using a wound baritone 3rd string as a low g string

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Recstar24

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Anyone else do this? My Hoffmann was strung low g with a GHS baritone 3rd silver wound g string and its nice. It's actually a little thinner than normal low g strings at 0.027", which makes it feel a little closer in size to the 3rd string c and may fit a nut slot a little better or at least closer to the high g string its replacing.

If you have, feel free to throw out what you've used. Thanks.
 
How is the volume/tone? My only beef has been that a low G overpowers the other strings, especially open. That has stopped me in the past from embracing low G tuning.

John
 
70sSanO said:
How is the volume/tone? My only beef has been that a low G overpowers the other strings, especially open. That has stopped me in the past from embracing low G tuning.

John
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree. I've decided to stop using low-note strings too except on my baritone. I don't care for booming strings. I have a low G string on my tenor Banjolele (DGBD), and it booms too. It's not too bad if one is finger picking, but when chording, a booming string is irritating.
:eek:ld:
 
I have done this, but found the result to be a little to floppy in relation to the other strings. And enough with the low G misophonia!
Personally, I play almost all linear tunings, and am half lost in re-entrant land.
 
Well, the booming low strings annoy me when I'm strumming, so I'm not gonna use them anymore on ukuleles that I strum a lot. :eek:ld:
 
70sSanO said:
How is the volume/tone? My only beef has been that a low G overpowers the other strings, especially open. That has stopped me in the past from embracing low G tuning.

John
Click to expand...

Hi, it took me awhile to adjust but I have to concur with ubulele's statements. It really is a technique issue in my opinion, not necessarily the actual string. When I first played a low g, I thought it boomed crazily. You truly learn to adjust your strum and picking style to accommodate for the lower 4th string.

The reason I brought up this thread is that a baritone 3rd string which is also low G appears to be a little thinner than our normal low g strings for tenors and concerts and such, and may diminish the perceived boominess. On my hoffmann, the GHS baritone low g has nice tension, is not floppy, does not appear to boom, and has that nice ringy sustain that I like about wound strings.
 
Recstar24 said:
Anyone else do this? My Hoffmann was strung low g with a GHS baritone 3rd silver wound g string and its nice. It's actually a little thinner than normal low g strings at 0.027", which makes it feel a little closer in size to the 3rd string c and may fit a nut slot a little better or at least closer to the high g string its replacing.

If you have, feel free to throw out what you've used. Thanks.
Click to expand...
No, I usually use a Pro-Arte D,silverwound ,.029, so only a few thousandths bigger.[ j4504], but have had a polished [Freemont] on my main player and though pricey, seems to have lasted much longer than the roundwounds. Don't want to get off topic but I agree with ubulele, it takes a different technique to mitigate the low G boominess. In my search for the "perfect" low G, I have found it was more my technique, and not the string so much. I actually think the tone of the wound is superior to most unwound low G. On my 'beater" islander tenor, I have the GHS set with the wound C, and I put a wound low G on and I'm liking that combo too.
 
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Well I am in the process of making another run at low G. In the past I have thought linear would work better on lower toned ukes. This time I am trying it on an overly bright tenor and I like the wide spectrum of tone I am getting.

I do have to agree that in the relatively short time span, also with a classical wound D, that attack does matter. The biggest difference is minimizing the drone G with semi-open chords while finger picking.

I am still interested to see if a baritone D works better, especially on an 18" scale tenor.

Thanks!

John
 
70sSanO said:
I am still interested to see if a baritone D works better, especially on an 18" scale tenor.
Click to expand...

Most baritone D strings are around a .034, whereas the majority of low G strings used on a tenor are around the .029-.031 mark (exception being the .027 mentioned here). Not saying it can't work, but with a jump that big, it's usually a thicker nylon used for the core (or doubled up smaller ones) that may make tuning that .034 up to a G, despite the smaller scale of a tenor, difficult.
 
strumsilly said:
No, I usually use a Pro-Arte D,silverwound ,.029, so only a few thousandths bigger.[ j4504], but have had a polished [Freemont] on my main player and though pricey, seems to have lasted much longer than the roundwounds. Don't want to get off topic but I agree with ubulele, it takes a different technique to mitigate the low G boominess. In my search for the "perfect" low G, I have found it was more my technique, and not the string so much. I actually think the tone of the wound is superior to most unwound low G. On my 'beater" islander tenor, I have the GHS set with the wound C, and I put a wound low G on and I'm liking that combo too.
Click to expand...

How is the tension and feel using a d guitar string as a low g string? I just received the savages 504r guitar d string and seems like high quality, figured I'll wear out the GHS currently and swap that in next time.
 
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