David Hanson Kiku Build

rlgph

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This is my first entry chronicling the custom build of a Kiku by David Hanson (forum username tukanu). The instrument is to have a koa baritone body, 20" scale length, and 5 strings. My intention is to tune it aDGBE, like the first five strings of a guitar, but with a re-entrant A string.

I'm primarily a mediocre fingerstyle guitarist. However, i've had a fascination for 5-string instruments for quite a while (see my recent thread "An Alternative 5 String"). Recently i purchased an Ohana 5 string Tenor uke, and have become enamoured of the mellow sound of nylon-like strings, although i don't like the double course sound. Thus, a kiku seems like a good combination of these interests.

Anyway, since this is a new build thread, i'll include a photo of the wood that is to become the body of the new instrument:

https://rlgreene.net/Kiku/KoaBodyWood.jpg

Feel free to express your opinions.
 
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I like this idea! It's kind of a big brother to mine, tenor dGCEA. Do you have strings picked out yet?
 
Uke strings are pretty much unexplored territory for me, so i'll be looking forward to suggestions as time passes. I like clarity (who doesn't) and sustain.

BTW, i notice you're in Rayleigh. I live about an hour north of Asheville, near Burnsville.
 
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One option for all unwound strings would be a custom Living Water set. But the D string is really fat and will not sustain well as you go up the neck. If you want a warm tone and most stick low on the neck, it would work. I'm kinda guessing you wouldn't like it.

There are many options for baritone DGBE. The high 'a' string is gonna be the tricky one. You'll need to look for GCEA baritone sets most likely. Actually the best approach might be a GCEA set and then get a single for the low D like the Thomastik Infeld flatwound CF35 (I think).
 
This is such a cool idea, looking forward to seeing how it will turn out.
 
One option for all unwound strings would be a custom Living Water set. But the D string is really fat and will not sustain well as you go up the neck. If you want a warm tone and most stick low on the neck, it would work. I'm kinda guessing you wouldn't like it.

There are many options for baritone DGBE. The high 'a' string is gonna be the tricky one. You'll need to look for GCEA baritone sets most likely. Actually the best approach might be a GCEA set and then get a single for the low D like the Thomastik Infeld flatwound CF35 (I think).

My thinking is that the high a will be the same pitch as the 3rd string at the 2nd fret, so finding an appropriate string shouldn't be a problem. I guess you were thinking an octave higher -- higher than the 1st string.

Similarly, if the D string is too thick and lacks sustain, i could go for an octave higher, so that both the 4th and 5th strings are high tuned. I have a guitar that has strings 4, 5, and 6 tuned an octave higher than usual (a variation of Nashville tuning). It has an interesting "jangly" sound because each major chord has two notes of the same pitch, but on strings of different thicknesses.
 
A 5 string kiku with a baritone body will have a 20" scale. So, any standard set will work for DGBE. Adding the re-entrant "a" is what makes it a Kiku. Either add a "G" and tune it up to a re-entrant "A", or add a "B" and tune it down. Yes/No??
 
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In either case, the 5th string is at a pitch higher than the G on the 3rd string and lower than the B on the 2nd string, not higher than the 1st string.

However, would not having both the 4th and 5th strings high tuned also qualify calling it a kiku?
 
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A kiku by definition is a non-conformist. So yes, any and all combinations of strings and tunings fit the definition.
 
Y'all are right, I was thinking A4, but A3 would be more usual and thus easier to get. I think the "real" kiku is 6 strings with the bottom two an octave higher, but I think these 5 string variants give you much of the same flavor
 
Good Point, Jim. What I like about the 5 string variant is that a ukulele player already know 90% of the 4 string chords that will work with a five string. Only a few chords require fretting on that 5th string. On my kiku, I often mute the 5th string rather that add it in a chord. The five string allows for a fuller sound without having to learn all the "guitar shaped" chords. Aint music great:)
 
Good Point, Jim. What I like about the 5 string variant is that a ukulele player already know 90% of the 4 string chords that will work with a five string. Only a few chords require fretting on that 5th string. On my kiku, I often mute the 5th string rather that add it in a chord. The five string allows for a fuller sound without having to learn all the "guitar shaped" chords. Aint music great:)

That's interesting. I come at this from the guitar world. There most of the chords work quite well in standard tuning without the 6th string. Furthermore, dropping that string will make it easier to form barre chords for playing up the neck. Perhaps 5 strings is the optimum number for a stringed instrument. 5 fingers, after all ;-)
 
The koa is in Colorado and acclimating to the climate. The sides will soon be shaped using the mold shown below (click to enlarge):
BodyMold.jpg
 
I’ve decided to use adGBE tuning on the instrument. The first four strings represent standard baritone tuning with a re-entrant D. The fifth string is a high-tuned A. For guitar players, this is standard tuning on strings 1-5, except strings 4 & 5 are tuned an octave higher.

To visualize the chord fingerings with this tuning, consider the following diagrams (click on the diagrams to enlarge). First, let’s look at standard baritone tuning, DGBE, in the first diagram below. (GCEA has the same shapes, but with different labels).
DGBE.jpg

This diagram illustrates possible fingerings for the major chords A-G. The color scheme is blue->root, red->3rd, green->5th. Recall that an ordinary chord must have at least one each of root, 3rd, and 5th. Each column is labeled with the chord name, and the strings are numbered right to left. So, for example, the one-finger G chord has the first string fretted at the third fret to produce a root note. Strings 2-4 are open, picking up a 3rd, another (lower pitched) root, and a 5th, respectively.

For another example, the usual D chord has the familiar V-shape on strings 1-3 (3rd, root, 5th, respectively), and an open root note on string 4.

Looking over the diagram, you should see familiar chord shapes within the first few frets, as well as many chord fingerings you may not be familiar with further up the neck (down on the diagram).

When you’re satisfied that you understand that diagram, consider the following, which adds a fifth string tuned to A (ADGBE tuning):
ADGBE.jpg

The first four strings are the same as on the previous diagram. The fifth string shows additional notes that can be added to a given fingering on strings 1-4. For example, the one-finger G chord can add another 3rd note by fretting the fifth string at the second fret. Or, the V-shape D chord has another open 5th on the fifth string.

These diagrams illustrate one of the most important characteristics of a fretboard: There are regular shapes that can be moved up the fretboard (down on the diagrams) to get new chords with the same fingering.

Finally, for those of you who groove on this sort of thing, minor chords can be visualized with these diagrams. Simply mentally move the red dots up one fret on the diagram (flattening the 3rds). Dominant 7ths are also readily visualized, as those notes are two frets above the root notes on the diagram.

BTW, these diagrams were produced by a Java program i wrote years ago. Unfortunately, most browsers have abandoned Java for security reasons; however, MS Explorer can still run Java with certain explicit permissions. If any of you would like to experiment with the program, contact me at public@rlgreene.net.
 
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Nice. This is a really cool idea. I love how willing David is to work with the customer on new ideas. I loved going through the build process with him. My David Hanson teardrop soprano is arriving this Wednesday!
 
With rlgph's request for re-entrant "a and d", I'm thinking the cheapest way to go might be to use two sets of baritone strings. The extra B would be tuned down to the re-entrant "a", and the extra E would be tuned down to the re-entrant "d". Would that work? Any recommendations for baritone strings?
adGBE
 
I was thinking Living Water high G baritone set with their single low G (if it's long enough), but i'm open to other suggestions. I'm pretty sure that i prefer fluorocarbon (or the similar material used in PHD strings) to nylon or similar materials.
 
I think either idea would work. David's idea of tuning down baritone strings is certainly safe. If you go with Living Water, be sure to engage Ken on his thoughts for the A3 and your scale length. He probably has an idea whether tuning up the G or tuning down the B would work better.
 
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