Are Aquila and D'addario Tenor strings long enough to fit on a baritone?

I'd like to try out some Aquila and D'addario tenor string packs on my baritone but I'm not sure if the strings are long enough. I could not find the string length listed anywhere online. Anybody know if they're long enough? I'm planning to tune these a couple steps lower then GCEA (GCEA would be way too high tension)

mocash2003 said:

I'd like to try out some Aquila and D'addario tenor string packs on my baritone but I'm not sure if the strings are long enough. I could not find the string length listed anywhere online. Anybody know if they're long enough? I'm planning to tune these a couple steps lower then GCEA (GCEA would be way too high tension)

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Aquila makes re-entrant baritone GCEA strings sets in their Nylgut, Super Nylgut and LAVA series if you want that tuning on the baritone scale. They are somewhat thicker diameter than the re-entrant tenor strings of the same type.

Once upon a time I tried to use the Nylgut tenor strings on an 18" scale length instrument with the intention of tuning to re-entrant GCEA and the tension was dangerously high as I approached being in F-Bb-D-G tuning so I backed off and instead installed the set made for baritone and the tension had no problem going to re-entrant GCEA in the standard octave.

While the other tenor strings you mentioned will probably be at least 3-4 inches longer than required for tenor scale, I'd think that they would indeed physically fit on a baritone (I tried it once with Oasis strings but tuning up that high they would not intonate properly at all and I ended up throwing them away after that, as they were too far stretched and sounded dead, even when install on a tenor afterwards), but you'd have to find a lower tuning unless you want to create enough tension to pull off the bridge, belly/dish the soundboard or warp/bow the neck.

If you want to buy any strings (shameless plug coming -->) you can use the link in my signature below as they have free shipping for only a few more days, and if you order from them, I get referral points which gives me a discount when I make a new order. Pretty sure they have both the LAVA and Nylgut baritone GCEA strings, and if not, stringsbymail.com does as I remember seeing them on their site as well.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the reply Booli,
I would like the tuning to be around F-Bb-D-G or maybe a half step lower than that so baritone GCEA strings wouldn't work for me. I'll probably just buy a couple packs and see if they're long enough and what tuning they sound/feel good in.

Thanks for the link as well, i've always used strings by mail but maybe i can give strings and beyond a try.

mocash2003 said:

Thanks for the reply Booli,
I would like the tuning to be around F-Bb-D-G or maybe a half step lower than that so baritone GCEA strings wouldn't work for me. I'll probably just buy a couple packs and see if they're long enough and what tuning they sound/feel good in.

Thanks for the link as well, i've always used strings by mail but maybe i can give strings and beyond a try.

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Strings By Mail has a much wider variety of strings overall, as well as selling single strings (low-G [wound or smooth] or wound C). Over the past 18 months I've spent a small fortune (at both Strings By Mail, and Strings & Beyond - both great shops, good prices, fast shipping, etc) testing out strings from over a dozen string makers, for many of the different series from each maker. I have some faves, but they may not be the sound or feel or tension that others might be looking for, but I'm pretty confident in appreciating the response of my current instruments to the various strings that I've tried.


I've found that I actually prefer the F-Bb-D-G on my tenors, not only for a little deeper tone, but a sweeter sound and longer sustain.

With thicker fluorocarbon strings like the Worth brown BF, BS, or BB, or even the Martin M620 sets, I've been able to use E-A-C#-F# on tenors, but the trick is that when you first install the strings DO NOT tune then higher than this, otherwise they will be too floppy if you first tune to GCEA, and later want to tune down. I also experimented with using a wound 3rd, either 0.030" or 0.035" and was able to tune DGBE (re-entrant) on a tenor with good success using the Martin M620 set and a Thomastik-Infeld CF30 classical guitar string for the 3rd (G) string.

I have also played with tuning a baritone up to E-A-C#-F# (linear) with stock baritone strings (Martin M630, D'Addario EJ series bari set), and this seems to not be a problem for tension, nor intonation, and still has a nice feel, but I've not tried the F-Bb-D-G with a tenor set with these strings.

However, I did try the Aquila LAVA baritone GCEA (re-entrant) string set, ON one of my baritones, tuned to F-Bb-D-G and liked that very much, and it had a nice, full and sweet tone while not having too much tension and also having a nice long sustain, and did NOT sound too guitar-like.

Maybe some of this info can help guide your own experiments.

you might try southcoast strings. they [he] have string sets for almost every tuning.

Booli said:

However, I did try the Aquila LAVA baritone GCEA (re-entrant) string set, ON one of my baritones, tuned to F-Bb-D-G and liked that very much, and it had a nice, full and sweet tone while not having too much tension and also having a nice long sustain, and did NOT sound too guitar-like.

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Nice! I thought the tension would have been too floppy. I will definitely try this out.

strumsilly said:

you might try southcoast strings. they [he] have string sets for almost every tuning.

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I'm definitely a fan of Southcoast strings but I'd like to try Aquila or Nyltech because of it's unique sound

mocash2003 said:

Nice! I thought the tension would have been too floppy. I will definitely try this out.

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The (LAVA & NylGut) sets of Aquila BARITONE GCEA strings are significantly thicker than the TENOR GCEA sets.

I've not been able to find any info published by Aquila, nor the online string vendors as to the specs for Aquila string diameters, nor tension (unlike D'Addario, which publishes both of these as well as linear density for most of their string sets), but since I've had them IN HAND, and used them myself, I can verify that they are in fact thicker strings, which I verified with my digital calipers (but I dont have the details on hand right now).

Remember, these string sets are specifically created for baritone scale in (or around) this tuning, they are NOT the same as the tenor strings.

Strange, i would have guessed that the baritone GCEA strings would be thinner than the tenor GCEA strings.

I just ordered Lava baritone GCEA strings. Also ordered a couple Aquila classical guitar strings sets! Should be fun to experiment...