Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Aquila Thunderblack 140U Bass Ukulele Strings


claptonite
 Share

Recommended Posts

Sorry if I've missed this point in this or other threads, but on the subject of Bass Ukulele Strings - has anyone tried the Aquila Thunderblacks - 140U? My Countryman bass uke came with the standard Thunderguts and I'm not a fan of the look and I think it's time for a change. Any views or alternatives?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I've bought set now anyway, so I'll post a review in a while (good or bad). I tried a set of Thunder Reds on a bass uke I built from a 1/2 size classic guitar and they didn't suit it at all so went back to standard Thunderguts for that. I've also tried the Pyramid copper wound of silk/nylon and found them much too prone to finger noise on an acoustic bass uke. Might suit a solid bass uke better I guess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, they arrived today and took all of 10 minutes to fit straight out of the packet. Several first impressions: the black look is so much better than the off-white/cream look of standard Thunderguts. They don't need pre-stretching when you wind them onto the machine heads. Just load 'em up like normal strings - I had to shorten the E string otherwise you get two many winds and it looks all wrong plus it lifted clear off the nut. Took a couple inches off and that fixed it. The other strings were fine, full length. They are nice and smooth - at least as good as the Pahoehoe strings, I think, maybe even better. The tone so far seems really good. They've only been on a few hours (and it is the hottest day of the year so far) so it's too early to judge how they'll settle in. Unlike the standards, the E & A strings do actually seem to slide over the nut when you wind them up. Current on Amazon.co.uk at £22.40 inc. delivery, so a bargain price. My impression so far is that Aquila have a winner here. I'll report later after things settle and I've gigged with them. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 19 April 2018 at 19:23, claptonite said:

 Current on Amazon.co.uk at £22.40 inc. delivery, so a bargain price. My impression so far is that Aquila have a winner here. I'll report later after things settle and I've gigged with them. 

Thanks for the heads-up on that. I've bought myself a set.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Thanks OP for your review. I was hoping to get abit more info on these strings compared to the thunder reds. 

Which of these strings, thunderblack vs thunder reds, have less friction and slide better? 

Are the thunderblacks fat like the pahoehoes or narrow like thunder reds? 

Which have more tension? I've tried the thunderguts and pahoehoes so can compare to these strings. 

Thanks in advance! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I had a set of Thunder Reds a couple of years ago on a previous (home-made) U-bass and didn't much care for them. I seem to think they were quite high tension and had a pretty hard sound but I have no comparison with the Thunder Blacks I am now using. I think they are quite similar to the Pahoehoes in reality. A (rich) friend of mine has a Kala U-bass with the original factory fit strings on and they slide a little bit better than the TB's I think. I seem to remember the TR's being not quite so sticky as the original Thunderguts. On the gauge..I'm not sure...can't say I've noticed much variation with all these U-bass strings other than the Pyramids which are quite different. They are all pretty "fat"!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

First, decide on the purpose, why do you need this? Just to spend the money? Try it in a music store, if they seem good to you, then of course buy. The exact opinion of these strings can only be done by you.

From my own experience I can say that I did not notice the difference for myself. My standard strings were torn on my favorite Luna Guitars there will be a description if anyone is not up to date with this model. I replaced them with others that I was advised, in the end they turned out to be terrible, I had to buy standard ones again and then everything became good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...