The Good Ol’ Baritones

Down Up Dick

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I’ll bet we see a rise in UU Baritone ukulele sales pretty soon.

But maybe the ones tuned to GCEA will be keepers—I dunno . . . :eek:ld:
 
Funny, cause' I couldn't sell a mint cedar topped Kala baritone with Mi-Si pickup for $325 on the UU marketplace to save my life... just sayin'.

Personally not a fan in the end, for the same reasons I'm not into playing acoustic guitars.
 
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I’ll bet we see a rise in UU Baritone ukulele sales pretty soon.

But maybe the ones tuned to GCEA will be keepers—I dunno . . . :eek:ld:

No bari experience here, but from your post, it seems that some folks tune them GCEA, like a smaller uke. Is that to avoid needing to learn new chord shapes, you like the sound better, both, or some other reasons? Thx in advance.
 
No bari experience here, but from your post, it seems that some folks tune them GCEA, like a smaller uke. Is that to avoid needing to learn new chord shapes, you like the sound better, both, or some other reasons? Thx in advance.

Yeah, I think people buy baritones and then find the DGBE tuning confusing. And I think they sound more like a guitar than a ukulele, though I prefer the DGBD sound.

I find it amazing that all these different ukuleles started with the little soprano. Just like Tansy “they just growed.” :eek:ld:
 
I'm quite happy with DGBE tuning. In fact it gives alternative shapes for chords which is useful. I already had tenors tuned dGBE when I got my baritone.

I like the lower pitch and the linear tuning for finger picking accompaniment.
 
I'm quite happy with DGBE tuning. In fact it gives alternative shapes for chords which is useful. I already had tenors tuned dGBE when I got my baritone.

I like the lower pitch and the linear tuning for finger picking accompaniment.

Yeah, I couldn’t agree more. I’m using mine to learn finger style and, later, slide. :eek:ld:
 
Funny, cause' I couldn't sell a mint cedar topped Kala baritone with Mi-Si pickup for $325 on the UU marketplace to save my life... just sayin'.

Nice looking instrument, but the pickup would be useless to me, and makes the price higher than a new one. However, if it were the 8 string version, I just mighta been tempted. ;)

bratsche
 
I like dGBE so my Bari sounds like a Uke. Some day when I learn to pick notes it'll be more fun, but strumming it's nicer Hi d.

Me dos centavos.
 
Love the sound of a bari, just have problems with the stretch, have one of both now, re-entrant dGBE spruce top, & linear DGBE cedar top.

Probably just need to spend more time with them, but I seem to have gone back to favouring the concert scale again just lately. :)
 
I am enjoying my DGBE tuned Baritone. It suits the range of my voice better and it gives a different voicing to the group I play with. I also took one of my tenors and have it tuned dGBE and I am starting to enjoy that as well. I keep one tenor in standard tuning and continue to appreciate that sound as well. Hey, that’s why we have the need for a roomful of Ukuleles.
 
Hi there !

My son loves his Kala baritone uke.
He got it last Christmas, when he was 8.5yrs old, after almost a year of weekly lessons on first a cheap soprano, then one of my nicer Concert ukes, then a cheaper Peavey concert uke (that had a fairly longer scale length).
After a few visits to guitar shops (gotta start them early !) he decided he really like the baritones.
After the wound strings the baritone came with deteriorated fairly quickly - coming apart over the frets, I decided to get a more expensive string set.

I was interested in the Aquila Red strings - so got the Baritone set.
I read all the reviews on these strings, where lots of reviews said they break far too easily - often when putting them on for the first time.
Well, I still wanted to try them - so was really careful to install them properly - and no breakages.
In fact, those red unwound strings are still on his Baritone.
The WOUND strings from that set unfortunately, suffered the same fate as the original string set - deteriorating over the first couple of frets - in a matter of a week or two.

I decided to try the Martin set - and they are cheaper too.
I put on just the wound strings, as the Aquila Red unwound 1st & 2nd strings were OK.

Those Martin wound baritone strings (M630) are EXCELLENT - they have lasted 6months.
I haven't yet tried the unwound Martin strings - but will do so soon.

As mentioned already, the fact the baritone is tuned DGBE has caused confusion for my son and his ukulele teacher.
I haven't found much baritone uke music online and the teacher has so far not taught him the new chord names for the same shapes.
My son sings the songs while he plays - and consequently, he is trying to sing in keys that no longer suit his voice.
The tutor AND myself kind of thought he wasn't quite ready for the mind-blowing reality that the chord shapes he now knows quite well don't give the intended key of song and will have to relearn the chord names.. I think he is just a bit too young for that - but he will get it eventually.
Alternatively, he will have to learn new chords shapes for the songs he knows and loves to sing along to.

In the meantime, he doesn't care, he is enjoying playing and singing anyway !
 
I’ll bet we see a rise in UU Baritone ukulele sales pretty soon.

But maybe the ones tuned to GCEA will be keepers—I dunno . . . :eek:ld:

Interesting comments Dick. If I am reading this right you feel people buy a baritone realize how different it is then end up selling it, is that correct?

My first baritone was an inexpense used Gianinni, it sat mostly unplayed for the first year because it was different and more difficult to play, longer stretchs. As I progressed and improved I played the baritone more and more to the point I enjoy it as much of more then my linear tuned tenors. I love a deep resonant guitar like sound. I can see someone coming from reentrant sopranos being taken back by the huge differences.
 
Interesting comments Dick. If I am reading this right you feel people buy a baritone realize how different it is then end up selling it, is that correct?

My first baritone was an inexpense used Gianinni, it sat mostly unplayed for the first year because it was different and more difficult to play, longer stretchs. As I progressed and improved I played the baritone more and more to the point I enjoy it as much of more then my linear tuned tenors. I love a deep resonant guitar like sound. I can see someone coming from reentrant sopranos being taken back by the huge differences.

Yeah, Bro, that’s what I meant. Baritones seem to be a new fad on the UU, but the different tuning leads players to retune to GCEA, and then it’s not a baritone any more. The baritone is specifically a low pitched uke tuned DGBE. I realize that folks don’t care about stuff like that, but I just wonder how happy they are with just a bigger GCEA ukulele.

I really like the baritone “as is” a lot. I’ve even been thinking about a tenor guitar. What happened with yours? :eek:ld:
 
..........As mentioned already, the fact the baritone is tuned DGBE has caused confusion for my son and his ukulele teacher.
I haven't found much baritone uke music online and the teacher has so far not taught him the new chord names for the same shapes.
......

Put a capo on the 5th fret, then he'll be in the right key.

Check out Humble Baritonics - http://humblebaritonics.blogspot.co.uk/
 
Yeah, Bro, that’s what I meant. Baritones seem to be a new fad on the UU, but the different tuning leads players to retune to GCEA, and then it’s not a baritone any more. The baritone is specifically a low pitched uke tuned DGBE. I realize that folks don’t care about stuff like that, but I just wonder how happy they are with just a bigger GCEA ukulele.

I really like the baritone “as is” a lot. I’ve even been thinking about a tenor guitar. What happened with yours? :eek:ld:

I still really love my tenor guitars and I play them almost as much as my baritone or tenor ukuleles. Because I like the deeper tone of linear strung ukes the tenor guitar really puts a smile on my face. I have a Blueridge BR40 TCE, Pono UL4-20 and my favorite Regal resonator made in the 1930s, all tuned DGBE.
 
I agree that strumming sounds better with reentrant tuning. I have a tenor tuned dGBE with a high D.

Our bari's are tuned linear DGBE with the 3rd and 4th wound. I've never considered trying a reentrant 4th string, What string would you recommend for an unwound 4th?
 
Baritones tuned to DGBE annoy me when strummed. I love it when clawhammer is played on them though. I'd rather play a guitelele, because DGBE just sounds too thin, like something is gravely missing. I think dGBE sounds a lot better. GCEA is even nicer to listen to.
Thanks for tolerating my opinion.
 
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