Baritones! What do YOU tune them to?

l3uffer · Sep 6, 2014

I have a Giannini 1960's baritone, and I've put so many different strings on it more than just "DGBE tuning." I feel as though a lot of people, especially uke players, look down on the baritone as "the bastard child of the uke family" hahaha. But instead, you can get so many flavorful tunings like Cuatro D tuning, Linear A tuning, Re-entrant G tuning (Dirk's HU-NW set for this is MAGIC), and so on! Some people say it reminds them too much of a guitar, but I say that if you tune it differently than DGBE, it's more of a larger/deeper tenor than a smaller guitar!
What do you guys think? Thoughts?

Jim Hanks · Sep 6, 2014

DGBE and Linear A

dismount · Sep 6, 2014

Replace the low D string with a rentrant D then tune it up to F A# D G, sounds exactly like a deep tenor. I didn't like baris for the guitar reason until I did that tuning, now its gets alot of play time

dickadcock · Sep 6, 2014

I tune mine to the humming rails of a passing freight train . . . then I get out my tuner & face reality. Those are not Hawaiian trains!

So I go with DGBE usually, but have experimented with tenor & concert strings for higher tunings on one, but come back to the reason I want the Bari -- the low notes.
Having said that, I am now trying Jim's idea of A tuning. The only problem I see so far is a window a/c sounding out A#.
I'll cope. Till the next train, at least.
~ Dick

Jim Hanks · Sep 6, 2014

dismount said:
Replace the low D string with a rentrant D then tune it up to F A# D G, sounds exactly like a deep tenor.

That's the tuning I use on my tenors. I'm with dickadcock that I want my bari deeper than that. I wouldn't mind trying Linear Bb (low F) on the bari though.

greyghost · Sep 6, 2014

Mine's still in CFAC tuning from my recording of When the Levee Breaks--I'm keeping it that way for a while, as it is now a bottleneck blues machine. Fun times!

kypfer · Sep 6, 2014

Mine's tuned GDAE, same as a mandolin but an octave lower. It's got almost all the range of a 6-string guitar but without the awkward tuning, great for melody ... just need a bit more practice on the chord shapes

Patrick Madsen · Sep 7, 2014

I have Southcoast HML-CM on mine. It's Dirks classical metal steel string tuned to linear Bb. Much greater sustain; Makes it sound like a tenor guitar. I'm going to change them ti his HL-sw's tuned to low G and put the metals on one of my tenors and tune it up to C. Will be interesting to hear.

igorthebarbarian · Sep 7, 2014

Have tried Aquilas gCEA re-entrant/high G on a baritone and did not like it at all.
Have Martin M630's DGBE right now and I like those.
Have a set of Living Water re-entrant dGBE (high D) that I have not got around to putting on yet.
I need to try out the Southcoast ones for either linear A or Bb tuning sometime too.

coolkayaker1 · Sep 7, 2014

dismount said:
Replace the low D string with a rentrant D then tune it up to F A# D G, sounds exactly like a deep tenor. I didn't like baris for the guitar reason until I did that tuning, now its gets alot of play time

Hi, Dismount and Jim Hanks. I have a Southcoast reentrant D-tuned Mya Moe baritone and both your adventures in upturning sound like something to try. Help me get over the fear of extreme and onerous string tension of the strings on the bridge and soundboard. You tune the strings up two full notches (I don't know music philosophy, so I call them notches...lol.) ?

Doc_J · Sep 7, 2014

DGBE. It's what Herk Favilla had in mind when he made the first Baritone. I tried GCEA on a HF4, but it sounded too much like a tenor.

JJFN · Sep 7, 2014

I tune my Kamaka to Linear C, using Southcoast, LL NW's. It sounds fantastic to me. It almost throbs playing ballads and really sings out when playing up tempo. Different strings and strokes for different folks.

Baritones! What do YOU tune them to?

l3uffer

Well-known member

Jim Hanks

Well-known member

dismount

Well-known member

dickadcock

Well-known member

Jim Hanks

Well-known member

greyghost

Well-known member

kypfer

Well-known member

Patrick Madsen

UU VIP

igorthebarbarian

Well-known member

coolkayaker1

Well-known member

Doc_J

Well-known member

JJFN

Well-known member

Similar threads