about2
Well-known member
What are the advantages of restringing a baritone to gcea? Is it the extra room between the frets? Does the larger size produce a bigger sound? Doesn’t a capo placed properly produce the same effect?
Why string a baritone gcea?
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merlin666
Well-known member
People who do this are usually concerned about transposing chord shapes and dealing with keys.
Peter Frary
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Some guys do it because their hands feel cramped on 17" tenors, and the 20" scale is much more comfy. They want the tenor range so they can play with their classmates or buddies without transposing. A capo on the 5th fret reduces fingerboard range too much. Just be sure to use lighter strings so the tension isn't too extreme.
bbkobabe
Well-known member
Capo on the fifth of a tenor guitar leaves even more room and still lots of neck... I've been tempted to try this...
cdkrugjr
Well-known member
My Kala Bari never sounded great in G, there being a nasty wolf tone on the open D. I almost always kept it in A. Then I got my Nui, which sounds amazing in G, at around the same time I started playing Renn guitar repertoire, which is Bari scale tuned in C, and found Jazzy Ukulele, who ALSO uses a Bari tuned to C.
One of the cool things about the Bari is you’ve a great deal of flexibility in its tuning. One simple one you can use with “normal” strings is open G, dgbd’ which is a basic banjo tuning, lends itself to slide, and some slack key tricks.
One of the cool things about the Bari is you’ve a great deal of flexibility in its tuning. One simple one you can use with “normal” strings is open G, dgbd’ which is a basic banjo tuning, lends itself to slide, and some slack key tricks.
I bought a cheapo vintage baritone a few years ago intending to string it with GCEA, it just didn't sound very good...IMHO. I restrung it as a baritone and it sounded very good, I thought, so I sold it to a friend, since I don't know how to play baritone.
Why? Maybe so it sounds like a great big tenor with a full voice. I've done that and liked it a lot. A bari that is strung in G and capo'd to C isn't the same to my ears. There's not a single, correct answer and YMMV, of course! And be sure to follow Peter's advice to use lighter strings. That's important.
