7th string to Guitalele

Hi all,

I just got a second Yahama guitalele for a pittance of ebay. I was planning to keep it in the car for impromptu practicing, but now i'm thinking to try out some modifications instead.

Mostly I wanted to add a 7th string:
I've already replaced the nut on my first with a 52 mm to give more finger room, which i'll do again, so i wont have room to add the 7th as a bass string like a typical 7-string guitar. But i'm thinking the extra string spacing will allow for doubling up a string.

Is it best to create 2 new nut slots and bridge holes to give symmetirical string spacing, or could I get away with adding only one extra?

And which string would be best to double? I'm thinking the G, to give both high and low g, as i've seen a 5 string uke online that looked cool with that. But it seems on a guitar the C string equivalent is more typically doubled to give a jangly sound?

Also, has anyone tried this: http://www.addstring.com/index.html I'd still have to drill the bridge, but it would save adding a perment tuning peg. But expensive if I only use one component!

I'd welcome anyone's thoughts!

I'm pretty confused about what you want to do here......but 52mm should be plenty of room for a 7th string. A typical steel string guitar nut is around 44mm so you have 8mm real estate for the 7th string which sounds just about right. That's much closer string spacing than a uke. About like playing a guitar with a capo on the 5th fret. Its a bit cramped for some chords but pretty manageable.
If you just want to double up a string, Then definitely cut two new slots centered around the original string. It will feel weird otherwise.

I have seen 7 string guitars usually doubled G (3rd string).
My first guess would be to double the C with an octave string.

ksquine said:

I'm pretty confused about what you want to do here......but 52mm should be plenty of room for a 7th string. A typical steel string guitar nut is around 44mm so you have 8mm real estate for the 7th string which sounds just about right. That's much closer string spacing than a uke. About like playing a guitar with a capo on the 5th fret. Its a bit cramped for some chords but pretty manageable.
If you just want to double up a string, Then definitely cut two new slots centered around the original string. It will feel weird otherwise.

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I guess you're right about the nut width, it just feels much more cramped due to the smaller frets spacing. Before I changed the nut (which I did to convert to left-handed), it was a chore to get a clean D chord, but I didn't really pracice before i changed it over.

So that gives me the option of either a 7-string with an extra bass (EADGcea), or a doubled string (ADGgcea / ADGCcea). Decisions!

Just done some measurments, and the original nut had 39 mm spacing while the new one has 43 mm.
So i've got 4-5 mm to work with before i go below the original spacing. Think that means doubling is the best option.

SailingUke said:

I have seen 7 string guitars usually doubled G (3rd string).
My first guess would be to double the C with an octave string.

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Thanks. That's what I thought. Wish there was an easy way to hear what the difference would be between double the C or the G.
I'm now thinking of making the extra holes and nut groves for both C and G, so can switch between the two and see for myself.

Thanks for the link. What an amazing product!

Pete Howlett said:

Thanks for the link. What an amazing product!

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Yep, even if not compatible with most ukes, I think i'll be adding it to my christmas wishlist for my guitar. Extra strings ahoy!

I've finally made some progress on this, and I decided to add 2 extra strings for symmetry

My first attempt using friction tuners was a bust, they simply could not hold the tension. So then i used guitar geared tuners - not in the ideal position aesthetically, but i had to work with the holes i'd already made.

I've not drilled any bridge holes, the strings seem to be happy sitting in shallow slots in the bone saddle. This means i can play around with string spacing while i get used to doubled strings.

I've currently got it strung up as A D Gg Cc e a, the the extra g being high (g4) and the extra c low (C2). As expected, it sounds much fuller, if a bit "normal guitar-like" with the extra bass. I originally went for a high octaved c to sound more uke-ish, but the string snapped half a dozen times and the high note didn't mesh very well. I might try it again, maybe i just need the string to last long enough to get used to it!