I'm moving from reentrant to low G... kinda

Uncle Rod Higuchi

Uncle Rod Higuchi

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I've been playing reentrant tuned ukes exclusively for the past few decades! But now I have recently purchased a low G concert from a local
luthier, Kerry Bannister, because he introduced it to me last Wed at our
weekly song circle and I really enjoyed its sound and playability. I did
ask him to lower the action slightly and apply clear scratch guards on
both sides of the upper bout.

I was to have received it this coming Wed, but due to my impatience, I
was able to receive it from Kerry the next day! I have been enjoying it
since then and have used it at a gig, a song circle, and just privately.

I stayed away from low G-tuned instruments because, in my estimation,
the low G sounded overly 'bassy'. This instrument didn't. So now I'm
planning on bringing both a reentrant soprano and this low G concert
as my go-to ukes, co-Regents to rule them all :)

keep uke'in',
 
Hope you like playing in Low G .I think you will enjoy this. Low G really sounds great while playing jazz and big band numbers. Enjoy
 
Low G is where it's at if your not a strum & sing guy, all but a couple of mine are, I just have the odd one in re entrant to use up the strings I've got. :D
 
I’m mostly a strum & sing guy, but find that a low G uke can do that too; it sounds more guitar-like to me. However, it seems to not work well on certain songs, and I need to be careful to not let the low G ring too much on some chords, or I get an unpleasant drone sound,which I never get on reentrant. Especially intriguing to me is using the low G for melody, as I see Kimo Hussey doing. I’m nowhere near doing that yet, but hope to learn and get better at that.
 
I'm finding that the low G tends to sound 'mellower' so its very nice for slower, romantic
songs. While the reentant, with a brighter sound is very good for lively numbers and
Hawaiian songs in general :)

it will be fun using both for both kinds of songs/sounds and figuring out which I may
prefer for the kinds of music I sing and play.

thanks for the comments and suggenstions.
 
Three decades? Who says you can't an old dog new tricks? �� For those of you who are " Low G Curious" but are worried about it being overpowering, I'd suggest one of the flat wound strings. I prefer Thomastik Infeld CF30 while others like the Fremont Soloist. Well balanced especially when paired with fluorocarbons and nearly as quiet a a plain string.
 
Last edited:
Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
Three decades? Who says you can't an old dog new tricks? �� For those of you who are " Low G Curious" but are worried about it being overpowering, I'd suggest one of the flat wound strings. I prefer Thomastik Infeld CF27 while others like the Fremont Soloist. Well balanced especially when paired with fluorocarbons and nearly as quiet a a plain string.
Click to expand...

Hey Chuck.....CF27 or CF30???
 
Before you low-Gers get too excited, I think I mis-named the thread.

Rather than 'moving from reentrant' I'm actually simply 'adding' low G to
my stable of generally-played instruments.

Sorry for any excitement the title may have brought to your imagination.

I'm still a singer/strummer but now with 2 go-to ukes instead of just one :)
Of course that means carrying/bringing both ukes everywhere. Oh well, ....
 
Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
Thanks Dave, you are correct. CF30 for the G, CF27 for a wound C if you are so inclined. I've always found a plan C string to be the most problematic of the bunch. I've corrected my post.
Click to expand...

I am with you on the plan C string, thuddy and yuck. We have had this conversation before but yea every tenor I own has a wound 4th and 3rd. People that play my ukes that dont like low G always say they sound great and like them. Wound 4th and 3rd blend so well together.
 
DownUpDave said:
I am with you on the plan C string, thuddy and yuck. We have had this conversation before but yea every tenor I own has a wound 4th and 3rd. People that play my ukes that dont like low G always say they sound great and like them. Wound 4th and 3rd blend so well together.
Click to expand...

Since I've made the 3rd & 4th wound strings standard on the ukes I build I've made a lot of converts too.
 
After enjoying both low G and re-entrant for the past 10 years plus, I finally just solved the dilemma by buying a 5-String!
Problem solved! :D
 
Congrats on your recent discovery of a well-balanced 'uke for linear tuning. Even 3+ years into playing the 'ukulele, I often find myself pleasantly surprised upon hearing just how much that extra fourth changes the uke's sonic horizons.

I really like the linear tuning in intros...you can do some really pretty stuff on the ukulele by juxtaposing the higher frets on the treble strings with the open G string or its lower frets.

Happy strumming!
 
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