Aquila Alabastro Nylgut Classical Guitar Strings - Review & Sound Test
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Aquila’s Alabastro Nylgut strings claim to have a “better brightness” and tuning stability than traditional nylon strings. I’ll share my thoughts about this set and do a sound test so that you can hear how these strings might sound across a variety of styles.
Timestamps:
0:05 - Review
0:46 - Nylgut Definition
2:08 - Squeaking Strings
3:12 - Appearance
3:51 - Aesthetics
4:42 - Stabilization Tim
5:17 - Luis Milan - Pavana No. 1
5:31 - Gaspar Sanz - Folias
5:45 - Gaspar Sanz - Torneo
5:51 - Fernando Sor - Op. 31 No. 1
6:08 - Fernando Sor - Op. 35. No. 2
6:17 - Dionisio Aguado - Lesson No. 19
6:30 - J.S. Bach - BWV 147 - Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
7:20 - John Dowland - Orlando Sleepeth
7:50 - Francisco Tarrega - Etude in C Major
8:18 - Francisco Tarrega - Etude in E Minor
8:40 - Bartolome Calatayud - Vals
8:58 - Francesco Molino - Variation 3
9:12 - Tasto Example - Carulli Op. 241 No. 2
9:27 - Ponticello Example - Carulli Op. 241 No. 2
9:42 - Leo Brouwer - Movido
9:57 - Outro
The Strings: aquilacorde.co...
The guitar: Amada 4655 PM
Polygut is a synthetic gut string material developed between Aquila and C.F. Martin in the US, sold under the "Magnifico" line. These strings are similar to Nylgut, but have a texture. Check out my review here: • Martin Magnifico M265 ...
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Recording:
Camera: Sony FDR-AX700, 4K @ 30fps, 100mbps ( • Sony FDR-AX 700 - Unbo... )
Mic: Tascam DR-40X (tascam.com/us/...) @ 96khz/24bit
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Hashtags:
#guitar #classicalguitar #music #Spanishguitar #classicalmusic
Interesting product. We've only tried steel strings so far but this is good to know! Thank you.
Thanks guys! Yes, these strings are for a classical guitar. I have a few reviews of steel acoustic strings too in my "String Reviews" playlist. You guys might like to try the Pyramid Western Folk, since you do a lot of country music. 🤠
sound great Josh👍👍👍
Thanks! I appreciate it!
Sounds like a pretty decent brand. Thanks for sharing the review.
Thanks, Florentin! I appreciate it!
Good review !
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!
Big Like my friend !!!! Well done :) !
Thanks, Six Strings! I know you like this set too, so I appreciate it!
Thanks , Josh, for the informative video! So do you like them? Are they better than normal nylon?
Thanks, I appreciate it! Great question. Yes, I do like these strings. They offer a brighter sound than nylon with a softer feel than carbon. They're fairly close to feel, sound and tension of gut strings, but have significantly better tuning stability (for example, one time when I was playing with gut strings outdoors last summer, a random cold front moved through and almost instantly the entire set dropped in pitch. And if it's a hot day, they'll frequently _gain_ pitch. They're a bit like a prima donna, ha ha.) So regarding being "better" than nylon, it's honestly relative to the player. If you prefer a brighter sound and strings that stay in tune consistently, these are a good option, but one that is at a higher price than nylon with a longer time to stabilize. Yet some would say the warm sound and easy playing feel of nylon justifies tuning them each time. I'd recommend giving another listen to the sound test to first see if the tone suits your playing style. First and foremost one should be satisfied with the tone. If so, then give them a try and see if you like the feel. Hope this helps!
@@Josh.Vanjani Many thanks , Josh, for your answer. Maybe I'll give it a try when I play without nails again. But with nails, my Stenzel spruce doesn't need more brightness.
@@StefanNiggl Sounds like a plan! If your budget permits, you may enjoy the Gut & Silk 900 set, or even just the genuine silk "Seta" basses, they'll warm up the sound of the spruce and they're far more comfortable to play with no nails since they're varnished. I have a review of that set in my "Strings Review" playlist, or just search for it and you'll find my video.
Hello, you have prepared a nice video, thank you for it. I have a question for you. Is this a normal tension strings? Have you tried the d'addario ej45 strings? Which would be your choice between the two?
Thanks, Bilgisayar! Great questions. The set in this video is Normal Tension. As for D'Addario EJ45 vs. these Aquila Alabastro, it totally depends. The Alabastro are thinner, brighter, louder, a bit denser and harder on the nails, cost a few dollars more and aren't always available in shops. I'd recommend the D'Addario for beginners or people who want a balanced sound; they work well for every type of music. I'd recommend the Alabastro for people who want more of a contrast between basses and trebles, or who might want a more historically accurate tone. I like both D'Addario and Aquila equally, but use them for different purposes (I have plain D'Addario nylon on my Brazilian guitar right now). Hope this helps. 👍
@@Josh.Vanjani Thank you for this nice explanation. Thanks to you, I learned more about these two strings (especially about the Aquila). And I understood the differences between the two. However, I have one more question for you. Which string or strings would you recommend for someone who mostly plays classical music, uses guitar strings with normal tension and especially finger style on the guitar? Thanks in advance, I wish you good work.
@@bilgisayaregitimi4507 Sure thing, Bilgisayr, happy to help out! If you're primarily a classical player, I'd recommend the Aquila Alabastro since the bright contrast between trebles and basses is more similar to gut and, therefore, closer to what the composers intended. D'Addario will still sound good with classical, but it's a more modern tone. If you're used to the tension on EJ45, I'd recommend trying the Light Tension Alabastro. The treble tension in the Alabastro "Normal" set is actually equivalent to the "Extra Hard" tension in D'Addario nylon (I just checked on Strings By Mail's website). If you try the Aquila and upload a video performance, let me know and I'll check it out!
🌹❤️🇱🇰👍
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!
Nice job Josh, it always blows my mind how much strings really effect a guitars tone. It truly does make a difference! I never bought into it. I always just bought cheap strings, well now I know it really makes a difference!
Thanks, Justin! Yes, finding the "right" set of strings for a guitar certainly brings out it's best qualities! I think the Aquila were an ideal match for this Czech guitar. On my warmer Brazilian guitar, the warm silk strings really sound amazing, and the bright Elixrs I put on the Aria guitar really brought out it's finer qualities too. I'm happy you've found an ideal set for the Vowinkel!
Quality of strings matters a lot! Great review 👍
The songs sounds so good.
Thanks, Mette! Glad to hear you like the sound on these!
Thanks for the explanation about how it takes it a few days to stabilize. I have a set in the way and that's veyy good to know in advance so I don't get a scare 🙂
By the way, if you still have that nice mustache, I highly recommend for you to use a good mustache wax. Specially, I'd recommend the ones from the Death Grip brand. From the looks of it and depending on the climate where you reside, I'd say go with the Death Grip and the Sudden Death mustache waxes.
It'll suit you, I think 👍👍
Thanks for the recommendations, Van! Once these stabilize, they do hold their tuning very well. I'm not sure how long this specific set lasted because I sold the guitar shortly after filming this review. So, this was in December 2021, and I went clean-shaven in May 2022 until November 2023. Then I grew a beard out over the winter and actually left a Van Dyke style for the spring, which you can see in my recent shorts. I was using the Nature's Promise beard oil and had fairly good results because it looked more natural (and shiny) than a wax. I'm currently sporting a trimmed mustache for summer. If I grow it back out, I'll check out Death Grip wax and maybe even do a review. I previously reviewed the Badger Mustache Wax back in 2021 and Clubman in 2018. In fact, I have a whole playlist of shaving related videos; check my playlists if you're interested.
@@Josh.Vanjani oil and wax are for different purposes. Of course, there are more good waxes out there, the Death Grip & its brethren just happen to be my personal favorite, but there's plenty of good brands, especially in the US of A.
I'll go check your newer shorts next 😁
If there's not much to wax, then keeping it well piled is absolutely the healthy way to go (well = just right, not too much, for anyone else reading). Thanks for sharing, and especially thanks for the string info 🙂🙂
Good on you for still being active on the comment section of an older video btw 👍
I watched it on my tv yesterday night. Couldn't comment from there though. Great walkthrough! You seem to do it with such ease. 🌝
Thanks, Tomas! I appreciate the extra view, I could use it, ha ha. Now when I do a review I make a list of what points to cover beforehand. Things I would want to know myself. Most other reviews are either playing or talking, but not really both, so I'm trying to provide the review I would want to see myself. Plus, these are really what's keeping my watch time going right now. The covers still gain some views here and there, but reviews do well in search.
Very informative! Thank you 👍 I really like the Alabastro's and also tried the almost similar (formula) Ambra 2000's too. Only the Ambra 2000 strings are a bit warmer/less bright sounding to me. Only thing is that both types have not the textured feel of a traditional rectified string (or unvarnished gut) For no-nail playing i like the Ambra 800/900's a bit better. Nevertheless, I think Alabastro's are great strings.
Thanks, Marco! I haven't tried out the Ambra 2000's yet, but the whole Ambra line is supposed to be as close to gut as one can get. The 2000s were have rayon basses and are designed to be tuned to full A440 concert pitch, whereas the 900's have the standard silver-plated over copper basses. I also agree that the Alabastro can be tougher on the nails and wouldn't be as ideal for a no-nail technique. I found these feel fine compared to regular nylon, and are more comfortable than carbon, so a good middle ground option.
@@Josh.Vanjani I'm looking forward to your Ambra 2000 test/review in the near future. The Ambra 800/900's are also coupled with the (for me) beautiful, subdued sounding Rayon basses. The trebles from these sets are remarkable durable and can even withstand A440Hz too if you really want. I play mostly at A415Hz, but tune up higher when playing with other musicians. Keep up the good work. I like your reviews 👍
Sounds like a nice set of strings Josh!
Thanks, Gary! Yes, they have a nice sound to them, for sure!
Thank you for this video! I think I'll order these and try them out.
Thanks for watching, Simon! Glad to hear the video was helpful. Good luck with trying out the set. I'd be curious to know your thoughts on the set after you try it out.
Thanks for the guitar tips, H.H Holmes
Anytime! Glad you found it helpful! If you decide to try these out, feel free to drop back and let me know how they go for you.
Very nice playing! Sounds AWESOME 👍
Thanks, Dad! Glad you enjoyed!
@@Josh.Vanjani Dad is right, your tone has grace.
@@Anriuko Thanks, Anriuko! I appreciate it!
Thank you dear Josh for the awesome video you've made. Here where I live, we have access to only some very few types of D'Addario. That's very sad.
Thanks, Shahrirar! Sorry to hear you don't have a wider variety, but D'Addario are a reliable brand too. I always keep a set on hand as extra or in case a string breaks. You're in India, right? (If you feel comfortable sharing). It's interesting, because I'd have thought the European stuff made it over to Asia first.
How long need they to stay in tune? I know Aquila Nylguts from Ukulele, and it was to long for my taste...
So, as I mentioned in the video, these strings take around 48 hours (2 days) to stabilize. Once they do, they stay in tune quite well. It's a tradeoff; they take a bit longer to fully stay in tune, but once they do they don't need to be tuned as much. Whereas a plain nylon set like D'Addario EJ27N, for example, seems to need tuning each time, you can leave your guitar in the case for a week and it'll stay in better tune with the Nylgut. And yes, it's similar to the ukulele line because it's the same material. Hope this helps.
nice guitar review Josh! very thorough and analytical!
Thanks, Muse! That's great feedback, I try my best to cover all aspects of what someone would want to know.
γεια σου ban .ευχαριστώ το καλύτερο συγκρότημα
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Really cool! Sounds nice
Thanks, Blue Wolf! Glad to see you back in the comments section!
Thank you sir for saying it right: 'Aquila and not Ak'weela as most other people do!
Grazie, Daniele! Hope you found the review useful.
@@Josh.Vanjani Extremely useful, thank you!