southcoast re-entrant baritone strings

drbekken

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I just want to say that the re-entrant dGBE strings from Southcoast (non-wound) are downright WONDERFUL. By far the best baritone strings I have ever tried. My cheapo 'Richwood' baritone became a new instrument. The re-entrant strings give me the best of two worlds....baritone sound in the first positions and tenor sound further up the fretboard. Videos will follow soon. I am awe-struck.
 
I just want to say that the re-entrant dGBE strings from Southcoast (non-wound) are downright WONDERFUL. By far the best baritone strings I have ever tried. My cheapo 'Richwood' baritone became a new instrument. The re-entrant strings give me the best of two worlds....baritone sound in the first positions and tenor sound further up the fretboard. Videos will follow soon. I am awe-struck.

I heartily concur. I've had a low wound D on my baritone for a few weeks because I'm doing a show that requires it, but I miss my re-entrant baritone. I LOVE that sound, and especially love the southcoast version of it.
 
I heartily concur. I've had a low wound D on my baritone for a few weeks because I'm doing a show that requires it, but I miss my re-entrant baritone. I LOVE that sound, and especially love the southcoast version of it.

I concur with the concurer. I have Southcoast re-entrant strings on both of my baritones.
 
Me, too. These strings are wonderful.
 
Which tunings are you using with your strings? The recommended South Coast settings or have you been retuning? It's not clear from all of your posts whether you have specifically chosen strings for G tuned baritones.

I've been browsing the Southcoast site and looking at all the various options. Quite confusing.

BTW are any of you using the Bridge Bone Beads?: http://www.southcoastukes.com/stringuide_files/BBBs.htm
 
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Which tunings are you using with your strings? The recommended South Coast settings or have you been retuning? It's not clear from all of your posts whether you have specifically chosen strings for G tuned baritones.

I've been browsing the Southcoast site and looking at all the various options. Quite confusing.

BTW are any of you using the Bridge Bone Beads?: http://www.southcoastukes.com/stringuide_files/BBBs.htm

I agree with all of your points, and look forward to OPs reply.

I use bridge bone beads on all of my tie bridge ukuleles. There are cheaper beads at Joann's or Hobby Lobby, but there are not better beads.
 
Actually I think I shouldn't have used the word confusing, more daunting as I'm only just getting used to new chord patterns playing the baritone with my uke group. I can see that when playing baritone solo at home, it wouldn't matter what it was tuned to and that different tunings may bring a better sound from the instrument. I think I may need to start a new thread on this as I'm hoping to commission a custom, low D (or G, or Bb, or A ???? :) ) baritone in the near future
 
I've just started using Medium Soft Lights for my Kanile'a Tenor and they are amazing. The tension across all strings are very even and the sound is superbly balanced.
I ordered 3 different sets and one string was damaged, when I told Dirk about it, his response was fantastic. Customer service is second to none and I would recommend anyone try them, they won't be disappointed. Just of to order some of his Bone saddle beads which look like another great product.
I can only see Southcoasts getting bigger and bigger within the Ukulele community
 
I really wish I could like the non-reentrant Southcoasts I got for my baritone, but their so slick I can't get them to stay in place. The keep slipping out of any knot I tie them into. Even the baritone standard of through the bridge hole, several wraps around itself, and then under the neck string isn't holding.
 
BTW are any of you using the Bridge Bone Beads?: http://www.southcoastukes.com/stringuide_files/BBBs.htm

Yes I got a set of the beads. They make it a little bit easier to string If you find traditional looping hard, but not by much. Maybe slower stringing. I don't think they make a difference sound wise. OK as far as appearance goes. Kinda tribal. When I lose them I will not replace them.
 
Yes I got a set of the beads. They make it a little bit easier to string If you find traditional looping hard, but not by much. Maybe slower stringing. I don't think they make a difference sound wise. OK as far as appearance goes. Kinda tribal. When I lose them I will not replace them.

They protect the bridge from string indentation and cuts.
 
Which tunings are you using with your strings? The recommended South Coast settings or have you been retuning? It's not clear from all of your posts whether you have specifically chosen strings for G tuned baritones.

I've been browsing the Southcoast site and looking at all the various options. Quite confusing.

BTW are any of you using the Bridge Bone Beads?: http://www.southcoastukes.com/stringuide_files/BBBs.htm

I use the re-entrant dGBE tuning...won't bother too much about learning much else...
 
Let me help you get thru the confusion as I'm a big fan of all Southcoast strings.

1. When the tuning is mentioned what's being spoken of is the tuning of the 3rd string. (second closest to your face)

a normal uke tuning has that string as a C. baritones often are tuned with that being a G.

2. Ukes weren't always tuned the way they are now with the C tuning. James Hill doesn't use a C tuning. A lot of the old sheet music is in a different tuning.

3. The C tuning isn't always best for the body of a uke. What's best for a soprano, ain't necessarily so for a tenor a baritone.

If you want to be in the key the music is written in you probably have to be in C tuning unless otherwise noted.

4. If you want to use the same chord shapes as the people you're playing with then you have to be tuned the same way. If you can transpose you don't have to be tuned the same.

5. If you're going to play solo, you'd be best off, tuning to what brings out the best for your instrument. See the Southcoast website to figure that out.

6. Southcoast offers different kinds of strings and tells how they should be tuned on different size ukes.

13'=soprano 15"=concert 17'=tenor 20'= tenor bigger=tenor four string guitar

some strings are only meant for certain sizes. When you click on the strings at the site it tells clearly what tuning for the strings for what size uke. If the tuning's not what you want, don't use those strings. Click on another set of strings and see if they give you the tuning and tension you want.

Hope this helps. It took me a while. It's not overly complicated; it's just slightly complicated the truth.
 
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Kimosabe, thanks for your post.

I think for me it's the worry about whether I could buy one set of strings and then change the tuning depending on whether I am alone or playing in company. I really don't want to have to learn a new set of chords shapes so soon :) Would this wreck the strings? I should probably be emailing Southcoast to ask this.
 
I've been browsing the Southcoast site and looking at all the various options. Quite confusing.

BTW are any of you using the Bridge Bone Beads?: http://www.southcoastukes.com/stringuide_files/BBBs.htm
I agree - it's confusing to try and sort out all the options.

As for bone beads - craft shop glass beads work as well, and are very inexpensive. Just make sure you choose beads with sufficient diameter for the strings.
 
First of all, thanks for the kind words on the strings. I used to play a lot of Baritone when I had time to play, and this was one of my two favorite tunings.

I agree - it's confusing to try and sort out all the options.

Options - GOOD! Confusing - BAD!

I've mentioned it before - we're working on a new website. It's turned out to be a lot more work than I'd thought, and we keep having these hurricane things that slow up the process. When it finally goes up (soon I think), it wil have even more options! That's what you really should want from a string supplier. Obviously "one size doesn't fit all".

What we also hope to do, however, is cut way back on the "confusing" part. No need to tell me the current site is poorly organized, and a lot of the string sets have names that make no sense. It was pointed out to me rather forcefully by the wonderful instructor Glen Rose that I had seemingly done all I could to have made these strings inaccessible to most buyers. He and kimo are good friends, and kimo was the one who explained some of the idosyncracies of our site to Glen. He strongly suggested I get kimo to write the new site!

As you see above, kimo's background as a teacher is evident. He sums up a lot of what we are about in a few short lines. I, on the other hand, would prefer to do it in a few pages. Nonetheless, I think the new site will be an improvement, The strings must be awfully good, as we continue to sell a lot of them in spite of the shortcomings of our "sales presentation".

Just the same, I think I can offer a bit of clarity on this thread. The string set being discussed is our "Heavy Gauge Ukulele Set". And oh, BTW, when the new site goes up, there will be another option on this set as well.

Since a lot of Baritones are very heavily built by traditional ukulele standards, in this tuning, some will benefit from a bit more power in the bottom end. We'll have another version of this set with a wound 3rd string. After all: One Size - BAD!
 
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Hey Dirk, I just sent a detailed message to you about string selection I need for my Kamaka lili'u 6 string and some sets of string beads but your inbox was full and I've lost my message now. Could you inbox me please. Thanks.
First of all, thanks for the kind words on the strings. I used to play a lot of Baritone when I had time to play, and this was one of my two favorite tunings.



Options - GOOD! Confusing - BAD!

I've mentioned it before - we're working on a new website. It's turned out to be a lot more work than I'd thought, and we keep having these hurricane things that slow up the process. When it finally goes up (soon I think), it wil have even more options! That's what you really should want from a string supplier. Obviously "one size doesn't fit all".

What we also hope to do, however, is cut way back on the "confusing" part. No need to tell me the current site is poorly organized, and a lot of the string sets have names that make no sense. It was pointed out to me rather forcefully by the wonderful instructor Glen Rose that I had seemingly done all I could to have made these strings inaccessible to most buyers. He and kimo are good friends, and kimo was the one who explained some of the idosyncracies of our site to Glen. He strongly suggested I get kimo to write the new site!

As you see above, kimo's background as a teacher is evident. He sums up a lot of what we are about in a few short lines. I, on the other hand, would prefer to do it in a few pages. Nonetheless, I think the new site will be an improvement, The strings must be awfully good, as we continue to sell a lot of them in spite of the shortcomings of our "sales presentation".

Just the same, I think I can offer a bit of clarity on this thread. The string set being discussed is our "Heavy Gauge Ukulele Set". And oh, BTW, when the new site goes up, there will be another option on this set as well.

Since a lot of Baritones are very heavily built by traditional ukulele standards, in this tuning, some will benefit from a bit more power in the bottom end. We'll have another version of this set with a wound 3rd string. After all: One Size - BAD!
 
Good to know, thank you will definitely
order a set. I really don't care for the
wound strings at all.
 
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