Baritone uke string question

strumsilly

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just won a vintage Favilla bari on evilbay. I have one strung low G with Southcoast linear. Would like to string this one high G, or some sort of reentrant . any suggestions. prefer nonwound.
 
There are a number of tunings that can go nicely on a Baritone. If you want to stick to the popular ones, then try the key of G - same thing as normally on a Baritone, but with the high 4th string.

Our Heavy Gauge Ukulele set gives that tuning - with no wound strings.
 
Aloha Strumsilly,
Congrats on the Favilla Baritone...I drop my baris between a half and full step...depending on the uke.. Finding the sweet spot..MM Stan
 
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Strumsilly, I know that Jazz guy Glen Rose says he uses concerts which is ridiculous so he must mean Tenors. Tenors aren't that much diff than the Martin M600s, mostly just longer. So you should easily get the extra two inches. So you could use Tenor Aquilas or Tenor Martins. He puts them on in order from skinny to thick so he can use it Low G but you could just put them on regular. Yah the Martin Baritones have a wound in the set I believe so you'd have to use Tenors.
 
I just got some strings from Southcoast and they are awesome. I went with the linear nonwound and put my baritone in C, sounds awesome. Give them a shot, it seems that Dirk really knows his stuff.
 
Strumsilly, I know that Jazz guy Glen Rose says he uses concerts which is ridiculous so he must mean Tenors. Tenors aren't that much diff than the Martin M600s, mostly just longer. So you should easily get the extra two inches. So you could use Tenor Aquilas or Tenor Martins. He puts them on in order from skinny to thick so he can use it Low G but you could just put them on regular. Yah the Martin Baritones have a wound in the set I believe so you'd have to use Tenors.
I have heard that Tenor strings and the tension they are normally at will destroy a Baritone neck. Not sure how true it is, or whether or not it applies to all, but I would rather not find out.
Aquila makes a set of gCea strings for the Baritone. I tried them and did not like them them because I figured they took out all the reasons I had bought a Baritone. I am now Strung GCea with Southcoast strings and they are fantastic....
But, if we all liked the same thing, there would be no reason for this place I suppose. I wish I could have tried before I bought on the gCea Aquila's because I bought three sets- put one set on for a week and off they came. Want to try them out? Hit me with a PM and I will send some off to for ya (if you are in the US).
 
Switching from high rentrant to linear

Or in more common uklulele terms, "switching from a high 4th string to a low 4th".

You get the best sound when you can match the range of notes in your tuning to the volume of your body. A high reentrant tuning has a range that is more closely spaced than a linear. As such, if you are in, for example, key of C, with a high 4th string, it's a good idea to move to a bigger instrument if you drop that 4th string an octave. You are adding a deeper note, and increasing the range of your tuning.

Conversely, if you switch from a linear tuning to a high reentrant set-up, you move your notes closer together, and lose the low tone of the low 4th string. In that case, you either go to a smaller instrument, or lower the tuning.

In the case of the Baritone, the linear C fits the volume of the body very nicely (better than the standard linear G). If you go to a high rentrant set-up, then it's best to lower the tuning to compensate for the loss of depth on your low 4th.

If I read him right, Stan suggests a high rentrant B to B flat. This is one of those nice alternatives. A bright tuning, but not weak as a high rentrant C would be on the big Baritone body.

With our Medium Gauge strings, you would be a touch lower - key of A, and this may be the best fit of all in terms of body volume to range of notes.

That's not the case with most Baritones - they are made for a heavy wound string set-up, and that's why I would probably go a bit lower, to a high reentrant key of G. This is standard Baritone tuning with a high 4th. It may also be a good fit for a Favilla. My brief encounter with one left me with the impression hat they are somewhat like ours. Not built too heavily, but with a bit deeper body than is generally seen today.

I think the Baritone is due for a re-evaluation. The tonal values of a linear C tuning and a high re-entrant G are pretty close. Both are nice fits for the Baritone body volume, and if luthiers could build to these set-ups instead of the heavy "mini-guitar" linear G strings that have been the standard, this could be a much more responsive instrument in either of these tunings, and much more of a true ukulele.
 
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