The Aquila New Nylgut is Louder, Brighter and a more sort of happy string set. On the other Hand Bionylon is more of a warm, mellow set such as Fluorocarbon string sets. I prefer Bionylon for picking but the New Nylguts or more diverse. You can have a Bright, elegant sound with a solid wood uke or a bright and jangly sound with a laminate. It also give a bright finger picking sound so. On the orher hand Bionylon due to it's mellowness lacks im volume and sustain(sometimes.) My pick are the Aquila New Nylgut but it still goes down in preference.
Thanks for the demonstration. It's not easy to tell without hearing it in person, but the Nylgut is brighter and harder and the Bionylon is softer and fuller. I've been shopping for "gut" strings for my dad's 1988 S. S. Stewart, to replace the ultralight silk and steel he put on it. Now I think I will look for the Bionylon. I want to hear how that sounds on a banjo.
I just watched this to choose between the strings when I buy them; I knew the tuner one must have been the regulars because it sounded much nicer and the bionylons are cheaper! Thanks for the vid!!
Thank you so much for this video! The uke shop where my husband and I got our ukuleles assured us we had the same strings (Aquila) but we liked mine better and could tell there was a difference in sound and feel. After some online searching about which strings came on our ukes from the factory, I now understand that mine has bionylon and his has nylgut! I can't wait to show him this video and let him decide which he'd rather stick with. I love my bionylons and will likely replace with the same when the time comes. In addition to liking the feel better, I also much prefer the softer more gentle sound they provide. The nylguts are almost a little too bright and overwhelming to my ears for long-term play. Thanks again for this super helpful video!
No, these aren't available yet. Yes, they are very smooth though. The Nylgut are now available with a smoother finish. It must be these that the dealer was talking about.
The two ukes were almost identical before I changed the strings. I'm afraid the difference is almost entirely the strings. No nylon strings sound anything like Nylgut.
Hi Ken, I recently bought a tenor Uke without first trying it out (ebay). It arrived, looked great but I felt the sound was 'dead' and the A string resonated badly on the third fret. It came with Aquila Nylgut. After tinkering with it for a while, I changed the strings to a set of Bionylons and the difference was clearly noticable. The strings sat a fraction higher and the resonance while still there when the chords were aggressively strummed, was greatly reduced. Cheers William, Australia.
Thank you for the comparison! I don't guess which strings are on which instrument, 'cause I had the chance to compare the strings too, both on similar instruments, both solid mahogany. It would be unfair.
Nice comparison Ken! I think the strings with the tuner sound richer and fuller - was those the bionylons? It's hard to tell from a vid and in my tiny laptop speakers ofcourse... I just changed from aquilas to my favourite Worth BM's on my Mainland mango, and I must say it's a big difference. The worths give it a much more complex and balanced sound, with much more nuances. And it helps the intonation too! I often feel aquilas are a bit off and I'm always careful not to stretch them to hard.
neat idea by Mimmo. I thought the uke w the tuner had better note separation and slightly better attack. But which one is which would be beyond me. Very interesting experiment though. Thanks for letting us know and I look forward to the results.
@fiddleinfo Not a chance. It is the strings that are different. Nyon and nylgut are completely different in feel and tone. Some people like the sound of nylon, and at the moment they are often buying D'Addario. Aquila just want to give them the option of buying their strings.
Love these comparison videos, Ken! I suspect that the uke with the tuner is the one with the Nylgut, and to my ears, it sounds a little crisper, more responsive and bright than the uke without the tuner, which I suspect is the "BioNylon". Being more oil based I suspect would make the sound a little duller and mellow. Wonder if I'm correct?! : P
Interesting comparison Ken. I don't find either to sound better or worse, just different. My guess is the uke with the tuner has the nylguts. It sounds a little brighter. The other strings sound more mellow to my ear. I would use one or the other depending on the sound I was after.
The uke with the tuner definitely sounds brighter overall. The other, however, has a warmer sound that works well with strummed chords. I prefer the sound of the uke with the tuner, but I would stop short of describing the other as "dead" - still a nice tone. I would love to hear more about the difference in feel, as well as how, after a time, the bionylon compares to nylgut with regards to nicks. Not that that is a problem with nylgut, just curious about the properties of the new strings.
I think the uke with the tuner has regular NylGut strings. They are brighter and don't decay as quickly as the other setup. Either way, the bone saddle seems to bring out brilliance in both instruments.
The strings with the tuner uke are more clear and independent sounding. They still sound good together though. The strings on the non-tuner uke sound more muddied. I have no idea which is which, but in this sound test I like the strings on the uke with the tuner on the headstock. Do they feel different in any way? A guess is the non tuner uke is Nylgut?
Yes, but it would need to be very thick fishing line and most fishing stores won't stock it. And it would need to be a different thickness for each strings.
The one with the tuner seems to have better percussive qualities, whereas the other seems more mellow. I've got a Lanikai CK-TEQ which had Aquilas on it. I'm not sure what type but I just purchased two sets of the Bionylon on Ebay. So I'm very interested in the outcome of your tests.
I prefer the strings on the uke with the tuner. My son and I recently bought a couple of ukuleles and figured we'd both learn together. mine came strung with Aquila Nylgut strings which I think sound great. I'd like to buy the same strings for my sons uke but don't know where in my area the find them.(Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) If yourself or anyone reading this comment knows a store nearby, please let me know, thanks a million. Great playing, thanks for the videos.
The one with the tuner is louder and more brash. The other is more mellow. The ones I prefer might depend on the tune I was playing. The one with the tuner sounds just like SK-35g with the Nylguts, so I am guessing that has the old strings.
Ken, Tuner uke is best. Mind you, TH-cam sound quality is compressed to buggery... I put on my Sennheiser headphones to carefully listen. Do we really have to worry about the carbon foortprint on a few grammes of nylon string? If the tuner uke has the bio-nylon strings I will be over the moon with the change. If it is the other one, then I will be stockpiling the old strings - glad I bought two spare sets from the Southern Ukulele stand today! BrianW
I think the one without tuner speak a clearer and brighter sound. Not sure if it's just me feeling this way. While the other one is slightly softer, nice and fluffy sound
Well, the strings on the uke with the tuner are definitely brighter and fuller, so I'm guessing that is their new string. I can't imagine Aquila going for a softer duller sounding string. I find that to be a n eyeopening test if I'm right...guess I'll have to order some new strings and try them out, yes?
The uke with the tuner seems to have more volume and a bit fuller tone quality. The other uke sounds very good but seems to be just a little more treble oriented and not quite as loud. I would guess that the uke with the tuner is sporting the new bionylon strings and would be my favorite given the test parameters.
The one with the tuner is much louder/brighter but also sounds a bit brash. The one without sounds dull in comparison but also cleaner. I'm not sure which I'd prefer from this small sample.
I like the sound of the Strings on the uke with a tuner best. But I noticed that Aquilla nylgut strings are very hard compared to some unknown string I have on another uke. How do the bio nylons feel?
Aquilia may want to compete with D'Addario in the nylon market but their advertising leans to the fact that it is environmentally friendly. (which is why I'm interested - I'm already satisfied with Aquila) Perhaps it is simply your playing style that suits the regular Aquilas ... or do you think on certain different instruments - because of wood, age, construction, tenor vs soprano etc that you might prefer the new string? For violin I use different strings depending on the instrument.
I liked the sound of the one with the tuner best. To me it just sounded richer and warmer all around. Of course it could be that it's the tuner itself adding mass to the head stock and thus improving the resonance. Guess you'll have to run the test again with the tuner on the other uke. The other factor; did you play knowing which was which? Have read and hear many people say, the tone is in the fingers. (just kidding of course). Look forward to the outcome. Thanks for running the test for us.
On that uke I actually prefer Worth strings. Flurocarbon seems to give the tone I want. However, I like both types of Aquila strings and I am keen to try the nylon ones on a tenor.
Very interesting comparison - thank you for doing this video. I like the tuner uke best, but no idea if that's Nylguts or Bionylon! I guess it doesn't matter which is which, as long as the player likes the sound they get. Have fun at Hollesley :)
Interesting video. The non tuner seems to have a slightly more percussive sound while the tuner one seems to be a little warmer. Both nice sounds but the tuner strings just seem to have the edge on strummed pieces while I would pick the non tuners for picked tunes.
It is totally clear which one is strung with nylgut, absolutely superior, I recently tried nylon strings on ukulele for the first time and it's just not the same. btw Aquila Italian pride
Howdy Mr. Ken! I tried to attach a video showing myself playing a SK-200G with Aquila Nylgut strings to no avail...but the video is on my channel. I apologize for my ignorance of youtube but, I believe my uke sounds similar to your uke with the tuner? : )
My impression is that there is a muted quality to the "non-tuner" strings... less crispness in the attack and the sound seems to die rather quickly. the "tuner" strings hits the tones immediately and clearly and rings for a long time.you could play the latter in a muted, less aggressive manner and get the same effect, but i would doubt you could get the clarity from the former. I would guess the "tuner" had the bionylon, because the "non-tuner" sounds like my soprano with nylgut strings.
There seems to be more resonance with the uke with the tuner. I prefered it for strumming. I prefered the one without for the picking. I hope the new strings will be available for baritone uke. I'd like to try them on my resonator. (I'm guessing they are the ones on the uke without the tuner.)
I love the Bionylons and I wanted a set for my new Ukulele, but the Nylguts suit my preferences so much better. Thanks for the comparison. Now I know how they both sound.
My initial reaction is to also prefer the instrument with the tuner, for the same reasons mentioned in other comments. The only thing else I have to offer is, while you have gone to great effort to make everything else equal, the difference between the two is not so great that it could just be a difference between the two instruments. It would be interesting to change the strings on both ukes to other type and compare those results.
I think the strings on the ukulele with the tuner sound a little brighter and crisper. The strings on the ukulele without the tuner sound a little more "plinky" to me, almost as if you were comparing a soprano ukulele (the one without the tuner) with a concert or tenor (the one with the tuner).
prefer the sound of the Uke with the tuner, which I believe to be nylgut... I am a lute player and play with gut strings combined with nylgut on some of the strings. and loved your rendition of Puff the magic Dragon
Great video, helpful and informative. Many thanks. I preferred the standard strings overall, esp. in the picking section but I quite liked the sound of the bionylons when strummed. Do they feel different when you play?
@KenMiddletonUkulele Beautiful ukuleles, by the way. I recently bought an Ohana solid mahogany baritone and it seems like a great instrument. It's strung with Aquila baritone strings in DGBE tuning, with the D and G strings being wound.
Where can I find on which Uke are Nylgut and on which are the Bionylons? I would like to test the Bionylons on an older Soprano so I am looking for some comparisons. By the way I would guess that the one with the tuner has the Bionylons because they seem to be thinner (bigger swing-amplitude) than the ones on the Without-Uke.
The one with the tuner to me sounds very similar to the uke's I have with Nyglut Strings. They are louder than the Worth's which I use from time to time, So I would guess the tuner uke is the one with the Nygluts, I definitely preferred its sound to the non-tuner one.
In my opinion, for what it is worth, the uke with the tuner was a crisper, cleaner and a far brighter sound especially when you were finger picking. I will hazard a guess and say that unless Aquila are developing their product in a retrograde direction, the uke with the tuner has the new bionylon strings. A big thank you, by the way, for your contribution to the world of ukulele, these videos, your tabs and bluegrass book, have been invaluable to me on my ukulele safari.
I prefer the Nylgut strings because they are more flexible than the Bionylons. The Bionylons are taking ages to 'bed in' and 'give'. I feel I'm back to square one with my blisters! The Nylguts are much more friendly!
The Tuner equipped one seems a little richer, if one can use that to describe acoustics. Whatever the characteristic, it is more pleasing to my ear than the other one.
Hey, Ken - I like the brightness of the one with the tuner, although the other one might sound better for Hawai'ian music or other gentle stuff. But I am officially casting my vote for Ms. Tuner.
I think the bionylon are on the uke without the tuner. They sound a little softer and more gently. The other with the tuner is sounding louder. For backing up. I should prefer the Aquila and for melody and solo the other. Hein
I have to say, that to me, the one with the tuner is brighter and louder, while the other is more subtle and muted. I may be vulgar, but I prefer the sound of the one with tuner.
I would have to say the one with the tuner. When they're being picked the one with the tuner has a much warmer and more mellow tone. The other one does sound good, but I think that it sounds a little duller compared to the other one. With the chords, the one without the tuner again has a warmer tone than the other one, which has a slightly shorter, spikier tone. When you played the first tune I didn't hear much difference however on the second one I preferred the one with the tuner due to tone.
I'm not sure which strings are which, as I've never heard the Bionylons before. This I do know....I prefer the sound of the uke with the tuner. My guess is that the uke with the tuner has the Nylgut strings. The others sounded dull in comparison....
I think I have cheated a little Mr. Ken? I own the same model Ohana with Aquila Nylgut strings and played Puff the magic dragon, and it sounds almost identical to the one with the tuner? I happen to agree with another person who made a comment that the non-tuner uke sounded great when strummed. I would love to get a set of these and try them on some different ukes! Here's a hope'n you are have'n a great day! : )
Hmmm, tricky! :-) I think the uke with the tuner on it has the Nylguts on it, because it sounds brighter and louder, with more sustain. I think the non tuner one sounds warmer and sweeter, so I prefer the sound. I think they bring out the warm tone of the mahogany more than the Nylguts. I would actually change my Nylguts to the bionylons, if I'm right!
Having a tuner left on makes any uke look horrible, but the one with tuner sounded better to my ear. Always hard to judge sound from a youtube clip, but that's what I felt instinctively. Which is which? I have no idea.
The Bionylon strings are certainly worth looking at. I haven't compared themn against any other nylon strings (like D'Addario), but they feel very much the same. Thanks Alex. Working for Ohana is a great job.
I agree with Ukesterbrown. The ukulele with the tuner is clearer, and it has a more "full" tone, if that makes any sense. Both strings sound really good, but i would say that the strings on the ukulele with tuner just has a 10%-20% better, and more clear sound. I would guess that the strings i liked here was the bionylon? Anyways, thanks for the video, both are really nice strings in my book.
I'm playing each in a very similar way. To me, both sets of strings are equally good. But very different. You are right. The biggest variable is the player.
I know nothing technical about music Ken, but I prefer the non-tuner one. It sounds a bit warmer than the tuner one, which seems a bit harsher. Like I say, no technical analysis, just what it sounds like to me.
@KenMiddletonUkulele :-) But then, saying that, I think the strings on the one with tuner on it are better for picking than the others. The strings on the no tuner uke are better for strumming. I feel lost now, how could you do this to me, Ken?! :-) X
Don't know which one is which. What I can say is : sound is saturated on both, but I surely prefer the one without tuner. It sounds much more "vintage". my half-cent.
I prefer the one with the tuner. It has a fuller sound. More presence and is more articulate. I think the one with the tuner is the bio
Awesome test. Thank you, almost 11 years later, for doing this! The Nylgut strings sounded better to me.
Thanks for watching.
The one with the tuner had regular Aquila strings. Thanks for watching.
The Aquila New Nylgut is Louder, Brighter and a more sort of happy string set. On the other Hand Bionylon is more of a warm, mellow set such as Fluorocarbon string sets. I prefer Bionylon for picking but the New Nylguts or more diverse. You can have a Bright, elegant sound with a solid wood uke or a bright and jangly sound with a laminate. It also give a bright finger picking sound so. On the orher hand Bionylon due to it's mellowness lacks im volume and sustain(sometimes.) My pick are the Aquila New Nylgut but it still goes down in preference.
Thanks for the demonstration. It's not easy to tell without hearing it in person, but the Nylgut is brighter and harder and the Bionylon is softer and fuller. I've been shopping for "gut" strings for my dad's 1988 S. S. Stewart, to replace the ultralight silk and steel he put on it. Now I think I will look for the Bionylon. I want to hear how that sounds on a banjo.
Thanks for not spoiling the survey, Ralf. What about just saying which you prefer: with tuner or without tuner?
I just watched this to choose between the strings when I buy them; I knew the tuner one must have been the regulars because it sounded much nicer and the bionylons are cheaper! Thanks for the vid!!
Thank you so much for this video! The uke shop where my husband and I got our ukuleles assured us we had the same strings (Aquila) but we liked mine better and could tell there was a difference in sound and feel. After some online searching about which strings came on our ukes from the factory, I now understand that mine has bionylon and his has nylgut! I can't wait to show him this video and let him decide which he'd rather stick with. I love my bionylons and will likely replace with the same when the time comes. In addition to liking the feel better, I also much prefer the softer more gentle sound they provide. The nylguts are almost a little too bright and overwhelming to my ears for long-term play. Thanks again for this super helpful video!
If your asking which strings sound OK if you tune it down, then choose Aquilas. I often used to tune to Bb. The deeper sound worked well.
You are right about the woodgrain - the tunerless uke is my original one. But which one did I put the new strings on?
No, these aren't available yet. Yes, they are very smooth though. The Nylgut are now available with a smoother finish. It must be these that the dealer was talking about.
They both had Nylguts and sounded identical before I changed the strings. I couldn't tell them apart.
The two ukes were almost identical before I changed the strings. I'm afraid the difference is almost entirely the strings. No nylon strings sound anything like Nylgut.
Hi Ken,
I recently bought a tenor Uke without first trying it out (ebay). It arrived, looked great but I felt the sound was 'dead' and the A string resonated badly on the third fret. It came with Aquila Nylgut.
After tinkering with it for a while, I changed the strings to a set of Bionylons and the difference was clearly noticable. The strings sat a fraction higher and the resonance while still there when the chords were aggressively strummed, was greatly reduced.
Cheers
William, Australia.
Thank you for the comparison! I don't guess which strings are on which instrument, 'cause I had the chance to compare the strings too, both on similar instruments, both solid mahogany. It would be unfair.
Nice comparison Ken! I think the strings with the tuner sound richer and fuller - was those the bionylons? It's hard to tell from a vid and in my tiny laptop speakers ofcourse...
I just changed from aquilas to my favourite Worth BM's on my Mainland mango, and I must say it's a big difference. The worths give it a much more complex and balanced sound, with much more nuances. And it helps the intonation too! I often feel aquilas are a bit off and I'm always careful not to stretch them to hard.
I would go for the Nylguts. They are available now. The Bionylon may not be available for 2 months or so.
Thanks for your considered comments, Tony. The Bionylons will be available in one or two months time.
neat idea by Mimmo. I thought the uke w the tuner had better note separation and slightly better attack. But which one is which would be beyond me. Very interesting experiment though. Thanks for letting us know and I look forward to the results.
@fiddleinfo Not a chance. It is the strings that are different. Nyon and nylgut are completely different in feel and tone. Some people like the sound of nylon, and at the moment they are often buying D'Addario. Aquila just want to give them the option of buying their strings.
Love these comparison videos, Ken! I suspect that the uke with the tuner is the one with the Nylgut, and to my ears, it sounds a little crisper, more responsive and bright than the uke without the tuner, which I suspect is the "BioNylon". Being more oil based I suspect would make the sound a little duller and mellow. Wonder if I'm correct?! : P
@kojinmalia Nylgut are very different from regular nylon. Bionylon are nylon strings made from organic stuff.
Interesting comparison Ken.
I don't find either to sound better or worse, just different.
My guess is the uke with the tuner has the nylguts. It sounds a little brighter.
The other strings sound more mellow to my ear.
I would use one or the other depending on the sound I was after.
The uke with the tuner definitely sounds brighter overall. The other, however, has a warmer sound that works well with strummed chords. I prefer the sound of the uke with the tuner, but I would stop short of describing the other as "dead" - still a nice tone. I would love to hear more about the difference in feel, as well as how, after a time, the bionylon compares to nylgut with regards to nicks. Not that that is a problem with nylgut, just curious about the properties of the new strings.
I think the uke with the tuner has regular NylGut strings. They are brighter and don't decay as quickly as the other setup. Either way, the bone saddle seems to bring out brilliance in both instruments.
The strings with the tuner uke are more clear and independent sounding. They still sound good together though. The strings on the non-tuner uke sound more muddied. I have no idea which is which, but in this sound test I like the strings on the uke with the tuner on the headstock. Do they feel different in any way? A guess is the non tuner uke is Nylgut?
I like both sets of strings. It depends whether I am strumming or picking.
Yes, but it would need to be very thick fishing line and most fishing stores won't stock it. And it would need to be a different thickness for each strings.
Good choice, Lynda. Thanks for watching.
I don't think the new strings are available just yet.
The one with the tuner seems to have better percussive qualities, whereas the other seems more mellow. I've got a Lanikai CK-TEQ which had Aquilas on it. I'm not sure what type but I just purchased two sets of the Bionylon on Ebay. So I'm very interested in the outcome of your tests.
I prefer the strings on the uke with the tuner. My son and I recently bought a couple of ukuleles and figured we'd both learn together. mine came strung with Aquila Nylgut strings which I think sound great. I'd like to buy the same strings for my sons uke but don't know where in my area the find them.(Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) If yourself or anyone reading this comment knows a store nearby, please let me know, thanks a million. Great playing, thanks for the videos.
It is interesting, isn't it, that one type of string seems good for strumming and another for picking?
Thanks Anna. I am really looking forward to Hollesley. Hope to make several videos there.
Thank Pete. They are available in a couple of months.
The one with the tuner is louder and more brash. The other is more mellow. The ones I prefer might depend on the tune I was playing. The one with the tuner sounds just like SK-35g with the Nylguts, so I am guessing that has the old strings.
Ken,
Tuner uke is best. Mind you, TH-cam sound quality is compressed to buggery... I put on my Sennheiser headphones to carefully listen. Do we really have to worry about the carbon foortprint on a few grammes of nylon string? If the tuner uke has the bio-nylon strings I will be over the moon with the change. If it is the other one, then I will be stockpiling the old strings - glad I bought two spare sets from the Southern Ukulele stand today!
BrianW
I think the one without tuner speak a clearer and brighter sound. Not sure if it's just me feeling this way. While the other one is slightly softer, nice and fluffy sound
+MusaIbnHaroon Thanks.
Well, the strings on the uke with the tuner are definitely brighter and fuller, so I'm guessing that is their new string. I can't imagine Aquila going for a softer duller sounding string. I find that to be a n eyeopening test if I'm right...guess I'll have to order some new strings and try them out, yes?
The uke without the tuner sounds more dull to me.
The uke with the tuner seems to have more volume and a bit fuller tone quality. The other uke sounds very good but seems to be just a little more treble oriented and not quite as loud. I would guess that the uke with the tuner is sporting the new bionylon strings and would be my favorite given the test parameters.
The one with the tuner is much louder/brighter but also sounds a bit brash. The one without sounds dull in comparison but also cleaner. I'm not sure which I'd prefer from this small sample.
I like the sound of the Strings on the uke with a tuner best. But I noticed that Aquilla nylgut strings are very hard compared to some unknown string I have on another uke. How do the bio nylons feel?
I like the tuner one best. It seems to have a slightly brighter presence, giving it better clarity and possibly better projection.
Aquilia may want to compete with D'Addario in the nylon market but their advertising leans to the fact that it is environmentally friendly. (which is why I'm interested - I'm already satisfied with Aquila)
Perhaps it is simply your playing style that suits the regular Aquilas ... or do you think on certain different instruments - because of wood, age, construction, tenor vs soprano etc that you might prefer the new string? For violin I use different strings depending on the instrument.
I liked the sound of the one with the tuner best. To me it just sounded richer and warmer all around.
Of course it could be that it's the tuner itself adding mass to the head stock and thus improving the resonance. Guess you'll have to run the test again with the tuner on the other uke. The other factor; did you play knowing which was which? Have read and hear many people say, the tone is in the fingers. (just kidding of course). Look forward to the outcome. Thanks for running the test for us.
On that uke I actually prefer Worth strings. Flurocarbon seems to give the tone I want. However, I like both types of Aquila strings and I am keen to try the nylon ones on a tenor.
Very interesting comparison - thank you for doing this video.
I like the tuner uke best, but no idea if that's Nylguts or Bionylon! I guess it doesn't matter which is which, as long as the player likes the sound they get. Have fun at Hollesley :)
Interesting video. The non tuner seems to have a slightly more percussive sound while the tuner one seems to be a little warmer. Both nice sounds but the tuner strings just seem to have the edge on strummed pieces while I would pick the non tuners for picked tunes.
It is totally clear which one is strung with nylgut, absolutely superior, I recently tried nylon strings on ukulele for the first time and it's just not the same. btw Aquila Italian pride
Hi Remco. Interesting reasoning. Thanks for the comment. Answers in about a week.
Howdy Mr. Ken! I tried to attach a video showing myself playing a SK-200G with Aquila Nylgut strings to no avail...but the video is on my channel. I apologize for my ignorance of youtube but, I believe my uke sounds similar to your uke with the tuner? : )
You'll have to wait a few days to see if you are right. Good point about Worths.
Interesting point. I like the descriptive words "crisper" and "plinky".
My impression is that there is a muted quality to the "non-tuner" strings... less crispness in the attack and the sound seems to die rather quickly. the "tuner" strings hits the tones immediately and clearly and rings for a long time.you could play the latter in a muted, less aggressive manner and get the same effect, but i would doubt you could get the clarity from the former. I would guess the "tuner" had the bionylon, because the "non-tuner" sounds like my soprano with nylgut strings.
Just curious- did you have a preference? Unfortunately. TH-cam sound limitation makes these types of comparisons difficult.
Keith Ling If I had to use one of these string types, it would be the Nylgut. However, I don't have to. I use my own brand, of course.
There seems to be more resonance with the uke with the tuner. I prefered it for strumming. I prefered the one without for the picking. I hope the new strings will be available for baritone uke. I'd like to try them on my resonator. (I'm guessing they are the ones on the uke without the tuner.)
That's interesting. I thought one of the sets of strings was louder too. On Audacity, the levels were about the same though.
I love the Bionylons and I wanted a set for my new Ukulele, but the Nylguts suit my preferences so much better.
Thanks for the comparison. Now I know how they both sound.
My initial reaction is to also prefer the instrument with the tuner, for the same reasons mentioned in other comments. The only thing else I have to offer is, while you have gone to great effort to make everything else equal, the difference between the two is not so great that it could just be a difference between the two instruments. It would be interesting to change the strings on both ukes to other type and compare those results.
I find the tuner strung uke brighter and prefer that brightness whether it's newer or older strings.
I think the strings on the ukulele with the tuner sound a little brighter and crisper. The strings on the ukulele without the tuner sound a little more "plinky" to me, almost as if you were comparing a soprano ukulele (the one without the tuner) with a concert or tenor (the one with the tuner).
prefer the sound of the Uke with the tuner, which I believe to be nylgut... I am a lute player and play with gut strings combined with nylgut on some of the strings. and loved your rendition of Puff the magic Dragon
Great video, helpful and informative. Many thanks.
I preferred the standard strings overall, esp. in the picking section but I quite liked the sound of the bionylons when strummed.
Do they feel different when you play?
@KenMiddletonUkulele Beautiful ukuleles, by the way. I recently bought an Ohana solid mahogany baritone and it seems like a great instrument. It's strung with Aquila baritone strings in DGBE tuning, with the D and G strings being wound.
Where can I find on which Uke are Nylgut and on which are the Bionylons?
I would like to test the Bionylons on an older Soprano so I am looking for some comparisons.
By the way I would guess that the one with the tuner has the Bionylons because they seem to be thinner (bigger swing-amplitude) than the ones on the Without-Uke.
The one with the tuner to me sounds very similar to the uke's I have with Nyglut Strings. They are louder than the Worth's which I use from time to time, So I would guess the tuner uke is the one with the Nygluts, I definitely preferred its sound to the non-tuner one.
In my opinion, for what it is worth, the uke with the tuner was a crisper, cleaner and a far brighter sound especially when you were finger picking.
I will hazard a guess and say that unless Aquila are developing their product in a retrograde direction, the uke with the tuner has the new bionylon strings.
A big thank you, by the way, for your contribution to the world of ukulele, these videos, your tabs and bluegrass book, have been invaluable to me on my ukulele safari.
Good reasoning. Thanks for the comment.
I prefer the Nylgut strings because they are more flexible than the Bionylons. The Bionylons are taking ages to 'bed in' and 'give'. I feel I'm back to square one with my blisters! The Nylguts are much more friendly!
The Tuner equipped one seems a little richer, if one can use that to describe acoustics. Whatever the characteristic, it is more pleasing to my ear than the other one.
Hey, Ken -
I like the brightness of the one with the tuner, although the other one might sound better for Hawai'ian music or other gentle stuff. But I am officially casting my vote for Ms. Tuner.
I think the bionylon are on the uke without the tuner. They sound a little softer and more gently. The other with the tuner is sounding louder. For backing up. I should prefer the Aquila and for melody and solo the other. Hein
tuner is cleaner, sharper, and louder.
We preferred the strings on the uke with the tuner. To us, they had a fuller sound.
Thanks for the comment. To be fair on YT, the sound is pretty clear through earphones.
I have to say, that to me, the one with the tuner is brighter and louder, while the other is more subtle and muted. I may be vulgar, but I prefer the sound of the one with tuner.
I would have to say the one with the tuner. When they're being picked the one with the tuner has a much warmer and more mellow tone. The other one does sound good, but I think that it sounds a little duller compared to the other one. With the chords, the one without the tuner again has a warmer tone than the other one, which has a slightly shorter, spikier tone. When you played the first tune I didn't hear much difference however on the second one I preferred the one with the tuner due to tone.
They will be available in a few months to buy.
I'm not sure which strings are which, as I've never heard the Bionylons before. This I do know....I prefer the sound of the uke with the tuner. My guess is that the uke with the tuner has the Nylgut strings. The others sounded dull in comparison....
I like the sound of the Nylgut strings better. Great test, thanks for the post.
@KenMiddletonUkulele
Well, I cannot say which strings are which because I don't know both.
But I like the sound of the one with tuner much more.
I like the one with the tuner actually. The sound seems cleaner, more crisp in comparison to the one without.
I think I have cheated a little Mr. Ken? I own the same model Ohana with Aquila Nylgut strings and played Puff the magic dragon, and it sounds almost identical to the one with the tuner? I happen to agree with another person who made a comment that the non-tuner uke sounded great when strummed. I would love to get a set of these and try them on some different ukes! Here's a hope'n you are have'n a great day! : )
Hmmm, tricky! :-) I think the uke with the tuner on it has the Nylguts on it, because it sounds brighter and louder, with more sustain. I think the non tuner one sounds warmer and sweeter, so I prefer the sound. I think they bring out the warm tone of the mahogany more than the Nylguts. I would actually change my Nylguts to the bionylons, if I'm right!
i think the Bionylon is the one with the tuner it seems to have a fuller sound to me .
Having a tuner left on makes any uke look horrible, but the one with tuner sounded better to my ear. Always hard to judge sound from a youtube clip, but that's what I felt instinctively. Which is which? I have no idea.
The Bionylon strings are certainly worth looking at. I haven't compared themn against any other nylon strings (like D'Addario), but they feel very much the same.
Thanks Alex. Working for Ohana is a great job.
I agree with Ukesterbrown. The ukulele with the tuner is clearer, and it has a more "full" tone, if that makes any sense. Both strings sound really good, but i would say that the strings on the ukulele with tuner just has a 10%-20% better, and more clear sound.
I would guess that the strings i liked here was the bionylon?
Anyways, thanks for the video, both are really nice strings in my book.
I'm playing each in a very similar way. To me, both sets of strings are equally good. But very different.
You are right. The biggest variable is the player.
I know nothing technical about music Ken, but I prefer the non-tuner one. It sounds a bit warmer than the tuner one, which seems a bit harsher. Like I say, no technical analysis, just what it sounds like to me.
Thanks for your detailed comment.
As usual Ken, an excellent demonstration and comparision! :-) Mario
Thanks for listening.
@KenMiddletonUkulele :-) But then, saying that, I think the strings on the one with tuner on it are better for picking than the others. The strings on the no tuner uke are better for strumming. I feel lost now, how could you do this to me, Ken?! :-) X
I much prefer the Bionylon. The sound is much clearer, not so muddy. The price seems to be a loss of volume.
I think that the ukulele with the tuner has the best sound. It is a bit richer and seems to have more depth. The other set is also nice.
I really likes the sound much better with the ukulele with the tuner. What strings were used on that one?
As it says in the blurb, they were the regular Aquilas.
Don't know which one is which. What I can say is : sound is saturated on both, but I surely prefer the one without tuner. It sounds much more "vintage".
my half-cent.
Thanks for the comment.