New Tuning

Pondoro

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OK, I want to tune a soprano uke like a baritone (DGBE). I want it to be non-rentrant and an octave higher than a bari. The Bari tuning is D3 G3 B3 E4. I want to tune the soprano uke D4 G4 B4 E5.

Strings? I can almost get there - a normal set of uke strings for soprano is meant to be tuned G4 C4 E4 A4. So I could put the C string in position 4 and tune it one full step high as D4. The Canadians do this anyway (I'm saying this tongue in cheek, but D6 tunning does this anyway.) I would put the normal high G string in position 3 and tune it as G4 - no change! Then I'd use the A string in position 2 and tune it as B4, one note high. Again I think D6 tuning does this already.

My problem is the 1st string - it wants to be E5. Where do I get a string for this? The E4 string would break if I tuned it an octave high. I think even an A4 string would be stressed if I try to tune it 4 steps high as E5.

Any suggestions? Fishing line?

I've decided that I want to try this. Go ahead and tell me it is crazy if you want to.
 
6 months ago I would have said Southcoast. This was their thinnest linear tuning.

Your plan for the bottom 3 sounds fine. Where to find a thin enough fluorocarbon is the question? I would try one of these:
https://www.stringsbymail.com/class...liance-kf-carbon-602/alliance-kf-1-meter-460/

But what gauge? There's really no way to know except to try. I'd probably get the KF30, 41, and 50 and see what happens.
 
I'm not quite up to speed with all these 4's and 5's and 6's, and what that means, but let me tell you what I've been doing. Maybe it will be helpful to you. On my long-neck tenor, I put Concert strings (re-entrant brown Worths) and instead of tuning it where it should, I tune it to the CFAD that is an octave lower. So, if I'm thinking correctly, I am down-tuning 8 semi-tones.

I do this because I want bendier, more responsive strings. Down-tuning a whole octave was too floppy. The finger-picking sounded good (albeit not so loud) but the strumming was bad. So I moved the tuning up to CFAD and the strings are still bendy enough for me and yet strumming chords sounds good.

I think I could move it up to the DGBE and have it an octave higher than my baritone, but as of right now I am sticking with the CFAD.

Hopefully this data can be of some use to you.
 
Ripock- if I understand you correctly, you have reentrant cFAD on 19" scale. I also have cFAD on a super tenor using strings designed for "bari tuned tenor". If you go up a step to dGBE, that's not an octave higher than baritone - it's just reentrant baritone. Your 'd' string would be the same note Pondoro wants for his 4th string but on soprano scale, so you can see it would need to be a lot thinner for him. The other 3 strings would be an octave higher than yours, so again, even with the shorter scale, the strings have to be a lot thinner to get there.
 
Yeah, now that you explain it, I have a cFAD tuning. I hadn't really thought about it, so I couldn't really describe it. I'm sorry it cannot be of use to Pondoro.
 
Hi, Pondoro,

I can't help with your question, but would just like to say I'm delighted to see you are still on the uke scene. I remember you well from your contributions to 'Ukulele Cosmos' - they were always interesting and very welcome. I sent you a private message on Cosmos back in June 2014, enquiring if you were OK. It has never been opened, so I feared the worst.

Anyway, you are still breathing in and out, and enjoying the uke. That's great!

Your old Pal (I hope!),

John Colter.
 
Aquila makes their 30U fifths tuning set for soprano ukulele, tuned like a mandolin GDAE. It has been reported that the only flaw with the set is that the high E string was prone to breakage from the higher pitch/tension. It was reported that if it was brought up to pitch very slowly, over a span of a few days, that it worked. However, for many the solution was to use a fishing line. Sadly, I forgot what fishing line and pound they were using. I think if you do some searches here for fifths tuning you might find the threads. I know you are not doing fifths tuning, but the high E in the DGBE you are wanting to do is the same pitch.
 
Hi, Pondoro,

I can't help with your question, but would just like to say I'm delighted to see you are still on the uke scene. I remember you well from your contributions to 'Ukulele Cosmos' - they were always interesting and very welcome. I sent you a private message on Cosmos back in June 2014, enquiring if you were OK. It has never been opened, so I feared the worst.

Anyway, you are still breathing in and out, and enjoying the uke. That's great!

Your old Pal (I hope!),

John Colter.

John - I remember you well from my Ukulele Cosmos days! Your friendly advice helped me many times when I was a beginner. Sorry I missed your PM! I haven't been to Ukulele Cosmos since, maybe 2009?

I frequented both UC and UU most heavily from 2006 to 2009, then slowly drifted more to UU. Finally I had so uch face to face uke activity that I drifted off the boards entirely. It is great to hear from you!
 
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Aquila makes their 30U fifths tuning set for soprano ukulele, tuned like a mandolin GDAE. It has been reported that the only flaw with the set is that the high E string was prone to breakage from the higher pitch/tension. It was reported that if it was brought up to pitch very slowly, over a span of a few days, that it worked. However, for many the solution was to use a fishing line. Sadly, I forgot what fishing line and pound they were using. I think if you do some searches here for fifths tuning you might find the threads. I know you are not doing fifths tuning, but the high E in the DGBE you are wanting to do is the same pitch.

20-pound test monofilament fishing line is what I've found will work for E5 on a soprano uke. It will take up to two days to settle in after bringing to tension and will require periodic check to maintain E5.
 
^^ and there we have it!! Thanks for sharing this, SteveZ. Now I know what to get for my next soprano along with the 30U set ;)
 
An "E" Charango string is what you want. I'm not sure if you can get them in singles, but. . .

I can't seem to provide a link, since it's interpreted as spam, but www.sweetwater.com has la-bella c80 charango strings at $5.49/set. You'll get two E strings which are .019. There are also two each of A - .028, E - .033, C- .024 and G -.030. I've never played a charango and it seems like a weird tuning, but that's what the package says.
 
Another option is to tune D4G4B4E4, i.e. cuatro style tuning. This is how I tune my soprano at the moment and I love it. Avoids the very thin E5 issue entirely.
 
OK, I tried D4, G4, B4, E5. Aquila Nylguts and a piece of 20 pound fishing line for the E5 string. It works, as in nothing broke. It sounds very tinny and annoying. But it was an experience. I'll leave it for a few days but I expect I will still not like it.
 
And... the 20# fishing line tuned to E5 broke, just as I was starting to like the sound. I've got a busy 3-4 days, it will probably be the weekend before I can try again. But I've got the whole spool, I will try again!
 
And... the 20# fishing line tuned to E5 broke, just as I was starting to like the sound. I've got a busy 3-4 days, it will probably be the weekend before I can try again. But I've got the whole spool, I will try again!

It happens, but it's the only alternative fo E5 that I've ever found that lastsfor any amount of time. For me it has always taken a couple days for it to stabilize, getting to tune, leaving it alone for half a day, retune, leave alone again, etc. It's an aggrevating process. That's why I finally gave up on GDAE and went CGDA.
 
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