Baritone Ukulele tuned GCEA with low G: Anybody? Bueller?

MrToastey

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Hi all:

This is (I think) my first post to UU. While I'm mostly a Concert player, my first was a Baritone tuned DGBE. Loved it for years and years, until the spirit of the gCEA reentrant ukulele began to engulf my very SOUL. <3

As this love grew, I got some Aquila 23U (here's some http://elderly.com/accessories/items/ANBP.htm) strings and took my bari reentrant, tuned gCEA, and it's really cool, but I sometimes miss that low throb of a deep-strung baritone.

So this idea occurred to me: Why not use the Aquila 23U's but replace the reentrant g string with a low G? Then it seems like you get the best of both worlds, right?

So –– to my surprise -- a search for a set of "low G" Baritone strings has come up empty. I can't find anybody who makes such a set. So I'm going to try a couple of things:

  1. Replacing the "high" G string with a classical guitar gut G string
  2. Replacing the "high" G string with a round-wound classical guitar A string detuned down to G
I'm sort of excited about this. :drool: But I haven't found anybody who's into it though… anybody here ever do or considered doing such a thing?

Or would anybody enjoy a report from me on these string/tuning variations? :music:

Best wishes,

Mick
 
Hi all:

This is (I think) my first post to UU. While I'm mostly a Concert player, my first was a Baritone tuned DGBE. Loved it for years and years, until the spirit of the gCEA reentrant ukulele began to engulf my very SOUL. <3

As this love grew, I got some Aquila 23U (here's some http://elderly.com/accessories/items/ANBP.htm) strings and took my bari reentrant, tuned gCEA, and it's really cool, but I sometimes miss that low throb of a deep-strung baritone.

So this idea occurred to me: Why not use the Aquila 23U's but replace the reentrant g string with a low G? Then it seems like you get the best of both worlds, right?

So –– to my surprise -- a search for a set of "low G" Baritone strings has come up empty. I can't find anybody who makes such a set. So I'm going to try a couple of things:

  1. Replacing the "high" G string with a classical guitar gut G string
  2. Replacing the "high" G string with a round-wound classical guitar A string detuned down to G
I'm sort of excited about this. :drool: But I haven't found anybody who's into it though… anybody here ever do or considered doing such a thing?

Or would anybody enjoy a report from me on these string/tuning variations? :music:

Best wishes,

Mick

I've never done this, but would LOVE a report/sound sample. I'll bet it sounds very rich and absolutely lovely :)
 
I did this a few years ago with an old Harmony Silvertone baritone. It sounded terrific. I eventually replaced it with a Kanile'a Super Tenor, which has the tenor scale but a body width that's close to baritone. As I recall, Aquila used to offer a GCEA set for baritone. But it shouldn't be hard to cobble one together.

BTW, Glen Rose, who teaches ukulele jazz, plays a GCEA-tuned baritone:

https://youtu.be/F9dACoIp4LM
 
I ordered these from Amazon the other day.
http://www.amazon.com/AQUILA-GCEA-B...9792&sr=8-7&keywords=baritone+ukulele+strings

Southcoast has some options:
http://www.southcoastukes.com

From Glen Rose:
http://www.jazzyukulele.com
The path of least resistance is to take a new, normal set (GCEA) with the usual high G and rearrange them in order of thickness. This way the string designed to be the 3rd string, C, becomes the lowest 4th string, G. Then put the others on in the order of their thickness, with the thinnest, highest sounding string becoming the first string, A. (Note: If you try to do this with an old set that’s already on your ukulele and you’ve already cut the excess off, some of the strings may not be long enough when you rearrange them.) Now that you’ve re-strung your instrument, you may want to take a small file and ever so slightly open up the 4th string groove on the nut because the thick string may be slightly too big for it. Do this very carefully because you don’t want the groove to become too big or it might create a buzzing sound when you play!
 
Interesting. I haven't tried that and would be curious to read your review. I did try and enjoy re-entrant DGBE.
 
I'd definitely check out Southcoast Strings. If nothing else, it's an extremely informative site.
 
Easiest way to do it is using regular or low tension classical guitar string set. Use the DGBE strings and tune up to GCEA with low-G.

Not a fan of Aquila's baritone gcea set. The tension feels funny.
 
Interesting. I haven't tried that and would be curious to read your review. I did try and enjoy re-entrant DGBE.

This is so intriguing. A new friend of mine, who loves to fingerpick the bari, changed his bari to hi d too. What an interesting tone.....I think I like it too....
I love the way you guys are always trying new, unique tricks.
I put wound lo G and wound C on one of my ukes, what a difference! They're steel, though, and they eat my fingers up!
 
Interesting. I haven't tried that and would be curious to read your review. I did try and enjoy re-entrant DGBE.

I had never heard of this before today when I just saw that Living Waters makes re-entrant DGBE strings. I was thinking of giving them a try. What did you like about it?
 
I had never heard of this before today when I just saw that Living Waters makes re-entrant DGBE strings. I was thinking of giving them a try. What did you like about it?

Most everything I'm learning/working on is re-entrant GCEA, so this allowed me to play those songs and sound good, just in a lower tuning. While I really like the sound of linear tuning and will eventually incorporate that, for now it's easier for me to stay focused. In time I will have the base to have both re-entrant and linear tunings.
 
This is definitely the easiest and with probably the least tension.

Or a D string from a classical guitar set. Its the same string and easier to find.

I doubt music stores just sell single G strings from a baritone uke set
 
Jeez Guys!

We have three sets for that Linear C (g c' e' a') on a 20" scale! All plain - single wound - double wound.
And for reentrant G (d' g b e') if you count plain & wound 3rd options there are six sets in three different tensions.
 
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Hi Dirk,

I just received a 19" Kinnard baritone in all Honduran mahogany and it sounds fabulous with your ML-SWs tuned to linear Bb.

Thanks for continuing to make great strings!

Don
 
I'll 2nd the re-entrant dGBE from Living Waters. I like that setup....Someday I'll try linear Bb tuning from Dirk / Southcoast.


I had never heard of this before today when I just saw that Living Waters makes re-entrant DGBE strings. I was thinking of giving them a try. What did you like about it?
 
I bought a bari tuned to C with a low G, but I didn't care for it because I found the string tension generally too stiff.

I prefer the lower tuning in part because it gives me another option for playing songs that might be more suited to the limited singing range I have...
 
Jeez Guys!

We have three sets for that Linear C (g c' e' a') on a 20" scale! All plain - single wound - double wound.
And for reentrant G (d' g b e') if you count plain & wound 3rd options there are six sets in three different tensions.
Southcoast Strings are Excellent!! Hard to beat.
 
As I recall, Aquila used to offer a GCEA set for baritone.

Yes, they do! They're either really low tension or I have them tuned way too low... I'm going to find out which on Tuesday next when my uke club meets and I can ask one of the local instructors.

The way they're set up on my bari, they sound lovely to finger pick to, but don't strum worth a damn... I was curious about the low G possibilities too, so I'm glad this thread came along. :)
 
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