Stringing an Eleuke with steel strings?

ichadwick

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Anyone tried replacing the nylon strings on a solid-body Eleuke with steel strings? It seems the neck and body should take the extra tension without ill effects, but haven't tried it. Am thinking of getting one to restring, but wanted to ask here first.

Also, would the undersaddle pickup be overwhelmed by the steel strings?
 
I imagine that the nut, saddle and bridge may not like it.
And possibly the tuners and frets. As they've been intended for use with nylon strings.
 
It might appear that the neck and body can handle the extra tension at first but as the extra tension is left for an extended period of time it could warp the neck slowly. Not sure what the tension differences would be but it is something to think about.

Eleuke is developing a steel string ukulele, so I am sure they are making some upgrades to strength as well as the pick up.
 
I don't see a good reason to do so, the eleuke has a piezo pickup right? So it not being a magnetic pickup, you would probably be wasting your time.
 
what AC said - the pickup isnt going to give you a "kerrang" metal sound...

Plus - steel strings - would argue that you need a truss rod in the neck
 
I don't think a truss rod is completely necessary. There's a lot of little 1/2 and 1/4 size acoustic guitars that do just fine with steel strings and no truss rod. An eleuke also only has four strings rather than six like a guitar, so the tension is going to be way less. If you strung it with electric guitar strings or really light acoustic strings the neck probably wouldn't warp. I'd try it out one of those $100 Stagg solid bodies before doing it on an eleuke though. Just in case if it does break you'd only be out $100.

But I don't really see the point though unless you're planning to put in a magnetic pickup. And if you're going that route you could order a neck from mainland and build one for far cheaper than an eleuke sells for. I've thought about modding on of these into a low-g electric ukulele. I don't know how difficult it would be to get the string spacing right at the bridge. They're closer to the size of a baritone though, so they might be bigger than what you're looking for.

Eleuke is developing a steel string ukulele, so I am sure they are making some upgrades to strength as well as the pick up.

Or wait for this.
 
I thought the intention would have been to have a steel-string acoustic sound than a nylon string acoustic sound.
Nevertheless, the Risa steel-string electrics have a truss rod.


Or wait for this.

There already are several steel-string electric uke options.
Check out www.ukulele.de
 
I've ordered a Risa from another uker and am awaiting its arrival. A second electric/steel uke I would retune to an open key for slide use - that was my intention. I really love the newer Risa models with dual humbucker pickups, but with shipping and taxes, they are very expensive to get to Canada. I was looking for a more modest alternative (I can buy several electric guitars for the same price as a single Risa electric from Germany! Or a nice electric and a small amp combo. or an inexpensive electric and a flight to Hawaii...).

I had an Eleuke a couple of years ago, and I suspect it would withstand the tension, but the pickup was really my more serious concern.

I didn't like the Eleuke neck, however, because the A string was too close to the fretboard edge and I was constantly slipping off the fretboard when I did any string pulls. I had planned to replace the nut and maybe even redrill the bridge holes to correct that, but decided to sell it instead. I've since reconsidered an Eleuke and might want one for its nylon/piezo combination and headphone jack anyway. But I AM anxiously awaiting their steel-string models.
 
Hi This is Philip who is making EleUKe.
I hope all of you try our Steel string model and we are planning to produce them from June 2010.
These new steel string models designed with some ideas like using wider bridge and screws to endure
string's tension. Of course trussrod will be installed too.
I always thinking about to make good instruments with easy pricing and personally, I love this steel string
model's sound as it's so different from nylon string's.
 
Hi Philip again.
Regarding Steel string model, I would like to add some more info
about the tension.
We makes only Tenor sized steel string model by using 1-4th Electric Guitar's.
Our EleUke's scale is 436mm and it's equivalent to normal Guitar's 7th fret.

You can check normally tuned guitar's 7th fret from 1-4th string is B, F#, D, A
and if you drop down them to A, E, C, G to EleUke and it will make tension
not that strong and it makes sound special.
I may not able to give you further info about our Steel string model as China blocks UU where I am staying.
I am posting this message at HongKong during my short trip.
 
Hi Philip again.
Regarding Steel string model, I would like to add some more info
about the tension.
We makes only Tenor sized steel string model by using 1-4th Electric Guitar's.
Our EleUke's scale is 436mm and it's equivalent to normal Guitar's 7th fret.

You can check normally tuned guitar's 7th fret from 1-4th string is B, F#, D, A
and if you drop down them to A, E, C, G to EleUke and it will make tension
not that strong and it makes sound special.
I may not able to give you further info about our Steel string model as China blocks UU where I am staying.
I am posting this message at HongKong during my short trip.

I am so excited about this :)
 
Wow it's happening sooner that I had anticipated.

I am looking forward to it!
 
Hi Philip again.
You can check normally tuned guitar's 7th fret from 1-4th string is B, F#, D, A
and if you drop down them to A, E, C, G to EleUke and it will make tension
not that strong and it makes sound special.
Very interesting and thank you for that update. I'm anxious to learn more - and to try one!
 
Hi Philip again.
I may not able to give you further info about our Steel string model as China blocks UU where I am staying.
I am posting this message at HongKong during my short trip.


I understand completely, especially with threads like this one - they see the Uke Underground is the focal point of a revolution in progress.
We'll overthrow the music world, bring the making of music back to the proletariot, and leave a lot of guitar and video game workers singing "tiptoe through the tulips".

Good going Phillip!

-Vinnie in Juneau
 
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