Tenor tuning on a baritone...

[rustydusty]

lately I've been thinking about getting a tenor uke and realized that my Caramel baritone came with an extra set of strings for re-entrant tuning (gcea). Should I tune these up to the same pitch as my concert uke or an octave lower?

 

[rustydusty]

Well I tried it, almost got to "high g" and the string snapped. One octave lower and the strings were too floppy, so it looks like a tenor in my future...

 

[Sporky]

It's definitely doable but not with any strings, and high G is probably not a good idea. When I tried on my 20-in baritone I couldn't get a reasonable combination of string width and tension for the high A using fluorocarbon. I had to use a thin string so that the tension wouldn't be enormous but then the string would just snap. I think nylon would probably be better for this but I could be wrong

 

[rustydusty]

These were the strings Caramel provided to do the conversion. Definitely cheap looking and unlabeled.

I have been looking at a Gretch solid top acoustic electric tenor uke, but I also find the Recording King tenor guitar interesting.

And so it begins... might have to sell a couple of guitars to fund this.

 

[M3Ukulele]

Ohana make a tenor ukulele with a baritone body. I’d love to try one. It sounds good and solves your problem, if you are searching for a tenor anyways. I have a custom Moodyville with larger body and I love it. Great sound and projection. I think this Ohana would yield same results much like the Super tenor concept by Kanile’a where the lower bout is much larger, gives a bigger sound….yet keeps the 17” scale so string option are numerous.

Chee Maisellalso have artist strings which are Bari/tenor! On a 17” tenor scale they give you a baritone sound but with tenor tension. I liked their high g so much I ordered a set. I haven’t put the, on a tenor yet due to my string rotation and frankly not totally understanding how many steps down it’s is when tuned . This is a little off topic but……cool never the less.

my .02 cents worth

 

[Dohle]

Aquila make a GCEA string set for baritone. The code you need to look for is Aquila 23U.

 

[Wiggy]

Here's a somewhat related discussion.

Review: Ohana BKT-70G Short Scale Baritone Ukulele

I like this idea a lot: baritone body with tenor neck, for those that want baritone resonance with tenor feel. I find GCEA tuning on a baritone a bit tight for my personal tastes. This one would do great with linear Low G tuning. Longer UkeGuide and short One Minute Ukulele Reviews below.

forum.ukuleleunderground.com

 

[Peter Frary]

I've tuned baritones D-G-B-E. You need to use lighter gauge strings or it will be too hard to play. It's not uncommon here in Hawaii as larger guys need the extra space.

 

[rustydusty]

That's standard baritone tuning...
I was hoping to tune one of my three baritone ukuleles to gcea and avoid having to purchase a tenor. (Concert size is too small for me.)

 

[merlin666]

That's standard baritone tuning...
I was hoping to tune one of my three baritone ukuleles to gcea and avoid having to purchase a tenor. (Concert size is too small for me.)

Well why do you want to do this? It may be easier to get a capo and put that on the fifth fret of one of your baritones and voila you have the standard uke experience. Or just buy a cheap one in addition to the baritones or trade one of the baritones. After all you can only play one at a time anyway.

 

[UkerDanno]

I tried GCEA (low G) on a baritone, I thought it sounded horrible. Put DGBE strings on it and it sounded great, but I didn't know how to play it, so I sold it.

 

[GalexC]

Would guitar tuning be out of the question? I found the tone pleasing enough and I’ve done it both ways, (1-4 and 3-6). Easy transition from guitar but maybe not hard core ukulele masters style. You can chastise me for not being a purist that’s ok. In my ear, a d chord is still a d chord no matter what tuning you use. And just to boot, my guitars are tuned e flat standard. Less tension and a little more bass. But that’s just for solo playing

 

[Down Up Dick]

I have mine tuned to DGBD, to match my banjos and tenor guitars. It’s easier fretting that way, and I‘m also using it to learn to use a slide.

 

[Slothful Uke]

You mentioned going an octave lower... I am on a quest to get a baritone uke tuned to gcea, a full octave lower than the standard GCEA tuning. To that end, I have ordered a Kanile'a baritone through the uke store U-Space in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. The guy who runs the place, Jason Arimoto, says that he will play around with different strings to get the right sound, but that it is doable. Since he is a MUCH better musician than I am (or will even be), I asked him to record a YouTube video or two showing off the tuning before he hands it over to me, so other people can hear what it sounds like. I was only able to find one video, and the guy didn't really go into much detail on what he did. But it sounded great!

Sorry I can't advise you on what it sounds like right now, but give me a couple of months, and I can.

 

[Peter Frary]

Nice articles about this topic:

Can a Baritone Be Tuned Like Tenor?

Ukulele Resource Center

www.theukulelereview.com

 

[cdkrugjr]

Living Water and PhD both make string sets for Low G in Baritone scale. I’m currently using Worth Browns for Soprano Low G, which are similar in gage. Those are actually a bit loose on a Bari, but unfortunately you lose the “Two Sets…” thing.

Jazzy Ukulele does his recordings on a Baritone with Low G strings.

Dropping an octave might take heavier strings. I might even try using the 5-4-3-2 strings from a Classical set, but I’d keep a spare nut around for those kinds of experiments.

 

[rustydusty]

Installed a set of Aquila super nylagut GCEA baritone strings on my extra baritone uke today and tuned them to pitch. Re-entrant tuning and they sound pretty good. A coupla days to settle and they should be in good shape. Is there anything a tenor can do that this baritone can't? I'm assuming that with the larger body and longer neck, it should have more depth and sustain...