RE: Aquila most durable set? (Full Version)

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Cervantes -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Feb. 5 2021 15:07:46)

Andres,

I did a little more experimenting.
I did find some Savarez New Cristal in my collection, they were used and I can't remember for how long but I don't think they were worn out. In comparing to the EJ25B to my ear there is not a big difference, but they had less higher frequencies and sounded somewhat duller. Then I tried the Dogal NR127C which I had recently got and I would say they were more similar in sound to the Savarez but definitely better IMO.
Compared the EJ25B they sounded a bit fatter in tone but again lacking some high frequencies. I found it difficult to choose between them, my preference could vary day to day. So I am going to maybe switch them in a week and see what I think.
I am thinking of maybe trying the Sugar strings on my old student guitar to see they put some life into it.



AndresK -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Feb. 8 2021 12:49:30)

You are right of course. D'Addario do have more high frequencies than the New Cristal but just a pinch less full bodied sound. I did not like EJ25C on this guitar, that I loved on my economic guitar though. EJ45 sound very well on this guitar but were quite dead on my economic one. Do you feel there is difference between the EJ25C and EJ25B? I asked D'Addario directly a long time ago and got this answer: "Yes the clear ones are brighter in tone when compared to the black nylon so depending on whether you use a pick or the guitars wood etc... one may want to choose one over the other"

Be careful with the sugars while installing them. Be pretty sure there are no sharp edges on the bridge bone. My economic guitar has 12 holes, after adjusting this with a luthier, and immediately cut the sugar 1st string while installing it. Thinking again when I installed Aquila strings for testing on my guitars, I always had a stress down the abdomen just like something very bad was going to happen, and I always looked the other way. Once a sugar 1st string broke, my bad here as I installed it back for the 3rd time, and snapped making my left hand actually bleed! (just a bit but never had this with any other string ever)



Cervantes -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Feb. 9 2021 15:09:26)

I am not aware of a difference between the EJ25C and ELJ25B but I like the black color.
I did try the EJ25C but it was a long time ago and can't compare them against the EJ25B.
The EJ25B is plenty bright enough for me.
After hearing what you (and others) have said about the Sugar strings breaking I will just put EJ25 on my other guitar. That guitar already has a ding in the top from a string snapping. I am planning on selling it in the near future.



AndresK -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Dec. 22 2021 19:42:16)

Hello again from this thread! A very generous friend gave me this very expensive set of Aquila.

This is a video (mostly audio) for being able to catch a glimpse of the sound qualities of Aquila Silk&Gut 900, by comparing it to the well known nylon of the D'Addario EJ45. By comparison of the strings on the same guitar you might be able to hear the differences of the timbre the silk core basses and gut treble strings have.



0:00 Francisco Tárrega - Recuerdos de la Alhambra
2:23 Verano Porteño - Astor Piazzola
3:26 Francisco Tárrega - Lágrima
4:31 Francisco Tárrega - Adelita
5:20 Sabicas - soleá
7:49 Jerónimo Maya - Tango
10:05 Paco de Lucia - Guajiras de Lucia
12:40 simple buleria compás
15:25 Francisco Tárrega - Capricho árabe
17:53 Agustín Barrios - Vals No.3
19:32 Isaac Albéniz - Asturias
22:44 H. Villa-Lobos - Prelude No.5
26:51 Fernando Sor - Op.9 Variations

Things that cannot be heard in the video:
Aquila's Silk & Gut 900 is not supposed to be tuned on 440Hz, but I did tune them in 440Hz anyway, and thankfully, they did not break. The gut trebles on this set are varnished so they have a very smooth feel unlike unvarnished gut, more like nylon. The Aquila set is very heavy tension wise even if tuned lower. No easy and ethereal legatos and vibrato as in the Damian set of the previous video. The sound of the Aquila set is louder and bulkier but lacks the elegance of easier and softer gut and nylon alike. The silk core basses are strong in fundamentals and not so lyrical and bright as nylon core basses, which of course can be heard in the video.

Hope this video helps!

Cheers!

P.S. I liked the Damian gut strings a lot more. You can hear them on the lutherie section gut thread or on my channel.



LeTeutonOnGuitar -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Aug. 14 2022 15:01:29)

Hi,
A couple of weeks ago I put Aquila Alabastro normal set 19 C = medium tension strings on my vintage Japanese ASTURIAS guitar and I was satisfied. Although I prefer the Knobloch SN strings in all tensions because of their durability, in my opinion, the Aquila Alabastro strings project well and are easy to play.
Here are 2 videos:




What do you think?
Cheers



AndresK -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (May 18 2023 7:40:30)

Hello. Mimmo Peruffo, the owner of Aquila strings, is currently testing some new strings from sugar cane, that are now without the infamous squeak that some guitarists were complaining in the past. During this trial period he has send samples of the various stages of these new trebles, after having added substances to eliminate the squeak and tame the excessive brightness of the 1st e string. The result until now is very good indeed and these new trebles are really starting to get a good grip on me so I am not really sure if I am going to be changing them soon[:D].

They are really good, powerful, with lots of sustain and sweetness if played accordingly. But they also have a pretty good bite for flamenco. You could say that they combine the best qualities of nylon and fluorocarbon without the harshness and thinness of sound of the latter.

The downside is that they are not yet available on the market but I hope they will soon be. Today I also installed the Aquila red basses to hear if they match with these new trebles and they surely do. One last thing is the colour of the new sugar trebles, previously transparent and currently on the market white, are now, with the new additives, black. You can't get more flamenco than this[:D]

Here is a pic for now. Sound coming soon in comparison so you can judge too.



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AndresK -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (May 26 2023 6:43:58)

Here is the audio/video of the "black sugars". Mimmo from Aquila thinks about a different name for them, something like "biokarbon".

Anyway

Playlist:
0:00 Francisco Tárrega - Recuerdos de la Alhambra
2:24 Verano Porteño - Astor Piazzola
3:26 Francisco Tárrega - Lágrima
4:29 Francisco Tárrega - Adelita
5:15 Sabicas - soleá
7:32 Jerónimo Maya - Tango
9:43 Paco de Lucia - Guajiras de Lucia
12:09 simple buleria compás
14:44 Francisco Tárrega - Capricho árabe
17:11 Isaac Albéniz - Asturias
20:14 H.Villa-Lobos - Prelude No.5
24:13 H.Villa-Lobos - Etude No.11
26:41 H.Villa-Lobos - Prelude No.1
29:24 Fernando Sor - Variations on a theme by Mozart
33:00 Erik Satie - Gnossienne No.1 (bonus track without comparison)

The cat's name after 10:30 is Chichi. She might be more of a hit than I will ever be[:D]



AndresK -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Jul. 16 2023 9:57:33)

Hello. Here is a video of our group using Aquila strings on the oud and guitar. The guitar strings are the red basses with the biokarbon trebles (black sugars I mentioned above)

The signing is Greek. We covered a Greek traditional song in a rumba like style. The guitar solo starts at 2:22 in case you want to skip[:D]





AndresK -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Jul. 26 2023 9:13:46)

This is the Ambra 2000 set. Very nice trebles, very different than your usual basses. In a few days I will also post the usual comparison with the ej45 along with a review. In the meantime have a nice summertime.




AndresK -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Jul. 29 2023 7:33:29)

Here is the Ambra 2000 comparison.



This is not a competition between strings video. It is just a very well known set (D'Addario EJ45) compared to a not so well known set (Aquila Ambra 2000) so you can hear differences in timbre to help you decide if you want to try it yourself.

Guitar: Vassilis Lazarides flamenco blanca

0:00 Recuerdos de la Alhambra (F. Tárrega)
3:01 Lagrima (F. Tárrega)
4:19 Adelita (F. Tárrega)
5:16 Verano Porteño (A.Piazzolla)
6:48 Asturias (Leyenda) (Isaac Albéniz)
10:23 Prelude No.5 (H. Villa-Lobos)
14:29 Prelude No.1 (H. Villa-Lobos)
17:48 Etude No.11 (H. Vila-Lobos)
20:54 Variations on a theme by Mozart (Fernando Sor)
24:10 Gnossienne No.1 (Erik Satie)
25:44 Capricho Arabe (F. Tárrega)
28:08 Solea (Sabicas)
30:28 Tango falseta (Jerónimo Maya)
32:39 Simple buleria compas
35:32 Guajiras de Lucia (Paco de Lucia)
37:55 Partita B.W.V. 1006 (J.S.Bach)



AndresK -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Aug. 29 2023 20:57:41)

Aquila Zaffiro this time.




Guitar: Vassilis Lazarides flamenco blanca

0:00 Recuerdos de la Alhambra (F. Tárrega)
3:01 Lagrima (F. Tárrega)
4:19 Adelita (F. Tárrega)
5:16 Verano Porteño (A.Piazzolla)
6:48 Asturias (Leyenda) (Isaac Albéniz)
10:23 Prelude No.5 (H. Villa-Lobos)
14:29 Prelude No.1 (H. Villa-Lobos)
17:48 Etude No.11 (H. Vila-Lobos)
20:54 Variations on a theme by Mozart (Fernando Sor)
24:10 Gnossienne No.1 (Erik Satie)
25:44 Capricho Arabe (F. Tárrega)
28:08 Solea (Sabicas)
30:40 Tango falseta (Jerónimo Maya)
32:47 Simple buleria compas
35:35 Guajiras de Lucia (Paco de Lucia)
37:55 Partita B.W.V. 1006 (J.S.Bach)

What cannot be heard on the video:

Aquila Zaffiro is a great, high quality set, definitely worth trying, and it is made from plants!!!. To the touch, in my opinion is closer to nylon than carbon, as it is softer than fluorocarbon. It is brighter than nylon but not harsh at all when played loud. Even though I tried the superior tension, which is hard tension, it is not hard to play, I would say way easier than the hard sets of Savarez with new cristal trebles.

One thing for the nylon players. Aquila says on their site that the sound is similar to fluorocarbon. Do not be afraid to try these zaffiros though as they can be very sweet too without too much effort.

For flamenco, I must say that they perform very very well indeed! I like them better than many as they feel like nylon and behave accordingly as you push them harder, but they have a brighter, more defined and aggressive tone. I will dare to say that I like them better than Luthier nylon[:-] But they are not the most unique from Aquila nor the most differentiated, not that this is a bad thing.



silddx -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Aug. 30 2023 14:53:10)

Helluva lot of effort you put into this, Andres. It's interesting and I like your playing. Thank you. Don't think I'll be switching from D'Addario though.

Nice Gnossienne!



AndresK -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Sep. 10 2023 1:00:04)

Why on earth would you switch from D'Addario?[:D]

I love the La Bella 427 but trying all these Aquilas has been very much fun I must admit, and not very hard on my pocket as I find them in a relatively good price from Lord of the Strings mostly, that is a Dutch online strings shop (I think). For Europe he has very reasonable shipping costs.

One more + for Aquila for the length of the strings which of course makes it easier to change them but also enough extra bass to use when they get older, so to have a fresher sound.





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AndresK -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Sep. 17 2023 7:35:35)

Here is the Ambra 900 set. Archive purposes mostly as this set is not the best for flamenco.




The surface of the trebles, as being rectified, feel close to the unvarnished gut strings. The sound is also close to the gut strings on some aspects, but of course not the same. One has to play softly to get closer to the gut string sound as with gut itself that does not give more sound if played very hard. You can of course play the Ambra 900 hard, but in that way move further away from the gut sound. The sound of the rayon basses is also close to the silk core basses.

The tension is as expected higher that the normal tension sets but not unplayable. To me they feel as a "normal" hard tension set but with way easier legatos and better grip due to the rectification and the materials used.

Here is the playlist in case you are bored to visit the channel, as I am also most times. [:)]

0:00 Recuerdos de la Alhambra (F. Tárrega)
3:01 Lagrima (F. Tárrega)
4:19 Adelita (F. Tárrega)
5:16 Verano Porteño (A.Piazzolla)
6:48 Asturias (Leyenda) (Isaac Albéniz)
10:18 Prelude No.5 (H. Villa-Lobos)
14:25 Prelude No.1 (H. Villa-Lobos)
17:48 Etude No.11 (H. Vila-Lobos)
20:54 Variations on a theme by Mozart (Fernando Sor)
24:10 Gnossienne No.1 (Erik Satie)
25:44 Capricho Arabe (F. Tárrega)
28:05 Solea (Sabicas)
30:40 Tango falseta (Jerónimo Maya)
32:47 Simple buleria compas
35:35 Guajiras de Lucia (Paco de Lucia)
37:55 Partita B.W.V. 1006 (J.S.Bach)

Again not suggested for flamenco, but do as you like[:D]



AndresK -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Sep. 24 2023 7:31:21)

Last but not least the Aquila Perla! Phew.. That took a long time to complete but now I can rest finally. If I am not mistaken I have bought, tried and recorded every Aquila set on the market until this day 24/9/2023 (hope they do not release a new classical or flamenco guitar set tomorrow :lol: )

Back to the point of the post. The Perla have a fat, full bodied, sweet, round sound. Closer to regular nylon most guitarists are used too but again not exactly the same. Nevertheless if someone tries Aquila for the first time, trying Perla could be safe and familiar.

Are they good for flamenco? Yes, definitely, especially if you want a sweeter string than EJ45. They sound sweet and round all the time so my preference is a bit different but still..



Guitar: Vassilis Lazarides flamenco blanca

0:00 Recuerdos de la Alhambra (F. Tárrega)
3:01 Lagrima (F. Tárrega)
4:19 Adelita (F. Tárrega)
5:16 Verano Porteño (A.Piazzolla)
6:48 Asturias (Leyenda) (Isaac Albéniz)
10:18 Prelude No.5 (H. Villa-Lobos)
14:25 Prelude No.1 (H. Villa-Lobos)
17:49 Etude No.11 (H. Vila-Lobos)
20:54 Variations on a theme by Mozart (Fernando Sor)
24:10 Gnossienne No.1 (Erik Satie)
25:44 Capricho Arabe (F. Tárrega)
28:05 Solea (Sabicas)
30:40 Tango falseta (Jerónimo Maya)
32:47 Simple buleria compas
35:40 Guajiras de Lucia (Paco de Lucia)
37:55 Partita B.W.V. 1006 (J.S.Bach)

I have to say now what I said before, that Aquila has all the sounds and variety a guitarist could have ever imagined, like a garden full of every beautiful flower one has ever seen.

Now I think I will leave this thread to rest.



itoprover -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Sep. 19 2025 1:50:21)

quote:

ORIGINAL: AndresK
Cantiga basses are more flexible and easier for legados than the corum basses, thus for me, more suitable for flamenco.


Interesting, I have never tried Cantiga but Corum NT basses feel a bit stiff on my guitars. Would it worth a try and if so which bass set of Cantiga feels more flexible than Corum NT? How are they compared to Knobloch Luna Flamenca 33.5 basses?



sol512 -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Sep. 20 2025 1:13:51)

Andres - thanks for the huge effort to do these comparisons.

I bought into the hype and all the (paid) instagram reviews from the myriad of Knobloch sponsored flamenco guitarists I follow.

Apart from long durability I have found them to VERY average.
The only reco I could give is QZ LT trebles.

The Erithacus line and Luna Negra line were singularly terrible on every guitar I tried them on. Maybe its the guitars I own (Devoe, Conde, Barba) but I don't think so because those strings sounded bad on all of them.

The tension is also higher than stated.

D'addario also lasts forever and much cheaper, but they do not have a photo of Diego Morao on them, so no hype.

If you felt Corum NT was stiff then don't even think of going for 33.5 Knobloch.



itoprover -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Sep. 24 2025 2:52:59)

Thanks for your reply, I am just wondering if Knobloch 33.5 Luna Flamenca basses really feel stiffer than Corum NT (basses only, not the full set I as use LaBella trebles).

But with Devoe guitars (I have his 20 year old blanca) I too feel that many bass sets generally feel stiffer on it but Knobloch SN nylon trebles feel and sound great with savarez red card basses.



hxwhf72752003 -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Sep. 24 2025 5:47:22)

They do. Knobloch will give your guitar a more metal sound because of the tension. But I don't think they are good for all guitars. I changed a 33.5 QZ on my conde for a performance this June, and the sound in the microphone was too bright and sticker.
I think La Bella 2001 is a good choice.[:)][:)]



Petrichor -> [Deleted] (Sep. 26 2025 22:47:19)

Post has been moved to the Recycle Bin at Sep. 26 2025 22:51:37



itoprover -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Oct. 1 2025 1:18:30)

quote:

ORIGINAL: hxwhf72752003

They do. Knobloch will give your guitar a more metal sound because of the tension. But I don't think they are good for all guitars. I changed a 33.5 QZ on my conde for a performance this June, and the sound in the microphone was too bright and sticker.
I think La Bella 2001 is a good choice.[:)][:)]


Hey, thanks much for your message! Actually Corum NT felt way too soft so I went with your advice and put LaBella 2001 Classical MT, they are just a notch firmer but feel just right. What do you use for trebles with LaBella 2001 MT basses? Trebles from the set (La Bella 2001MT)?



Arash -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Oct. 1 2025 8:22:53)

I completely changed from hard tension which i played for years on my Sanchis 1f extra to medium/low tension. After a short time of getting used to the feel, it was the best decision ever. Knobloch medium/low tension double silver QZ nylon basses are probably the best basses i have ever played on my Sanchis.. They last forever and not only last, but last fresh and dont get dull like most bass strings. Daddario last forever too, but after couple days only spanish romance sounds good on them. They loose what most flamencos want, pretty quick. Same with most other bass strings I have tried. Knobloch basses are worth the money for me.

But ,,,,in general, I have realized that the only way to find out which string is best for you and a specific guitar, is to try them out yourself with your guitar or guitars and your playing. One man's trash is another man's treasure is also true with strings and unfortunately you can't rely on other people tests, comparisons etc. Really not trying to downplay the effort put in this thread and the time consuming comparisons for example or similar ones. Just being honest. There are so many other factors (player's power and style, the guitar itself, action, this and that ...) which make it almost impossible to replicate the experience or results. I wish it was easier. But it can be a time consuming and long and costly road to find what works best, plus it will change over time.
Unless the tested strings are just pure trash and break fast due to quality control issues in which case it is helpful to know from others to not waste money on that set or whatever.

Again, really appreciate such efforts and the good intention and really not trying to be mean. Just stating my experience.

Still have to go through bunch of free strings I snatched in fairs and whatnot [:D] but I dont think I will find better basses. Trebles are much more forgiving imo and much more options . Also have Dogals which I never tried. So they are next. By the way anyone ever tried pitbull strings?



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rombsix -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Oct. 1 2025 18:52:00)

quote:

By the way anyone ever tried pitbull strings?



Arash -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Oct. 1 2025 19:55:40)

Thanks Rumbero.

He actually has two more videos with pitbull Strings. The name isn't in the title, so I couldn't find them at first.






silddx -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Oct. 1 2025 20:42:20)

I tried Knobloch for a while, after various D'Addario, Savarez, LaBella, etc., etc., but I have gone back to Savarez 510MRP which I prefer on all my three guitars. LaBella were probably the ones I was most disappointed in. The Knoblochs were very good, I just prefer the feel of the Savarez.



Ricardo -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Oct. 2 2025 16:45:42)

I did not know Pitbull could even play guitar![:D]



sol512 -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Oct. 2 2025 17:12:50)

I’ve tried all the Knobloch sets after seeing their sponsored flamenco guitarists on IG—great social media marketing, but the strings didn’t impress me, even the photo of Diego and the snappy purple colpour tone did not help (same with Savarez Tomatito).

The only endorsed set I liked was RC Strings Serranito.

D’Addario has always given me reliable consistent flamenco tone (on the 3 guitars I own Conde, Barba and Devoe).

Cheaper options like D’Addario, Luthier 20, or RC Strings (they give you 2 sets of bass string in a pack) work just as well.

I tried Dogal (endorsed by Rubén Díaz) but found the blue trebles squeaky (like rectified) and thicker gauge. Their bass D-string also fell apart after just 10 days of minimal use.

Its your money spend how you want, but I have spent several hundred dollars chasing hyped strings and always return Luthier or D'Addario.



Arash -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Oct. 2 2025 20:25:12)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ricardo

I did not know Pitbull could even play guitar![:D]





Petrichor -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Oct. 2 2025 21:20:22)

Lot of great info in this thread, thanks everyone. Regarding, Pitbull strings..I've tried the Venus, and Gold makes. The Gold was okay, but I really dug the Venus model..they were a bit to flimsy for me though. They have a Flamenco string set they had at Guitar Summit, this year.

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Arash -> RE: Aquila most durable set? (Oct. 2 2025 21:28:04)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Petrichor

Lot of great info in this thread, thanks everyone. Regarding, Pitbull strings..I've tried the Venus, and Gold makes. The Gold was okay, but I really dug the Venus model..they were a bit to flimsy for me though. They have a Flamenco string set they had at Guitar Summit, this year.


I was there.
Are you from Germany? You are not one the two guys I met and we played some good old gypsy kings together by any chance?

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