New Strings Plus an Idea

I just received a new set of the New Nylgut Aquila Strings for my new Tenor Uklele. The strings are marked as follows:

1A red 2E blue 3C green 4G white

I plan to change them around so as to have 5ths tunning like a Tenor Guitar.

1A red 2E blue droped to D 4G white as 3rd sting and 3C green as the 4th string. Tuned C G D A

Will that work? Will I hurt the strings in anyway doing this? Will I be able to put them in the proper intended order later if I change my mind about this tunning?

The standard C string will be an octave too high for standard fifths tuning - unless you want a re-entrant fifths tuning. The other three should be acceptable. If you want the true fifths tuning, you will need the C string to be an octave lower - most likely a wound string. Aquila offers a Nylgut set made just for fifths tuning in CGDA and actually work rather nicely.

OK, so I will string it up with low G, G C E A. I do not care for re-entrant tuning at all. Now I will just have to order another set of strings for fifths tuning in CGDA. That brings up another question. Would fifths tuning in CGDA work best on a Tenor or a Baritone Ukulele? At present time I have DGBE on my Baritone. In the future I hope to have a real Tenor Guitar to play as well as my ukleles.

Thank you, Johnny

Aquila makes two sets of fifths tuning strings - GDAE marketed for soprano (tuned like a mandolin / violin), and CGDA marketed for concert (tuned like a mandola / viola). I'm actually using the CGDA on my soprano (tuned like a mandola) and find them rather nice on it. The high E string in the GDAE set is prone to breaking if not careful when tuning.

I have read on here that the CGDA set also works well on tenor ukulele, I just haven't tried it. I've also read that the GDAE sets works on baritone ukulele tuned down an octave, like an octave mandolin I have not tried this as well, but read here that is works well.

I also remember seeing a used Kala tenor guitar for sale here on the forums for a very good price (no affiliation here). Might be an option for you. I love the tenor guitar with it's 23"-ish scale length, but also love nylon strings. Pono makes a Nui Baritone that I have been wanting to get and tune like a tenor guitar in fifths tuning.

johnnysmash said:

I just received a new set of the New Nylgut Aquila Strings for my new Tenor Uklele. The strings are marked as follows:

1A red 2E blue 3C green 4G white

I plan to change them around so as to have 5ths tunning like a Tenor Guitar.

1A red 2E blue droped to D 4G white as 3rd sting and 3C green as the 4th string. Tuned C G D A

Will that work? Will I hurt the strings in anyway doing this? Will I be able to put them in the proper intended order later if I change my mind about this tunning?

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I've done this and it will not hurt the strings nor the uke.

The problem with doing CGDA like that is the C and G strings will be in a sort of 'double re-entrant' tuning and you will have lots of unisons in chords and lots of duplicate notes in melody lines.

An easy workaround I've done is to use a linear string set, with a low-G and that way only your C string (in the 4th string position) is re-entrant, and this actually sounds very nice in both chords and melody.

I currently have the D'Addario EJ99T-LG fluror low-G set on my mango tenor Fluke and it works very well.

You can also purchase a low-G string separately, or use a wound classical guitar "D" string of ~ 0.030" diameter and that will work too, which I have also done, and neither use of low-G in this case will harm your uke, but the fatter fluoro or wound low-G string, when placed in the nut for the 3rd string might be a little too thick and require widening that nut slot with an emery board or nail file by about 0.5mm-1.0mm...

I came to ukulele due to the fact that I can no longer play a six string due to osteoporis and carpel tunnel left thumb and all of the other aches and pains an eighty year old gets. I only play for myself as a hobby, but, it is my main entertainment in life outside of my wife. I was learning DADGAD and fingerpickng on 6 string guitar and loved it until the pain started. Doc said surgery. I say no way. I am going to see a chiopracter later in June. As long as I can play without surgery, that will be it. I always thought ukuleles were toys for children and I had never heard of a tenor guitar. That was up until last July/August 2017. September 2017 I got my first ukulele, a Baritone Kala Ukulele which I love, DGBE. About two weeks ago I purchased a Tenor Ukulele, Melokia, solid Acacia In Bangkok. I just put on a new set of Aquila New Nylgut Strings, low G. I too prefer nylon strings. I read that there is such a thing as a Tenor Guitar made for nylon strings and I plan to get one later. At the moment my wife still is upset about the last purchase. Every since I heard the Tenorlord play tenor guitar I have wanted one. If I can play Tenor and Baritone Ukulele, plus a Tenor Guitar I will be happy.

johnnysmash said:

I came to ukulele due to the fact that I can no longer play a six string due to osteoporis and carpel tunnel left thumb and all of the other aches and pains an eighty year old gets. I only play for myself as a hobby, but, it is my main entertainment in life outside of my wife. I was learning DADGAD and fingerpickng on 6 string guitar and loved it until the pain started. Doc said surgery. I say no way. I am going to see a chiopracter later in June. As long as I can play without surgery, that will be it. I always thought ukuleles were toys for children and I had never heard of a tenor guitar. That was up until last July/August 2017. September 2017 I got my first ukulele, a Baritone Kala Ukulele which I love, DGBE. About two weeks ago I purchased a Tenor Ukulele, Melokia, solid Acacia In Bangkok. I just put on a new set of Aquila New Nylgut Strings, low G. I too prefer nylon strings. I read that there is such a thing as a Tenor Guitar made for nylon strings and I plan to get one later. At the moment my wife still is upset about the last purchase. Every since I heard the Tenorlord play tenor guitar I have wanted one. If I can play Tenor and Baritone Ukulele, plus a Tenor Guitar I will be happy.

Click to expand...

For some inspiration, you might want to check out John Lawlor on his YT channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPk34fJTLo5oARCoBqbV1yg/videos

and via search in other videos

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=john+lawlor

I too came from a lifetime of play 6-string guitar, first acoustic, then electric, then classical (which I studied in college as part of my minor in music).

5 yrs ago, I discovered ukulele, and found most of the technique and all of the knowledge from guitar easily portable to ukulele.

Once I discovered fifths tuning about 18 months ago, I decided to try both GDAE and CGDA tunings on every size of uke, as well as several scale lengths of both steel and nylon string acoustic guitar.

I've permanently modified an Oscar Schmidt OGHS 22" scale steel string acoustic guitar with a 1.5" nut for octave-down mando GDAE tuning, with the G being re-entrant, and also modified (but in a reversible way) my 30 yr old Yamaha 25.5 nylon string classical guitar, also with the octave-down mando GDAE tuning, but tuned linear.

All of this can be done with the right strings. I play them all, and have written many songs in fifths tuning since.

The fifths tunings and the symmetry of scales and movable chord shapes anywhere on the fretboard is very satisfying to me, and transposing is really easy, as is trying to figure out what key a song is in by ear when using fifths tunings. Easier for me than the modified-fourths tunings we use on EADGBE guitar and also ukulele.

I feel your pain, johnnysmash! I too suffer from fretting hand pain (wrist itis) and found the nylon strings to be a savior. I do still play my steel string guitar, but now only limited. Nylon string instruments have taken the front seat with me. Actually, the only steel string guitar in my possession is a lovely little Godin parlor guitar that I keep tuned down a full step in drop C tuning to ease the string tension. I find this helps me greatly. Best of luck to you with your fifths tuning adventure - I love it!

I’m not old yet by any stretch of the imagination (not quite 40 yet). I’ve been playing 6 string guitar for 20 years now and have not struggled yet with fretting difficulties. But I know my day is coming since I have had wrist and finger injuries from sports related accidents and a hard life of construction work and decades of interpreting and preaching in sign language. It was actually my wife who suggested I get a Ukulele (a suggestion she already regrets because of my quick obsession ). I’m in South America right now and have not even had a chance to have/hold/play my Ukuleles (cough, you read that right, I have more than one even though I haven’t even held one yet ), but all this talk of easy transition from guitar to Uke has me excited! My trip back to the USA is coming up in under 3 weeks and I’ll finally get to play them! Then a few weeks later I get to try and assure the customs officers that all the instruments are really mine and not for resale. Fun times!