String guages for steel string baritone electric GCEA

which strings from a electric guitar set [10-46]can I use for GCEA on a 20" scale. and is it possible? I don't want to experiment as steel strings are not as forgiving to reuse as nylon. and they hurt!

This thread might be useful to you:
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?52785-Steel-strings-vs-Nylon

which strings from a electric guitar set [10-46]can I use for GCEA on a 20" scale. and is it possible?

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Unfortunately a 10-46 set would most likely be too much tension to tune up to GCEA on a baritone scale electric.



On a tenor steel string electric, you can tune to GCEA (low-G) by simply using the DGBE strings out of an electric guitar set.
.009 set usually is the charm, but you can use .010 gauge if you want harder tension.

Now, the 10-46 set gives medium/hard tension on a tenor electric. Hence, the tension may be too much on a baritone electric.

What I think would work on a baritone would be the lightest electric guitar set you can find (an .008 set?)
D'addario Extra-Super Light gauge:

0.021, 0.015, 0.010, 0.08
G C E A


That being said, because the scale length is not a good match for such a high tuning as GCEA, playability may be hit or miss.
Personally I would tune a baritone steel-string electric in DGBE. Better scale-length match.

If you really want GCEA, you may even have better luck tuning it GCEA one octave lower than ukulele (octave GCEA).
You could probably achieve that with the 10-46 set you have by using the EADG (6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd) strings and tuning them up to GCEA.



This also depends on what kind of baritone electric you have. Does it have a truss rod?
An adjustable bridge would also be paramount in getting the intonation accurate with these alternative tunings.

The string tension shouldn't really be that high compared to a "standard" electric guitar. On a 25" scale length, the 4th fret is right about 20" from the bridge, so tuning up a half tone would not be a big deal... assuming the instrument was designed for steel strings.

The four highest strings from the 10 set should work just fine, if you want to go the GCEA route. DGBE is more common, however, so I would expect the need to fiddle with the neck relief.

The four highest strings from the 10 set should work just fine, if you want to go the GCEA route

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I wonder...

From experience, four highest strings from a 10 set gave tenor-scale electric ukuleles (Risas, Vorson) a medium-to-heavy tension.
I am concerned that the same set on a longer scale would push that tension up higher.

Longer the scale, the more tension the same strings would have in the same tuning.
To tune the baritone in the same GCEA tuning as a tenor, one would have to use lighter gauge strings. A 10 set is already quite heavy on a tenor in my opinion.

You are right, It will certainly be higher, but shouldn't be excessively so... Depending in personal preference.

kissing said:

Unfortunately a 10-46 set would most likely be too much tension to tune up to GCEA on a baritone scale electric.



On a tenor steel string electric, you can tune to GCEA (low-G) by simply using the DGBE strings out of an electric guitar set.
.009 set usually is the charm, but you can use .010 gauge if you want harder tension.

Now, the 10-46 set gives medium/hard tension on a tenor electric. Hence, the tension may be too much on a baritone electric.

What I think would work on a baritone would be the lightest electric guitar set you can find (an .008 set?)
D'addario Extra-Super Light gauge:

0.021, 0.015, 0.010, 0.08
G C E A


That being said, because the scale length is not a good match for such a high tuning as GCEA, playability may be hit or miss.
Personally I would tune a baritone steel-string electric in DGBE. Better scale-length match.

If you really want GCEA, you may even have better luck tuning it GCEA one octave lower than ukulele (octave GCEA).
You could probably achieve that with the 10-46 set you have by using the EADG (6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd) strings and tuning them up to GCEA.



This also depends on what kind of baritone electric you have. Does it have a truss rod?
An adjustable bridge would also be paramount in getting the intonation accurate with these alternative tunings.

Click to expand...

it has an adjustable bridge, but the neck is from an old Vega AG .
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?106460-Embaritone

Totally rewrote this post with this edit.

As a thought, it might be worthwhile to check out EMando.com for string selection and ideas. There's a ton of great string info there and it's a good source for specialty string packages. I've used them for MandoBird string sets and other electric needs, and just got some replacement strings for a KonaBlaster.

just measured, and I remember I asked for 19" scale [like the older favilla baris] not 20, so that should help with the tension.

I would use the first three strings of a regular set and to get a high A string, use the high string from a 12-string G course. This would be tuned a full tone higher than it was meant to be tuned, but the shorter scale length should make it doable.

Jim Yates said:

I would use the first three strings of a regular set and to get a high A string, use the high string from a 12-string G course. This would be tuned a full tone higher than it was meant to be tuned, but the shorter scale length should make it doable.

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the lightest guage from a 12 string set is .08, the same as the lightest in the 6 string super lite set kissing recommended. so I ordered one. thanks for your replies. I'll let you know how it goes.

so the guy who built my uke used the middle strings from a xlight set. I moved the strings down[up] and used a .10 for my A. seems to be fine.the tension is a little high on the a, I'll swap them out for the top 4 from the super light set when they arrive.

Hey Strumboy!

The nice thing about figuring out steel strings is that things like gauge & tension that will mislead you as often as help you with classical material work like a charm with steel.

You don’t need to buy from anyone’s “set” either. There are a number of online string calculators for steel strings (best to avoid those that offer options for classical) – I want to say “Arto’s” is one I’ve used in the past. If you’re starting from scratch, you just use tensions from a guitar set. In your case it sounds like you want Light or Extra Light. Then you just enter the notes and your scale and it will give you the diameters you need.

In your case, it’s even easier. Enter the diameter of the 1st string you say you like the feel of along with the note – a’ – and the scale, and then it will tell you the tension of that string. If you want equal tension across the board, then use that tension, enter the scale and notes and you’ll have your gauges.

After that either GHS or D’Addario have steel strings in graduated diameters. They’re available as singles and are dirt cheap. If I recall one of them has whole numbers (12-13, etc.) while the other may even give you half steps as well (8.5, 9, 9.5, etc.). That way you get just what you want.

I put on the extra super light top 4 and it seems to be just right. thanks all.