pdxuke
Well-known member
I may be lucking into a deal on an Ohana Baritone. Somewhere I remember a thread on string sets that are not wound. Could bari players weigh in?
Baritone Uke Strings
- Thread starter pdxuke
- Start date
didgeridoo2
Well-known member
Check out southcoast ukes, Thom. I think they have em.
OP
OP
pdxuke
Well-known member
http://www.southcoastukes.com/stringuide_files/linuke.htm
So help me here: does this mean that with this Southcoast uke string set, one can tune a bari with no wound strings to a low g standard "uke" key of C tuning: gcea?
OP
OP
pdxuke
Well-known member
Anybody ever try these?
http://accessories.musiciansfriend....tone-Ukulele-Strings?sku=100049&rec=product_A
didgeridoo2
Well-known member
That's what I thought, Thom. I haven't used them, but they are forum members and maybe they'll weigh in
Huna
Well-known member
I have them and I don't know what to say as I have limited experience as far as the baritone goes. I have them on a makala but have kept it tuned dgbe and somehow I wish they felt a little tighter but they seem to work fine.
Huna
Well-known member
If you don't want wound strings, think about it, you could use the Tenor Fluorocarbons on the Baritone as it is only 2 inches longer. Don't you normally throw away at least two inches on a stringset?
TCK
Well-known member
uu'er Lozarkman plays mostly Baritone tuned to linear C. I asked him in a PM about strings and he directed me to SouthCoast Ukes sets. I have not tried them as I decided for now it was OK learning two names for every chord shape (ugh...my head hurts) but may in the near future- I am sure he will answer any questions for you- he was very gracious and replied quickly to my PM's on the subject
OP
OP
pdxuke
Well-known member
Was at the local shop today and Aquila makes a low g set for Bartone, no wound strings. Now I have to search for low g tuning youtube recordings, because believe it or not, I have no idea what it sounds like 
Teek
Well-known member
Sounds like the top four strings of a guitar, up a fifth!
The Worth Brown tenor strings on my bari work really well even tuned up a step, if you like Worths there would be enough for a tenor and a bari in one set. My bari is an old mahogany (maybe lam, looks real) but the build makes even the thinner strings sound really nice.
The Worth Brown tenor strings on my bari work really well even tuned up a step, if you like Worths there would be enough for a tenor and a bari in one set. My bari is an old mahogany (maybe lam, looks real) but the build makes even the thinner strings sound really nice.
Was at the local shop today and Aquila makes a low g set for Bartone, no wound strings. Now I have to search for low g tuning youtube recordings, because believe it or not, I have no idea what it sounds like
Are these nylgut strings the baritone Aquilas in low g GCEA tuning?
If you already have a baritone tuned to DGBE, you can capo it at the fifth fret to see what a baritone tuned to low g GCEA tuning would sound like.
OP
OP
pdxuke
Well-known member
Yes, those are the strings.
TCK
Well-known member
Looking at the gauges (and having a few sets laying around) I am certain these are re-entrant tuning, not linear.
025 031 038 027 in thousandths of an inch.
My reason for contacting Lozarkman in the first place was that these sound, compared to bari G tuning strings, very dull and tinny. Hoping (when I get sick of two sets of chord names floating around in my head) that the linear Southcoast set sounds fuller.
Last edited:
OP
OP
pdxuke
Well-known member
TCK
Well-known member
Yes- they are high G. You may like them though- I already have two tenors and they made the Bari sound just like the others. The G tuning strings are so much deeper and more resonant that I just could not wrap my head around it.
OP
OP
pdxuke
Well-known member
kenikas
Well-known member
I have one of my Bari's tuned gcea with the Aquilas and got a single low g string from Musicguymic, they were only about $3 for the single. I love the low g on the Bari it's so resonant.
lozarkman
Well-known member
Yes TCK is correct. I do play mostly Baris, tenors occasionally. and yes I do use Southcoastukes strings almost exclusively, although worth clears are my second choice. And yes Southcoast linear unwounds will give you GCEA tuning in low G and are beautiful sounding strings. Very balanced, thickness controlled to a very nice picking and strumming use, and have a nice feel to them. I recently decided to tune one of my Baris to DGBE tuning, so ordered Southcoast G23 strings, which are wound 3 and 4, flouros on 1 and 2. (oh yes, I should mention, that Southcoast wounds seem a bit different than most I have used. They are very smooth, don't give you that metallic clicking often found, and are very balanced and rich sounding) I have played them for about two weeks, and love them. If sometimes you get that nostalgic feel for wanting to hear G tuning and not have to go to your big box guitar, the sound is very satisfying and works well with a lot of songs. Yes you can capo your Bari to get the C tuning, but I have found it just doesn't have quite the same sound and feel that the regular fret choices will give you. Just my thought. You will have to try several and find what sounds best to you. That is what most of us have done. Sorry for the lengthy rambling Lozark
Lozark
ukulelecowboy
Well-known member
I'm in the same place as Lozarkman. I play baritones exclusively and we gig between 6 - 8 times a month so I play my ukuleles alot. My main baritones are strung "linear C tuning" (low G -GCEA) I recently changed from Nylguts to Dirk's Southcoast Strings and I am staying put. I love these strings. This is a letter that I recently wrote to Dirk after receiving and loaded his strings on three of my baritones:
Hi Dirk,
I just wanted to write about the strings that I received from you. I play professionally in the Columbus, Ohio area in a Jazz and Swing duo called:
The Ukulele Cowboy Society
www.theukulelecowboysociety.com
We gig quite a bit (at least 6 - 8 times a month) and I really give my performance ukuleles a "workout." Do get me wrong, no abuse! But they get played a lot.
I use two baritones primarily. A Pono Mahogany with a Mi-Si pickup and a Pono Spruce/Ebony with the same pickup. Both are strung with linear C tuning. We play jazz and swing standards so most chords are closed and I use the entire fretboard. The reason that I say this is because in my years of playing I have tried many different kinds and brands of ukulele strings. From Aquila Nylguts to Ko'loau Golds and on and on. I am extremely picking about the strings that I use and pay careful attention to matching strings with tone woods, etc. I am also acutely aware of string tensions, intonation, and harmonics. I do admit that my hearing has suffered from too many youthful years listening to The Who but I do know good quality sound when I'm around it.
I learned of your ukuleles and string sets from browsing around the ukulele forums, etc. and decided to visit your website to check it out. Your ukuleles are beautiful and as a baritone ukulele and sometime Tenor Guitar player, I was impressed by the instruments that you offered.
But it was when I checked out your string set section, that my head really spun around. The comprehensive analysis of acoustics, harmonics, and string tensions, etc. was really staggering and I knew that I had to spend some time looking through the content. Although, I play only baritone ukulele on stage, we have a collection of over 75 vintage and contemporary ukulele so I was fascinated by all the material in the section.
Obviously, I had to partake so I ordered a three pack of the linear C tuning string for a 20" scale instrument. I received them yesterday and when I got home from work, I restrung three of my ukulele. They were all strung with Aquila Nylguts and they were clearly going dead on my performance ukulele, So the pair of Pono ukuleles each received a fresh set of your strings and as an added treat to myself, I loaded the third set on one of my prized vintage ukuleles. A circa 1950's Arthur Godfrey Vega DeLuxe Solo-Lute (in gorgeous sunburst.)
As I finished loading each of the Ponos, I was immediately impressed by the clarity of tone and intonation. The 12th fret harmonics were crystal clear and the strings felt good up and down the fretboard. Pono ukuleles are known for having very low profile frets and I keep the action low (about 1/8") and after several scale runs up and down noticed no buzzing or aberrations of any kind.
I was also acutely aware of the string tensions at the first several frets and was happy to note nice flexibility for barre chords without too much slack. A very pleasant experience. I was also happy to note that the strings matched the ukulele tone woods very well. By all accounts, they managed to add a bit of brightness to the heavier solid mahogany and at the same time managed to wrangle the almost "unmanageable" projection from the Sprucetop/Ebony body Pono.
The Vega Solo-Lute seemed like a completely different instrument. The Solo-Lute is a bit odd in the way that its built. Almost like a tenor ukulele with a baritone neck. Your linear strings matched the instrument perfectly. I was really happy with the results.
So, all in all, I would have to say that it was a great first impression and I'm very happy with my purchase. Needless to say, I will be placing another order in the near future. I would really like to try the re-entrant C sets for some of my tenors.
Thanks again for the fast shipping and the wonderful product. When I have some recordings, I'll post them online and let you know.
Kind Regards,
Mike Kaplan
The Ukulele Cowboy Society
We gigged last Thursday night. The strings were on my Pono less than 48 hours and they had already stabilized. Very nice. What follows is a link to our music page which has four demos of our live performance that night. The ukulele is a Pono Mahogany Baritone outfitted with a Mi-Si active pickup. It's DI'd into our amp with a line out to a Zoom H4n.
http://www.theukulelecowboysociety.com/MUSICMAINPAGE.html
Thanks!
Hi Dirk,
I just wanted to write about the strings that I received from you. I play professionally in the Columbus, Ohio area in a Jazz and Swing duo called:
The Ukulele Cowboy Society
www.theukulelecowboysociety.com
We gig quite a bit (at least 6 - 8 times a month) and I really give my performance ukuleles a "workout." Do get me wrong, no abuse! But they get played a lot.
I use two baritones primarily. A Pono Mahogany with a Mi-Si pickup and a Pono Spruce/Ebony with the same pickup. Both are strung with linear C tuning. We play jazz and swing standards so most chords are closed and I use the entire fretboard. The reason that I say this is because in my years of playing I have tried many different kinds and brands of ukulele strings. From Aquila Nylguts to Ko'loau Golds and on and on. I am extremely picking about the strings that I use and pay careful attention to matching strings with tone woods, etc. I am also acutely aware of string tensions, intonation, and harmonics. I do admit that my hearing has suffered from too many youthful years listening to The Who but I do know good quality sound when I'm around it.
I learned of your ukuleles and string sets from browsing around the ukulele forums, etc. and decided to visit your website to check it out. Your ukuleles are beautiful and as a baritone ukulele and sometime Tenor Guitar player, I was impressed by the instruments that you offered.
But it was when I checked out your string set section, that my head really spun around. The comprehensive analysis of acoustics, harmonics, and string tensions, etc. was really staggering and I knew that I had to spend some time looking through the content. Although, I play only baritone ukulele on stage, we have a collection of over 75 vintage and contemporary ukulele so I was fascinated by all the material in the section.
Obviously, I had to partake so I ordered a three pack of the linear C tuning string for a 20" scale instrument. I received them yesterday and when I got home from work, I restrung three of my ukulele. They were all strung with Aquila Nylguts and they were clearly going dead on my performance ukulele, So the pair of Pono ukuleles each received a fresh set of your strings and as an added treat to myself, I loaded the third set on one of my prized vintage ukuleles. A circa 1950's Arthur Godfrey Vega DeLuxe Solo-Lute (in gorgeous sunburst.)
As I finished loading each of the Ponos, I was immediately impressed by the clarity of tone and intonation. The 12th fret harmonics were crystal clear and the strings felt good up and down the fretboard. Pono ukuleles are known for having very low profile frets and I keep the action low (about 1/8") and after several scale runs up and down noticed no buzzing or aberrations of any kind.
I was also acutely aware of the string tensions at the first several frets and was happy to note nice flexibility for barre chords without too much slack. A very pleasant experience. I was also happy to note that the strings matched the ukulele tone woods very well. By all accounts, they managed to add a bit of brightness to the heavier solid mahogany and at the same time managed to wrangle the almost "unmanageable" projection from the Sprucetop/Ebony body Pono.
The Vega Solo-Lute seemed like a completely different instrument. The Solo-Lute is a bit odd in the way that its built. Almost like a tenor ukulele with a baritone neck. Your linear strings matched the instrument perfectly. I was really happy with the results.
So, all in all, I would have to say that it was a great first impression and I'm very happy with my purchase. Needless to say, I will be placing another order in the near future. I would really like to try the re-entrant C sets for some of my tenors.
Thanks again for the fast shipping and the wonderful product. When I have some recordings, I'll post them online and let you know.
Kind Regards,
Mike Kaplan
The Ukulele Cowboy Society
We gigged last Thursday night. The strings were on my Pono less than 48 hours and they had already stabilized. Very nice. What follows is a link to our music page which has four demos of our live performance that night. The ukulele is a Pono Mahogany Baritone outfitted with a Mi-Si active pickup. It's DI'd into our amp with a line out to a Zoom H4n.
http://www.theukulelecowboysociety.com/MUSICMAINPAGE.html
Thanks!
Similar threads
