Baritone question

Croaky Keith · May 16, 2016

I know the regular tuning is the same as the bottom 4 strings of a guitar.

You can also get GCEA strings.

My question is:-

Are the GCEA string sets higher or lower in sound than the regular (baritone) tuning?

Pirate Jim · May 16, 2016

They're higher - they're the same as your regular baritone with a capo on the 5th fret (i.e. the same as sop/con/ten ukuleles). I've got a baritone strung like this using regular classical guitar strings and it sings!

You can get Guadalupe custom baritone sets that are GCEA but lower than regular baritone tuning - Mainland Mike sells them. They're lovely for fingerpicking but I find them very muddy for strumming.

Croaky Keith · May 16, 2016

Thanks for your reply Jim.

Pirate Jim · May 16, 2016

I see you're in the UK too - if you want to try a set of the Guadalupe strings PM me. I ordered three sets to make the shipping worth it from the USA so happy to part with one!

Croaky Keith · May 16, 2016

That is a most generous offer, but I'm only contemplating a possible baritone purchase because I've seen & heard the Kala 'thinline', & it is tempting me.

Pirate Jim · May 16, 2016

I didn't realise they'd done thinline baritones as part of that series. My baritone has a solid spruce top as well - it might be very plain compared to other woods but you really do get a lovely tone out of it.

Croaky Keith · May 16, 2016

They don't seem to have arrived in this country yet, so I have just emailed S.U.S. to see if they are getting any & if so, at what price.

This is what I found - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJik5ny9w2E

vcs700s · May 16, 2016

uke1950 said:
They don't seem to have arrived in this country yet, so I have just emailed S.U.S. to see if they are getting any & if so, at what price.

This is what I found - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJik5ny9w2E

Glad you found my video. I will be stringing the thinline with some J71's this week. I will be tuning it gCEA to see how it sounds. This will be the first time I have tried these strings.

I will post a link in the review section.

Croaky Keith · May 16, 2016

vcs700s said:
Glad you found my video. I will be stringing the thinline with some J71's this week. I will be tuning it gCEA to see how it sounds. This will be the first time I have tried these strings.

I will post a link in the review section.

Yes, thanks for posting it, otherwise I might have considered a thick one.

(Look forward to see/hear it in gCEA.)

Croaky Keith · May 16, 2016

Just received this email.

Hi Keith,

We don't currently have a retail price for this Ukulele but are due to receive our first delivery after the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain next month.

Kind Regards
Alex

mds725 · May 16, 2016

uke1950 said:
I know the regular tuning is the same as the bottom 4 strings of a guitar....

While there's some disagreement about this, the more popular convention seems to be that "top" and "bottom" refer to the pitch of the open strings, not to the location of the strings on the fretboard relative to the ground when you're playing the instrument. So regular baritone tuning (DGBE) is the same as the top four strings of a guitar (i.e., the four strings of the guitar that are highest in pitch), not the bottom four (EADG, which also happens to be conventional bass tuning).

My apologies for the diversion.

Croaky Keith · May 16, 2016

Top 4 in pitch/tuning, yes, but in relation to the guitar, the bottom 4 strings.

JackLuis · May 16, 2016

You should consider re-entrant tuning of the Baritone, dGBE. It makes it sound like a Ukulele not a tenor guitar. chord forms are still confused but it doesn't take too long to adjust.

mds725 · May 17, 2016

uke1950 said:
Top 4 in pitch/tuning, yes, but in relation to the guitar, the bottom 4 strings.

I think you missed my original point. It's my understanding that with both ukulele and guitar, the "top" string is the highest-pitched string, so that the top four strings on a guitar. as on a baritone ukulele, would be, from the top string, E, B, G, and D. These are the four bottom strings geographically (i.e, the four strings closest to the ground when you're playing it), but the terms "top" and "bottom" don't refer to geography, they refer to pitch.

vcs700s · May 17, 2016

vcs700s said:
Glad you found my video. I will be stringing the thinline with some J71's this week. I will be tuning it gCEA to see how it sounds. This will be the first time I have tried these strings.

I will post a link in the review section.

Here is the link to the YouTube review- https://youtu.be/RO5Sm9ntZP8

sam13 · May 17, 2016

vcs700s said:
Here is the link to the YouTube review- https://youtu.be/RO5Sm9ntZP8

Nice video, Vic. Thanks.

I just put a set of D'Addario EJ78's with their Low D. Worth CB's for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ... sounds very much like an Oasis Bright Low G wound set for Tenors.

Croaky Keith · May 17, 2016

vcs700s said:
Here is the link to the YouTube review- https://youtu.be/RO5Sm9ntZP8

Thanks for posting - I'm liking the resonance & sustain on that uke.

Croaky Keith · May 17, 2016

mds725 said:
I think you missed my original point. It's my understanding ...., but the terms "top" and "bottom" don't refer to geography, they refer to pitch.

Pitch is high or low.

(Top & bottom are physical attributes.)

DownUpDave · May 17, 2016

uke1950 said:
Pitch is high or low.

(Top & bottom are physical attributes.)

One sure fire way to avoid confusion........call them #1, 2, 3, 4 string. Even then people get screwed up until you tell them it is like the floors of a building, bottom floor is number 1

1931jim · May 17, 2016

JackLuis said:
You should consider re-entrant tuning of the Baritone, dGBE. It makes it sound like a Ukulele not a tenor guitar. chord forms are still confused but it doesn't take too long to adjust.

A big plus plus from me for the re-entrant dGBE on the baritone. It has an unmistakeable flavour compared to the normal baritone DGBE.

Baritone question

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