Banjo-Uke tuned GDAE

SteveZ

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Decided to tune my banjo-ukes to GDAE (G3-D4-A4-E5) just to be able to also play some Irish Traditional Music (ITM) in its most common tuning. I have to admit being more than pleasantly surprised on how perky and bright the banjo-ukes sound with GDAE tuning.

Here's a brief sound sample of one of the banjo-ukes (the tenor-scale SideKick) in GDAE trying an ITM standard (Whisky In The Jar). The recording was made using an iPad Mini, its internal microphone and the Sound Record app - not studio quality, but good enough for quick demonstration.

https://soundcloud.com/steveztv/sidekick-banjouke-gdae-whiskey
 
Decided to tune my banjo-ukes to GDAE (G3-D4-A4-E5) just to be able to also play some Irish Traditional Music (ITM) in its most common tuning. I have to admit being more than pleasantly surprised on how perky and bright the banjo-ukes sound with GDAE tuning.

Here's a brief sound sample of one of the banjo-ukes (the tenor-scale SideKick) in GDAE trying an ITM standard (Whisky In The Jar). The recording was made using an iPad Mini, its internal microphone and the Sound Record app - not studio quality, but good enough for quick demonstration.

https://soundcloud.com/steveztv/sidekick-banjouke-gdae-whiskey

Sounds like fun!

I have a 19" baritone strung GDAE linear, but G2-D3-A3-E4 using strings 6-5-3-2 (in that order and THOSE notes respectively) from a standard classical guitar set (Thomastik-Infeld CHROME FLATWOUND #CF127, which has nearly zero string squeak).

Based upon my playing with and really enjoying the sound of this, I think a GoldTone CB4 Cello banjo might be in my future, but I just need to find the $$$ for it. :)
 
Nice, what didja use for an E string? :eek:ld:

That was a challenge and involved some experimentation. Due to the tenor scale length, ended up with 10-pound test monofilament fishing line. Tried 12-pound test line, but it snapped while getting to tune.

Have put the 10-pound test line also on my tenor six-string and four-string ukes, and it's holding up fine.

On the concert-scale banjo-uke, that required 20-pound test line for the E5.


Sounds like fun!

I have a 19" baritone strung GDAE linear, but G2-D3-A3-E4 using strings 6-5-3-2 (in that order and THOSE notes respectively) from a standard classical guitar set (Thomastik-Infeld CHROME FLATWOUND #CF127, which has nearly zero string squeak).

Based upon my playing with and really enjoying the sound of this, I think a GoldTone CB4 Cello banjo might be in my future, but I just need to find the $$$ for it. :)

I did the same with my baritone. The sound is really rich.
 
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Ha! Fishing line! Well, whatever works . . .

I've got my Gold Tone tenor tuned to FBbDG. I guess I'll use it as a folk song strummer. The rest are all tuned correctly, though my new tenor banjo seems kinda low pitched.

I don't like to mess with strings. I've broken a few, and it always scares the heck outta me. :eek:ld:
 
Ha! Fishing line! Well, whatever works . . .

I've got my Gold Tone tenor tuned to FBbDG. I guess I'll use it as a folk song strummer. The rest are all tuned correctly, though my new tenor banjo seems kinda low pitched.

I don't like to mess with strings. I've broken a few, and it always scares the heck outta me. :eek:ld:

Sometimes I think all clear nylon strings are just various gauges of fishing line sliced into lengths and packed accordingly. I just compare the diameter of the "premier" strings and find monofilament or fluorocarbon line (whatever the store has) of the same diameter or what mathematically makes sense for what's needed.

I know what you mean about strings snapping while being tuned. However, once I got the gauge math figured out, that problem went away. The 10-pound versus 12-pound test line is an exampke of when I tried to make do even though the math said no. I found a small spool of 12-pound test for $1, so rather than go "big-time" for the 10-pound ($6) I chose the cheap route. After 3 snaps, went back and bought the 10-pound - no problems whatsoever!

Having this GDAE tenor banjo-uke allows me to leave the tenor banjo at CGDA, and that's a nice convenience. The SideKick tenor banjo-uke is about a third of the weight of the Deering concert banjo-uke (also GDAE) which weighs almost as much as the Deering tenor banjo. That weight differential sometimes is a factor for which instrument gets played.
 
When I got my brand new Deering 5 string, I took it outta the box, looked it over and began to tune it--POP! My heart almost exploded. Luckily, I had an extra the same size.

Ever have a bridge slip out from under the strings? Wow! That happened to my Lanikai, and was it ever loud. I thought that I'd broken the head, and I was crushed. But I just put it back.

Tuning and messing with strings always makes me very, very nervous. :eek:ld:
 
When I got my brand new Deering 5 string, I took it outta the box, looked it over and began to tune it--POP! My heart almost exploded. Luckily, I had an extra the same size.

Ever have a bridge slip out from under the strings? Wow! That happened to my Lanikai, and was it ever loud. I thought that I'd broken the head, and I was crushed. But I just put it back.

Tuning and messing with strings always makes me very, very nervous. :eek:ld:

That's why red wine was invented - to have a glass beside you throughput the tuning process!
 
...Tuning and messing with strings always makes me very, very nervous. :eek:ld:

Don't worry, when the whiplash sting of a popped string tries to leave a nasty welt on your hand, it only hurts, and bleeds for a few short minutes, and then of course (for me) the Jack Daniels starts to take over and I dont care too much about that pain...

[sup]"...drink up all you happy people..."[/sup][sub] - Ole Blue Eyes[/sub]
 
Aquila 30U Soprano GDAE strings - They work really nice on soprano and Concert Ukulele, probably enough long for a tenor and banjolele.

You could also used Mandolin strings.
 
Aquila 30U Soprano GDAE strings - They work really nice on soprano and Concert Ukulele, probably enough long for a tenor and banjolele.

You could also used Mandolin strings.

I tried the 30U GDAE strings on soprano uke, and the E string kept snapping, and I had to re-string it several times (5 actually), and finally re-tuning up very slowly every day for 2 weeks, finally got to the E5 note, and it worked fine for a few months, and then one day while it was hanging on the wall, it snapped again.

Until I can get to a fishing store and buy just a few yards of line (maybe from a scrap bin) for a hands-on test, this (GDAE on soprano) remains a non-starter for me. All I see online are 25 yard spools, and all that seems like a waste to me when I have no interest in fishing.

If you were able to get this string to work without snapping on concert scale of an added 2", and about 6-7 lbs more string tension, methinks you are either very lucky or have skill with some dark arts of magick...

Mandolin strings are typically steel strings, and thus have about 3x the tension of nylon-type strings and would likely cause the neck to warp or snap on a banjo uke, unless it was specifically built to handle the extra tension.

I have had good luck with the Aquila 31U CGDA strings on both concert and tenor, and also read on Mandolin Cafe, that some folks have used these same strings on baritone for octave mando tuning GDAE without any problems, but I've not tried that yet myself.
 
My Girlfriend play pretty every day since one year with her ''Ukuline'' (Soprano Ukulele with Aquila 30u GDAE Strings) and she never snapping a string. Maybe depend how hard you play, and the ukulele you used...

I bought a low cost brand new ukulele (Stong Wind Soprano) and put Aquila 30u GDAE Strings on it. She also have a Makala Soprano ukulele and Alabama Banjolele.

Her Banjolele is ALABAMA AL60UB2. It's pretty like a reel banjo, except for the size/scale. I think it is strong enough to install mandolin strings.

But... if your banjolele is like ALABAMA ALB60UBJR or KMISE 4 STRING BANJOLELE, i'm not sure it's a good idea to put on it. I think Aquila 30u GDAE Strings would a better way to go.

Except for Aquila Strings, if using strings from other instruments (Mandoline, violon, guitar, etc.), i highly recommand a LUTHIER to ajust the instrument and the string adequately.

IMG_1083.jpg
 
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...Except for Aquila Strings, if using strings from other instruments (Mandoline, violon, guitar, etc.), i highly recommand a LUTHIER to ajust the instrument and the string adequately.

One other thing to note is that the intonation profile will differ quite a bit between nylon-type vs. steel strings, but thankfully on a banjolele, you have a floating bridge/saddle and can adjust it as needed :)

Instruments with a fixed bridge only have about 3mm to compensate the saddle and oftentimes this is not enough to get any less than 15 cents sharp all over the neck past the 3rd fret, even with the properly tensioned string gages...this is why most steel string instruments have the saddle at about a 15-20 degree angle from the nut and NOT parallel to the nut, and is done so in order to offer a better chance of good intonation.
 
AQUILA 30U - Soprano, and strings are enough long for a Concert Ukulele

AQUILA 31U - Concert Ukulele

AQUILA 68U - Bass/Tenor Ukulele --- maybe also Barytone ukulele but not sure. Must be check for...

AQUILA 91u - Bass/Tenor Ukulele
 
I know the last post is a little old. For those of you using fishing line for strings in a location where ice fishing is a thing, start stopping in sporting goods stores around February or March. The stores will start to mark down ice fishing gear, including the small spools of line. You can find spools for under $1 each sometimes. I have picked up several to use for other purposes in the past.
 
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