Aquila Soprano Ukulele New Nylgut Strings Fifths Tuning 30U

I bought these because I wanted to learn mandolin but didn't feel like spending a couple hundred dollars on an instrument I don't know how to play. I had a ukulele that I wasn't playing much though, so I thought perhaps I could tune it like a mandolin and learn the tuning that way. After looking around a little it seemed like this was the only set of 5ths tuning ukulele strings being sold. They sound great – very loud and clear – and if I switch back to regular ukulele strings I think I'll stick with Nylgut. (As for learning the mandolin, it's going pretty well. I just think of it as one more fret per string than the guitar. A real mandolin is a lot harder on the left hand due to the double-course steel strings of course, but I'm a lot less reluctant to buy one now.)

A few reviews mentioned concerns about the E string snapping. I read Aquila USA's FAQ about gut strings (not Nylgut, but I imagine a similar principle applies) which says to tune them up to a minor third below nominal & leave them overnight before fully tensioning them. They also recommend to slacken the highest string by around a whole step when you're not playing. I've been doing that & had no problems with string breakage in the couple of months I've had them on. (I also suspect that rough edges on the nut or bridge might cause problems for some people.)

Strings By Mail has the best price, including shipping, I could find anywhere on these strings, and they got here quicker than I expected. I'll definitely order again.

top notch

Exactly as described, great shipping, nice transaction

Bought two sets for Bacon banjo uke. Friend used these strings on his and they are fine. One E-string broke as we were turning up to E. Tried the other package and it broke, too. 3-stars because friend loves them and recommended them to me. But, he did the stringing. Frustrating to have to buy more!!!