Low G

From the responses so far, it seems that people use a low G on concert and even soprano ukes.

My best sounding low G uke right now is my longneck soprano, actually, which surprised the heck out of me! I had that thing for years and it didn't occur to me until fairly recently to put a low G on it and see how it goes. But I've tried it on standard long-neck sopranos and didn't much care for it. All of which to say - strings are cheap and easy to come by and string changes are a breeze, so why not experiment?
 
My best sounding low G uke right now is my longneck soprano, actually, which surprised the heck out of me! I had that thing for years and it didn't occur to me until fairly recently to put a low G on it and see how it goes. But I've tried it on standard long-neck sopranos and didn't much care for it. All of which to say - strings are cheap and easy to come by and string changes are a breeze, so why not experiment?

Do you have a video or sound sample (yours or anyone else's) ? I would love to hear it! Yes, experiment with what you like!
 
Do you have a video or sound sample (yours or anyone else's) ? I would love to hear it! Yes, experiment with what you like!

Sorry, I don't - I haven't done any kind of recording since I started using the longneck soprano as my main low G.
 
I always wonder why so many ukers dislike wound strings. They fit better than the others, and they make that cool, guitar string sound when one slides his/her fingers.

I agree with those who say Hi-g for chords, Lo-G for picking, and I mostly like Hi-g. :eek:ld:
 
I just got a new concert so I could string it low-g. I'm not really interested in a larger uke and I always loved my boyfriend's low-g concert. It sounds so sweet! Much more mellow tone. Definitely worth having one of each. I don't think it sounds bad when strumming at all.
 
I just got a new concert so I could string it low-g. I'm not really interested in a larger uke and I always loved my boyfriend's low-g concert. It sounds so sweet! Much more mellow tone. Definitely worth having one of each. I don't think it sounds bad when strumming at all.

It’s all a matter of taste — a tomato/tomato thang. :eek:ld:
 
Yes it works! Some people are just low-G peeps and others just love high-G. I favor low-G on my concert but it doesnt mean I won't break out the high-G soprano sometimes. Some songs just sound better on high-G.
The one thing i really did not like is putting low-G on a soprano... :p

Are you thinking of putting on a wound/metal low-G or a fluorocarbon kind? Cos the latter you might have to carve or file a piece of your uke so it fits in the slot better.

Wound. Fremont soloist is what I ordered.
 
Mahalo, Janeray1940 and mikelz777, for your efforts in clarifying the need to discriminate between
low-g for picking and low-g for strumming.

I think it serves beginners, especially, to know if the advice they are requesting or reading applies
primarily or mostly to strumming or fingerpicking.

we're all uke players, but the different styles of playing (strumming or picking) will produce different results
vis-a-vis low-g or reentrant set ups.

As a singer/strummer I rarely play low-g. I simply prefer the reentrant sound from my sopranos,
concerts, and longneck sopranos :)

keep uke'in',
 
My experience is a low G does sound better on a tenor. The larger body size resonates more and the longer scale length supports the string tension better. NOTICE that I said better, I did not say low G will not work on a concert. No flaming please from the rabid concert fans:mad::p
This is what I have heard and what prompted my question. My dilemma is whether to go ahead and put the low G on the tenor to experiment with the sound, even though I may not keep the tenor. Or, do I keep the Fremont Soloist tucked away and try it on a concert in the future. I'm a novice who mostly strums, but I'm starting to pick and play melodies.
 
This is what I have heard and what prompted my question. My dilemma is whether to go ahead and put the low G on the tenor to experiment with the sound, even though I may not keep the tenor. Or, do I keep the Fremont Soloist tucked away and try it on a concert in the future. I'm a novice who mostly strums, but I'm starting to pick and play melodies.

Maybe you dont know this but you can try the low-g, and if you are careful putting it on and taking it off, you can re-use it later on another uke, and same with the hi-g you'll be taking off.

I do it ALL the time for 4 yrs now with no issues, just dont cut the string too close to the tuner (leave about 2-3") otherwise you may have trouble installing it on another uke later...
 
I always wonder why so many ukers dislike wound strings. They fit better than the others, and they make that cool, guitar string sound when one slides his/her fingers. I agree with those who say Hi-g for chords, Lo-G for picking, and I mostly like Hi-g. :eek:ld:

I really like wound strings. On tenor, I think a wound C also sounds far better than a plain one, provided the G is also low and wound. Two wound with two unwounds sounds more balanced to me than 1:3.

I feel strumming on low-G sounds just fine. Not really different from playing chords on a guitar or a banjo (where the 5th string is usually ignored when playing chords). It's certainly different sounding, though. For picking, high-G works great for campanella and it's a little more original than basically playing guitar without the bass strings.
 
Thanks. That was very helpful. Maybe the low G should go on my KoAloha concert. Someone told me recently that my KoAloha concert would work well that way.

I loved the low G on my Koaloha. I prefer Living Water strings. They are unwound and on all of my Ukes.
 
This video is proof that a low G will work on a soprano size, so a concert and tenor size should also work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAPpKvmDoeM

Hey thanks for the video Bill1! I wasn't doubting whether it could be done, more would I like the sound of it? I've tried wound and unwound strings, but naw...it's just not for me. However, it doesn't take away that Ohta-san is an amazing uker! Very lovely!
 
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