Tuning Guilele (a-d-g-c-e-a) as a Guitar (e-a-d-g-b-e)

SonSprinter

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I am interested in starting my eight-year-old child in guitar. So I am considering purchasing a Guilele (tuned a-d-g-c-e-a), and having it strung with guitar tuning (e-a-d-g-b-e).

Do they make guitar tuning, e-a-d-g-b-e, nylon strings for a guilele (i.e., 17” to 20 “ scale from nut to bridge)?

Anyone know if the string tension increases or decreases when switching from ukulele/Guilele tuning a-d-g-c-e-a to guitar tuning, e-a-d-g-b-e?
 
You need to get some Half Size Guitar strings. You can find them on line.
 
Or even "quarter size" - I've seen 19" scale guitar described that way.

Of course there's also the option of getting a baritone uke tuned DGBE - same as top 4 guitar strings.

Also there is the Southcoast EFS guitalele strings that go eadgbe but the ead are reentrant so you get the same shapes as guitar but not the same pitches as guitar.
 
AFAIK, 17" scale length would be classified as 1/4 'fractional' guitar, and 19-20" scale would be 1/2 'fractional' guitar, 23" scale would be either 3/4 or 7/8 size, and as such, examples of strings available for these sizes can be seen here:

Strings By Mail - search results - fractional guitar

If you take standard classical guitar strings, for (4/4) 25" scale length made for EADGBE tuning and put them on a shorter scale, for example like the 17" of the Yamaha GL-1 Guitalele, and tune them to EADGBE, they will have such reduced tension, and be so floppy and unplayable, and not hold pitch as well as sound very bad if there is even enough tension to render a note. I have done this and it is not useable as such.

Just strumming or plucking will detune the note sharp, as will fretting since the strings are so floppy, not pleasant sounding at all.

If this were for a beginner, you would never learn to tune the guitar properly since the strings do not have enough tension, and this will discourage a new player right away.

For myself, I ended up tuning the standard scale strings (Thomastik-Infeld CF128 - http://www.stringsbymail.com/store/thomastik-infeld-cf128-classic-n-superlona-full-set-2181.html) up to ADGCEA and just use it that way. The reason for my using these strings is that they are 4 FLATWOUND strings and 2 nylon strings, and reduce significantly (but not totally) the string squeak noise, and I have not found classical guitar fractional strings that are BOTH flatwound/polished, AND for 17" scale length with proper tension for EADGBE tuning on the shorter scale.

If you are set on using standard classical strings, you could try the D'Addario EJ44C strings set that includes 2 different G strings for you to try:

(http://www.stringsbymail.com/store/...omposite-extra-hard-tension-full-set-115.html)

which are 'extra hard tension', or the Savarez Yellow card

(http://www.stringsbymail.com/store/...earch_in_description=1&keyword=savarez+yellow)

either of which *MAY* or may not work - as per recommended by others elsewhere here in the forum. I have not tried them yet myself.

However, La Bella has been making classical guitar strings since forever, and I would probably go with the La Bella FG114:

(http://www.stringsbymail.com/store/la-bella-fg114-fractional-guitar-1-4-size-full-set-798.html)

as a starting point, but you need to match the scale length of the instrument to the strings set to get the proper tension, and each set shown in the search results linked above (first link in this post) tells you the scale length or instrument size you can use them on.

If I am not mistaken, the Southcoast EFS strings that Jim mentions have the 3 'bass strings' (i.e.) the ones closest to your face, an octave ABOVE, (re-entrant) so while chord shapes are the same, the sound will be very different from an adult size guitar (brighter and higher), with pitch reference thus:

E3 A3 D4 G3 B3 E4

as opposed to what it sounds like you want in standard pitch range of a ~25" scale guitar:

E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4

For a sound sample you can watch fellow UU member Dr. Bekken's 4 videos with this string set:

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?98296-Southcoast-EFS-Guilele-String-Set
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?98399-You-Gonna-Need-Somebody-On-Your-Bond
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?98437-Eddie-Freeman-Special-Rag
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?99208-Bottle-Up-amp-Go

Hope this helps! :)
 
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Thank you so very much ... especially you, Booli.

Great info, Booli.

Thanks Booli, this is very useful information, well done.

Any time!

in addition to stringsbymail.com, you might also want to keep in mind:



While some of their inventory overlaps (Aquila, D'Addario, Worths) there are other brands of strings unique to each vendor that the others do not carry, and I've found that stringsbymail.com has the most (if not all 12 variations) of each of the Worths brown and clear strings sets...but the point is that each of these vendors may offer a different string solution, and pricing varies as do shipping costs.

I find it both interesting and upsetting that Amazon, Guitar Center and Sweetwater, which are some of the largest US vendors for music and otherwise, have a paltry and very limited selection of strings in general, never mind ukulele strings when compared to the above list. It seems to me that they are slow to respond to the interest in ukulele and related instruments.

If you would indulge me, I would like to mention that...

The repeated acts of kindness and sharing of experiences of other UU members on this forum that have been shared with me, has helped me tremendously.

I try to give back any/every time where I might be able to contribute.

I wish there were more hours in a the day :( for music and ukulele :music:.

When I first got my Yamaha GL-1 guitalele, I was quite ignorant of what exactly it was, other than a smaller guitar that I could keep by my desk ($69 Deal-of-the-day and a low-risk investment).

(I was trying to find out about that small guitar that I saw Sting was using on tour, that was a parlor size, and not until later discovered it was a 'Terz' guitar made in limited run of only 100 by Martin, and priced WAY out of my budget)

After I obtained my GL-1, it was at that point that my learning and moving towards the ukulele began (November 2012), and this UU forum has remained the definitive mother-lode and source of great information since then, and still is even now.

But this is only because of how folks here always try to help each other out. I feel it is the right thing for me to do and pay-it-forwards.

Sorry for going on and on and being a bit off-topic, but even 18 months or so, after joining UU, I still feel a great sense of gratitude every day for all that is Ukulele Underground (both the forums AND Aldrine's video instruction on UU+).

-Booli :)

(EDIT: forgot to mention that the only place that I remember PhD strings being for sale was right here on the UU Merchandise Store - dont forget to support this place too - and they always send a handwritten thank you note each time I have ordered from them, which I appreciate very much.)
 
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standard tuning seems OK on Guliele

hello, I am new to this forum, have been a guitar player for many years. I just bought a Cordoba Guilele for traveling. Got it at Guitar Center at the store. the salesman said tune it exactly like a guitar, he put new strings on (I don't know which brand) , he tuned it up using the guitar tuner that comes with it, and I went home happy. Played it all night. nice sound, nice action, strings don't feel too tight or too floppy, no fret buzzing, staying in tune (at least as well as new strings can until they stretch out). Then As I read the manual that came with it, mentions the "4 steps up tuning", as does this forum. however, It seems to me that it is working just fine tuned exactly like my guitar. Am I really missing something? thanks so much for any suggestions and insights.

cheers,
kyle
 
Without a truss rod I'd be scared of getting too crazy with changing the tuning of a guitalele unless I was certain the string tensions are similar. Parlor guitars are designed to be tuned this way and will be a shorter scale.
 
hello, I am new to this forum, have been a guitar player for many years. I just bought a Cordoba Guilele for traveling. Got it at Guitar Center at the store. the salesman said tune it exactly like a guitar, he put new strings on (I don't know which brand) , he tuned it up using the guitar tuner that comes with it, and I went home happy. Played it all night. nice sound, nice action, strings don't feel too tight or too floppy, no fret buzzing, staying in tune (at least as well as new strings can until they stretch out). Then As I read the manual that came with it, mentions the "4 steps up tuning", as does this forum. however, It seems to me that it is working just fine tuned exactly like my guitar. Am I really missing something? thanks so much for any suggestions and insights.

cheers,
kyle

The manufacturer's website http://www.cordobaguitars.com/p/guilele says:
Because the scale length of the Guilele is so much shorter than a guitar, standard E guitar tuning is not possible on this particular instrument, even with an alternate set of strings.
... certainly gives me reservations! On that page is a link to a set of Aquila Guilele strings with string-gauges quoted, it's be interesting to know by how much the strings you've got fitted vary from these measurements.
 
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