New Tangi Manini - tuning?

Just received my new Tangi Manini from MGM! WOW does it have some amazing sustain - I am shocked! For such an itty bitty little thing, it has powerful voice and is a lot easier to play than I expected. A little hard to hold - because the bridge is mounted close to the lower edge, you have to adjust where you put your right forearm a bit, but I'm getting the hang of it. This little guy is going to live in my desk at work so I can practice at lunch time.

MGM's site mentions that these are usually tuned cfad, but when I opened it up I found it was almost perfectly tuned gcea. The strings are quite flexible with this tuning, but like I said, the voice is amazing.

Any reasons not to play it like this? Drawbacks? Anybody recommend strings besides those that came on it (don't know what they are - they're black...) (found a short thread here about strings on a Manini, but there were no real consclusions).

Thanks!

I don't think there's any harm to playing a sopranino in the key of C, it's just that with most strings they are a little too slack to sound decent in that key. I have a Manini and it's strung with Worth CL strings, and the strings were just too loose in C. I tightened them up to E and the result is fantastic.

As for holding such a small uke, yeah it takes some getting used to. I rest my wrist on the bridge and strum from there.

Do you still have your Manini? Still love it? I've just ordered one of his remaining ones and can't wait to get it!

ukukimmy said:

Do you still have your Manini? Still love it? I've just ordered one of his remaining ones and can't wait to get it!

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No, sold it long, long ago. Just too little for my clumsy fingers. It was awfully cute, though...

i wish i could get my hands on a tangi manini... just don't make them anymore...