Will Eb tuning damage my Koaloha pineapple soprano?

Hi folks

I have tuned my Koaloha pineapple soprano to Bb-Eb-G-C. This tuning perfectly matches my voice. But I'm a bit worried if the high string tension will finally rip the bridge off or damage the top. I still have the original strings on it. I have ordered a set of Worth Clear Lights and hope they have less tension in the same tuning.

Any experiences with this tuning?

That's quite a difference from standard tunings. Have you tried a capo yet?

I'm not sure if it's going to be too much for your soprano to handle. (my instinct says probably not, but I'm not an authority by any stretch.)

However I might suggest that you consider a sopranino which would work quite wonderfully with that tuning.

Thanks for your replies.

Yes, a sopranino would be perfect. Any ideas where to get a Koaloha Noah? A capo would not work. I play a mix of accompanying strumming and chord solo. If I put a capo on it, I don't have enought frets. Of course I could also play a-d-f#-b, but the notes I can sing properly are still quite limited (a to c') and I don't want to give up the c.

I have heard of a luthier shop in Paris where you can order custom strings. You just tell them the diapason and the pitch, and they will make the perfect string. But I don't remember its name. Let's see how the WCL's work.

Edit: Just had another idea. What about putting tenor strings on it? They are designd for g-c-a-e on a tenor diapason. If I put them on a soprano, I should get bb-eb-g-c with approximately the same tension:

tenor: 43.3 cm
soprano: 35 cm

43.3 / 35 = 1.24
2^(4/12) = 1.25

=> If I tune the soprano with tenor strings 4 half tones up, I will get the right tension. This would give me b-e-g#-c#, so I could tune to bb-eb-g-c with even less tension.

Does this sound logical?

Sounds logical as the vibrating string length would be the same, but the tenor uke is probably braced heavier than the soprano. BTW my new KoAloha came with Worth CL's on it. They are endorsed by KoAloha but I don't know how long they've been using them.

JUde

You're right, maybe the tenor is designed for higher tension. But with a litlle luck bb-eb-g-c with tenor strings gives the same tension on a soprano as g-c-e-a with soprano strings. How do you know the strings on your Koaloha are WCL? Mine was produced in October 2009, so I probably also have the new Koaloha strings on them.

Michael_ said:

You're right, maybe the tenor is designed for higher tension. But with a litlle luck bb-eb-g-c with tenor strings gives the same tension on a soprano as g-c-e-a with soprano strings. How do you know the strings on your Koaloha are WCL? Mine was produced in October 2009, so I probably also have the new Koaloha strings on them.

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My long neck Pineapple sorprano was made in November 2009. I liked the strings that were on it and when I got a used KoAloha concert I wanted to use the same strings. I queried MGM about buying a set of KoAloha strings. He told me that they weren't available anywhere but Worth CL's were the equivalent . I bought a package of the CL's to put on the used KoAloha concert and they appear to be the same. The package is even marked ENDORSED BY KOALOHA UKULELE.

Michael_ said:

Yes, a sopranino would be perfect. Any ideas where to get a Koaloha Noah?

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They don't seem to come up that often, so I would imagine that they might be something you'd have to order from Koaloha directly.

You could also have a look at the Ohana Sopranino. I picked one up recently and have been pretty impressed with it for a factory instrument. It's a really good bang for the buck.

Hmm, strange enough... The worth tenor strings have a higher gauge than the soprano strings:
http://www.worthc.to/W-Strings-e.html

Does this mean they are made of a different material, or do the tenors simply have a higher tension?

Anyway I think I'll be better off with the WCL's.

My guess would be same material but larger diameter.

Jude

You might ask Koaloha.

I agree. Any questions that you have regarding the use of a KoAloha uke should be asked directly to Brian over the phone.

Kala has just announced a "pocket uke" at NAMM. I don't know when it will be available, but they are solid wood, with list price on the mahogany at $299, and acacia at $399. They looked nice in person.
http://ukuleleunderground.com/namm/2010/01/16/interview-with-mike-upton-of-kala-ukuleles/

–Lori

Jude said:

My guess would be same material but larger diameter.

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The smaller the diameter, the higher the pitch. The longer the scale, the lower the pitch. So if you want to keep the same pitch and tension on a larger scale, you would have to use thinner strings.

I have contacted KoAloha. Let's see what they think of it....

Lori said:

Kala has just announced a "pocket uke" at NAMM.

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Will be hard to switch to another brand now that I'm in love with my KoAloha.

Hi there. I've got the response from KoAloha Brian. He says it's not advisable to tune that high. Anyway I've been singing with D-tuning the last weeks and I'm quite happy with it. Think I'll settle for the D-tuning. Thanks for all your replies!