UAS relapse, ukulele #11 will be my first baritone

Even though my size preferences go concert, soprano, tenor, I finally decided I needed to round off the set with my first baritone. It's a Kala solid acacia with a slotted headstock.

http://www.theukulelesite.com/kala-solid-acacia-baritone-asac-b.html

I figured if I'm probably only going to get one bari (just one, honest I swear), I didn't want something too cheap that I'd want to replace if I liked it, nor too expensive if it just becomes a wall-hanger. And it had to be gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.

Though I'm thinking on tuning it DGBD and using it exclusively for slack-key. Thoughts? How hard is it mentally to switch between GCEA and DGBE? Or do people usually just stick with one?

Ok, now to obsessively waiting for a tracking number...

JonThysell said:

I figured if I'm probably only going to get one bari (just one, honest I swear),

Though I'm thinking on tuning it DGBD and using it exclusively for slack-key. Thoughts? How hard is it mentally to switch between GCEA and DGBE? Or do people usually just stick with one?

Ok, now to obsessively waiting for a tracking number...

Click to expand...

Just keep telling yourself, just one, honest I swear.:biglaugh:

Switching isn't difficult. Some times when I switch on the fly and am reading GCEA chord charts it takes a minute or two to make the fingers do the right thing because the eyes are playing tricks on them. It's fun and versatile to have a DGBE baritone(s) around.

I put a set of GCEA strings on one of my laminate baritones an it has become my choice for low G tuning.

I owned the tenor version of this instrument. I especially love the herringbone purfling. Congratulations! Hope you enjoy it and may your tracking number obsession be everything you dreamed of.

Hi Jon,

Congrats on the beautiful baritone!

The bari gives you lots of options for tunings. I have one tuned to Bb (F-Bb-G-D) and the other to A (E-A-C#-F#). I use Southcoast strings on my baritones. They're expensive but great sounding. I use my baritones primarily for jazz standards. Consider re-entrant dGBE for your bari as well where the fourth string is a high D. Another great option.

My size preferences keep changing to "love the one you're with". My original goal was to have one in each size and now I have two in each size.

I used to live in Sammamish and spent a lot of time at Redmond Town Center. I miss the Pacific NW but Kansas is a great place to live too.

Mahalo,

Don

Hey Jon,

You gotta start ou in DGBE, then branch out from there. One of the conveniences of DGBE (or dGBE) tuning is that you can readily use it to transpose songs down from how they are charted for GCEA tuning.
In other words if a song feel too high to sing comfortably as charted, you can capo it down fret by fret until it works, then do the math and see what key you ended up in. Of course if you have the ability to transpose on the fly that's totally useless.
Have fun!