up quite a few funny expressions. Like being pissed for instance. In the US it's being mad...in the UK it's being drunk. I now live in Hungary and I kept hearing people say pu$$y to their loved ones...it means " many kisses to you" But we could be here all day on that subject. LOL The "two Bob's worth" i reckon derives from "bits and bobs" of which people seem to have many, mostly in opinions and Ukes around these parts...lol

Yes indeed !!!

 

[BigJackBrass]

The "two Bob's worth" i reckon derives from the British expression of "bits and bobs" of

Bob was a common term for a shilling. We only got decimal currency in 1970ish so it still sits in the collective vocabulary, although it's fading away with time. Boy Scouts were known for "Bob a Job" week, when they would do small tasks to raise money, although it's a long time since a bob was considered generous payment.

 

[Tactical Uke]

Bob was a common term for a shilling. We only got decimal currency in 1970ish so it still sits in the collective vocabulary, although it's fading away with time. Boy Scouts were known for "Bob a Job" week, when they would do small tasks to raise money, although it's a long time since a bob was considered generous payment.

I have always been into the origins of words. In the US they call dollars "bucks" as you may have heard. . Which refers to deer pelts which used to be used as a currency of sorts during the North American fur trading days. Imagine ...3 beavers for a buck. What a deal .

 

[about2]

Sugar strings….the newer version does have a vanishing squeak. Which is a good thing. I like them, but I think they take some time to adjust to. They can play loudly if you dig into them. I use them on my Favilla barI. I took them off after a couple of days thinking the were too harsh. But I really missed the D and G strings. So I put them back on. Ended up putting all 4 back on. Went to a group last night and thought they did quite nicely. I think I was fighting them originally and not listening to the nuances they bring to the table. More my problem than the strings.

 

[miqbri]

I've put them on my UC10 concert yesterday and I have to say after about two hours of beginner fiddling: they still somewhat squeak. Regardless of the squeakless sticker
Not like a wound string when you run finger along the string but when you pick the string.

 

[EDW]

When I first tried the original sugar strings, my impression was that they were like fluorocarbon on steroids.
Very good strings

 

[Kenn2018]

Are these a newer squeakless version? The revised formula that I tried a few years ago still took a few weeks for the squeak to go away on the tenors I tried them on. (Ohana TK-50G & Pono ATD.)

I liked the sound of the sugars very much. To my ears they sound like a cross somewhere between Nylons and Fluorocarbons. If you'll forgive the pun, they have a sweet sound to them with plenty of bark and sustain.

Unfortunately, my fingers do not like their thick diameters.

 

[Tactical Uke]

I've put them on my UC10 concert yesterday and I have to say after about two hours of beginner fiddling: they still somewhat squeak. Regardless of the squeakless sticker
Not like a wound string when you run finger along the string but when you pick the string.

Ya i was getting bad squeak at first plucking with my finger tip pads at first. It goes away eventually thankfully. If you have fingernails it's not even an issue. With the older version people were talking using hand moisturisers to combat the problem. So i licked my fingers whilst eating a greasy sausage at first and sure enough it worked . But almost two days in now it is totally gone. Small price to pay for such a great string methinks. Maybe the sticker should read "squeakless after eating KFC or playing for a couple of days" hehe Maybe it was the sausage.

 

[Tactical Uke]

Are these a newer squeakless version? The revised formula that I tried a few years ago still took a few weeks for the squeak to go away on the tenors I tried them on. (Ohana TK-50G & Pono ATD.)

I liked the sound of the sugars very much. To my ears they sound like a cross somewhere between Nylons and Fluorocarbons. If you'll forgive the pun, they have a sweet sound to them with plenty of bark and sustain.

Unfortunately, my fingers do not like their thick diameters.

Ya , i was looking for a thicker diameter for my soprano because it was set up for super nylguts from the manufacturer. I put on my go to Martin floros and a few strings buzzed due to the smaller diameter sitting lower in the nut. The sugars solved the problem and was really surprised by the sound. So i put them on one of my concerts as well and again they blew the Martins out of the water in terms of sustain and boominess (is that a word?). The thickness i can deal with for the sound. Can't get some of the other brands people suggested here at local shops in central Europe, but these will do fine.

 

[Tactical Uke]

Sugar strings….the newer version does have a vanishing squeak. Which is a good thing. I like them, but I think they take some time to adjust to. They can play loudly if you dig into them. I use them on my Favilla barI. I took them off after a couple of days thinking the were too harsh. But I really missed the D and G strings. So I put them back on. Ended up putting all 4 back on. Went to a group last night and thought they did quite nicely. I think I was fighting them originally and not listening to the nuances they bring to the table. More my problem than the strings.

"I think I was fighting them originally and not listening to the nuances they bring to the table. More my problem than the strings." <<< THIS! I was so used to my fave fluorocarbons I almost ripped them right back off. Then i recorded them using the same uke and mic on top of an existing track for comparison and was blown away. Like Sean Connery once said.." A book fell on my head, I can only blame my shelf" OK old boomer dad jokes, i know i know.