Yesterday, I traded some pedals for another ukulele. This one is a Riptide ECUT-2SC. I still really don't know much about ukuleles and will really start learning to play when I retire in two weeks. I have learned from some ukulele books that I have, that there is the low G tuning and the high G tuning (traditional re-entrant) in common use.
My first ukulele is a very expensive Ko'olau and I don't want to have to be swapping strings on it to go between various books I want to work with. I have a set of three books from Alfred that are edited by Daniel Ho (Beginning, Intermediate, and Mastering the Ukulele, all with DVDs) and a pair of books by Daniel Ho. These all use high G tuning. Then, I have Daniel Ho's Polani book and CD of solo fingerstyle ukulele. I really enjoy this music and it is on par with the best of solo fingerstyle guitar. The whole album is done with low G tuning.
In addition, I have several books of solo fingerstyle and chord melody ukulele because that is the area of my interest. I don't sing, and don't plan to.
The Riptide seems a reasonable ukulele, but the action needs to be lowered. There is plenty of saddle height, so I figure the manufacturer intended for the action to be lowered as needed. I have played solo fingerstyle and jazz guitar for many years, and this practice is common in the acoustic guitar world, so I don't see it as a problem with my ukulele, though my Ko'olau seemed to have low action when I got it.
From what I have read, there is the "old" version and the "new" version of the Riptide ukuleles, with the identifying difference being whether it has the Riptide name across the top under the strings. Mine doesn't, so it must be the newer version. It is sunburst with a cutaway and an active pickup. It also has a deeper body than the other Riptide models the store had in stock.
My plan at this point is to keep the Riptide in standard high G tuning and the Ko'olau in low G. I have lowered the action on guitars, so I will do that to my ukulele too. It is a simple procedure unless you run into sting buzz problems. It looks to me, because of the height of this saddle, that this won't be a problem.
Tony
My first ukulele is a very expensive Ko'olau and I don't want to have to be swapping strings on it to go between various books I want to work with. I have a set of three books from Alfred that are edited by Daniel Ho (Beginning, Intermediate, and Mastering the Ukulele, all with DVDs) and a pair of books by Daniel Ho. These all use high G tuning. Then, I have Daniel Ho's Polani book and CD of solo fingerstyle ukulele. I really enjoy this music and it is on par with the best of solo fingerstyle guitar. The whole album is done with low G tuning.
In addition, I have several books of solo fingerstyle and chord melody ukulele because that is the area of my interest. I don't sing, and don't plan to.
The Riptide seems a reasonable ukulele, but the action needs to be lowered. There is plenty of saddle height, so I figure the manufacturer intended for the action to be lowered as needed. I have played solo fingerstyle and jazz guitar for many years, and this practice is common in the acoustic guitar world, so I don't see it as a problem with my ukulele, though my Ko'olau seemed to have low action when I got it.
From what I have read, there is the "old" version and the "new" version of the Riptide ukuleles, with the identifying difference being whether it has the Riptide name across the top under the strings. Mine doesn't, so it must be the newer version. It is sunburst with a cutaway and an active pickup. It also has a deeper body than the other Riptide models the store had in stock.
My plan at this point is to keep the Riptide in standard high G tuning and the Ko'olau in low G. I have lowered the action on guitars, so I will do that to my ukulele too. It is a simple procedure unless you run into sting buzz problems. It looks to me, because of the height of this saddle, that this won't be a problem.
Tony