The tiple was redesigned in 1919 by the American guitar company C.F. Martin & Co. for the William J. Smith Co. in New York. This tiple is smaller than the Colombian version, closer in size to a baritone ukelele.
Yes, the tenor-size USA tiple (TIH-pull) *is* closer to a baritone than to a Columbian tiple (TEE-play) but it's still virtually identical to a tenor, body-wise. Mine is anyway.
Tiple strings and tuning: Guitar-style metal strings are used, and in addition to the original ukulele-style tuning (above) used, the American tiple is sometimes tuned like the upper four courses of the guitar.
The overall interval layout is the same as 'ukes and 4-string guitars, with the lower strings in each course being 4-3-4 intervals. But there's a tonal disconnect in the top two courses, a mirror of the disconnect in 6-string 'ukes.
Consider: An 'uke tuned linear (say in
GCEa) allows a smooth transition of notes from string to string. My KA6, originally strung
g-cC-E-aA, allowed such transitions only on the two middle courses. It's a bit easier since I restrung it
G-cC-E-Aa. Now it's almost a Venezuelan cuatro. The USA-mutant tiple, tuned
gG-cCc-eEe-aa, allows smooth transitions on the lower three courses, but taking a melody from the second to first string sounds weak because the second is SO much bass-ier.
Strumming the 6-string 'uke or 10-string tiple presents no problem. Picking (counter)melodies requires new fingering techniques.