Low A tenor tuning

Hello,

Anyone has a Low A tuning on a tenor? Could you send me a mp3 or a link to check the sound, please?

Thanks a lot

Do you mean "ADF#B" ?
I recently started playing ukulele with a Tenor tuned "ADF#A" using non-wound SouthCoast strings.
Unfortunately the instrument is on it's way back to the store for an exchange so I can't post a sample.
I will say, however, that the 4th string was a bit boomy just like a low G but other strings were very bright.
It was nice to have the low 4th when picking but I avoided it when strumming... too much of a contrast.
This was on an inexpensive Makala MK-T which is a ply top so a solid top may sound different.

Yes I meant ADF#B. I found a James Hill video which I think that he plays in Low A tuning. Isn't it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u778gSi94N4

I am ckecking this tuning right now and I feel the low A string less boomy than the low G.

tonet said:

I am ckecking this tuning right now and I feel the low A string less boomy than the low G.

Click to expand...

The disparity in sound between strings that I experienced was possibly because my ukulele was a low end instrument.

Tonet,

I use Southcoast linear strings in ADF#B on my Lichty tenor. I think they are excellent.

I have also used Southcoast flat wound liners and like them very much for a slightly more "guitarish" sound.

I will try to upload a sound file in the D tuning sometime today.

I have a baritone in that tuning and it works very well on that longer scale, brightens up the bari a lot.

It is a good tuning for the people like me who want to have a low 4th tuning still keeping the ukulele sweet sound. Do you know the strings' gauge of Southcoast linear strings?

D Tuning on tenor uke

Here's a short sound file for D tuning on my Lichty. The clarity and openness of this tuning is really remarkable. The only C tuning I will use now is with Southcoast flat wound linears.

http://www.box.com/s/62477073d01fc5c0bbe6

I don't know the string gauges for Southcoast: I've never seen that spec on the site. But if you email Dirk I'm sure he could tell you. Are you concerned about the nut slots? I have had no trouble with them.

Wow! That sounds great! Thanks for posting.

Thanks a lot Craig for the mp3 file. The sound is astonishing, I really love it. It is sweet, clear and with a very nice sustain. The combination of your fingers, southcoast linear strings, Lichty ukulele and low A tuning are ten out of ten.

I asked Dirk about the strings' gauge. He is a very helpful person. He says that the low 4th string is 0.99 mm or 0.0387 inches. I guess that there is no problem to use it in the 4th string's slot.

My question is: What is the extra pressure on the neck, body, bridge to pull it up to ADF#B, with the intention of leaving it there? What is wrong with a second fret capo, and relax it when it's not being played?

TheCraftedCow said:

My question is: What is the extra pressure on the neck, body, bridge to pull it up to ADF#B, with the intention of leaving it there? What is wrong with a second fret capo, and relax it when it's not being played?

Click to expand...

Hello William - Here's your answer:

First, this set is designed for C tuning on a 20" standard scale Baritone or D tuning on a 17" standard scale Tenor. In other words, you're don't "pull it up" to D on a Tenor - that's where it's supposed to be. If you tuned it to C on a Tenor, you'd be "slacking it", and most people would find the tensions too loose.

As far as the capo, we make mostly longneck instruments, and love to see people take adavtage of the versatility that comes from capo use. On most short scale instruments like an ukulele, however, the sound with a capo is usually not quite as nice as you get playing open. Ukuleles are not flamenco guitars, so to me a capo is something you use as a temporary adjustment.

What I'd say as to the Linear (low 4th) D tuning on a standard Tenor, is that this is where you want to be in the first place. There are reasons why so many people struggle with the "low G" note on a Tenor, and one of them is that it's borderline deep for the volume of that particular body. Some instruments can handle it, some can't. It's not a problem with D tuning.

Finally, this is, after all, "Ukulele Standard Tuning". You'll find most old sheet music written this way, and if you're not a fan of wound strings, this set-up is simply far and away the best you'll get for linear ukulele tuning on any sized instrument. Clear - well defined - no flabby, dull, boomy 4th string - perfectly matched to the volume of the body, and with a very pronounced "ukulele" character.

Update

I'd like to ammend the remarks about the capo. We now have in hand the new Shubb Ukulele capos. I had always loved these, but they were never made for ukuleles until recently. The soft material over the fretboard, and even more importantly, the pressure adjustment in back, means the minor intonation problems with most capos go away with the Shubb!