String options for bari guitalele?

Hi! Still waiting (im)patiently for my Alulu guitalele to arrive....

But in the meantime, could someone explain what my options are for strings if I want to keep it EADGBE?

I'm new to strings (although I've googled definitions), so what options are available for wound/unwound (can you get wound strings that aren't metal?), do I buy a set of classical guitar strings or ukulele bari strings and then what about the extra 2 strings?

And what about these Aquila red strings I hear about? Can I get them for all 6 on my guitalele?

I've read so much online now, my head's swimming....

Taisamlu ships with EMS who are FAST! You shouldn't be waiting too long. The listing states that's they are strung with 3 plain Aquila strings and 3 wound Martin strings. Just watch that with a scale length of 19" its a slight odd ball. Many Guitarlele strings will be for a 17" scale length. I've read that high tension classical guitar strings are a good option although I don't have a Guitarlele myself.

Anthony

Bertha said:

...could someone explain what my options are for strings if I want to keep it EADGBE?

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Guitaleles are normally tuned higher than that, ADGCEA. The length won't give you a real good traditional guitar tuning.

I've heard there are strings for that, but imagine they would probably be a bit floppy.

I've used regular classical guitar strings on my Yamaha Guitalele (D'Addarios) and they worked just fine tuned up to the higher pitch.

Oh, I love the question! It gave me a perfect excuse to do some string tension calculations.
As it turns out, on your guitalele's 19" scale, the string tension is near identical to a guitar's 25.6" scale. That is, each string being tuned a fourth higher perfectly compensates for the shorter scale length!

Now I thought that was pretty cool! =D

What this means for you is: you can use standard guitar strings on your guitalele. However, if you stick to standard guitar tuning, the strings will be quite spongey. Probably not unplayable, but definitely not sounding its best.

Thanks for doing the calculations although I'm not the one with the Guitarlele. Out of curiosity what impact would high tension guitar strings have or is that like asking how long is a piece of string?

Basically would high tension guitar strings tune to EADGBE on a 19" scale length with better results?

Anthony

La Bella makes short scale classical guitar strings for a 53cm scale, and they also make strings for 1/4 and 1/2 size.

anthonyg said:

Taisamlu ships with EMS who are FAST! You shouldn't be waiting too long.

Anthony

Click to expand...

Hmm. You have apparently never experienced the joys of Canada Post. EMS won't come out here (most delivery companies don't) so I'm stuck with Canada Post. My ukulele landed in Vancouver on Sunday night and it's been sitting there ever since. I don't expect to get it this week but I can't help hoping!

Oh and by the way, in a moment of weakness yesterday I also bought a Mahalo U-30 soprano just for fun

anthonyg said:

Thanks for doing the calculations although I'm not the one with the Guitarlele. Out of curiosity what impact would high tension guitar strings have or is that like asking how long is a piece of string?

Basically would high tension guitar strings tune to EADGBE on a 19" scale length with better results?

Anthony

Click to expand...

Good question! Here are some numbers I came up with.

A 'moderate' tension set of classical guitar strings (D'Addario set EJ29) carries 77.7 lb of tension on a guitar and an identical 77.7 lb on a guitalele tuned up a fourth.
A 'hard' tension set (D'Addario set EJ31) carries 88.8 lb on a guitar and just under 88 lb on a tuned up guitalele.
Now, if you tune that 88 lb tension on the guitalele down a fourth to match a guitar's tuning, it becomes a meager 48.4 lb. As a point of reference, 48.4 lb for six strings is just a tad higher than 40-45 lb for a tenor ukulele's four strings.

In short, classical guitar strings don't appear to have enough tension to make tuning down a fourth viable. But...

Using some acoustic guitar strings (D'Addario set EXP15) carries 135.1 lb of tension on a guitar and 73.6 lb on a guitalele tuned down a fourth.
So, if anyone wants to tune a guitalele like a guitar, they will probably get the best results with metalic acoustic guitar strings and not nylon classical guitar strings.

For anyone wanting to try this, please note:
I don't own a guitalele and haven't actually tried these strings on one. I don't think they would be damaging to the instrument at all but I have no way to know for sure. Also, I use D'Addario strings in these examples because they have statistics on tension most readily available. I'm not connected with the company at all. =P

Edit: I also have absolutely no idea what the maximum or recommended tension for a guitalele is. I haven't been able to find an answer through my searching. Just assuming it's about the same as - or a little less than - a classical guitar.

That was great, Rawkes. I didn't understand everything but the bit in bold was good!

I appreciate everyone's help!

Mahalo nui loa!

You're welcome!
If you dont mind being our test guinea pig, I'd be really interested to hear what results you have. Just remember, when using the acoustic guitar strings, be very careful if you do decide to tune your guitalele up to the standard ADGCEA tuning. The tension is significantly higher than classical nylon strings and will most likely damage the instrument.

Good luck!

Thanks Rawks. You can tune baritone ukulele's DGBE with a 19" scale length, I have several so the lower 2 strings couldn't be that bad. Or not. Maybe the lower 2 strings will be very lose.

Anthony

SHe's HERE!

My Alulu baritone guitalele arrived today!

She's tuned standard - adgcea. Which is fine. Except I have no idea what to do now If I follow online ukulele for beginner chords, what do I do with the other two strings? If I follow learn guitar chords....well that just won't work? sO.....

I'm thinking I'm going to have to transpose and figure out my own chord charts to memorize?

Nope, nevermind!

I 've found lots of guitalele chord charts online now.

So I'm all set for a while.

By the way, I don't know what some people were talking about when they dissed the Alulu manufacture. This is my first ukulele but definitely not my first instrument and this thing is beautifully made and already has a lovely sound, even on new strings (although I have to keep retuning every 15 minutes). She's a perfect size for my hands!

That's awesome! Glad to know there are some charts around for guitalele. I've been thinking that my next instrument will be one as well.