Thoughts and experience with 5 and 6 string ukes.

I posted a thread earlier on 8 string ukes and in researching them, I discovered 5 and 6 string ukes. What are your thoughts and experiences with 5 and 6 string ukes? Would they be good as a daily player or are they more a niche kind of instrument? Compared to the 8 string, they seem to have more of a regular ukulele sound with more depth and richness from the videos I watched. The 8 string almost had more of a mandolin sound. It looks like there are 3 different incarnations of the 5 and 6 strings.

5 string
- The G string is doubled with a high and low G
- regular C, E, A

6 string
- The G string is doubled with a high and low G
- The C string is doubled with a high and low C
- Regular E, A

6 string
- Regular G
- Doubled C with high and low C
- Regular E
- Doubled A with high and low A

I'd be interested in hearing other's thoughts and opinions on the various incarnations.

I have played 5 strings a few times and they are fun for strumming and give some extra oomph. But I didn't consider getting one myself because they seem to be somewhat undecided between linear and re-entrant setup, but not quite like either. I own a six string and when I bought it it had the G octave set up. I played it like that for a couple of months but didn't really connect. Then I switched to the a octave setup and I love it. It is definitely my favourite uke now and I would never consider the G octaves again.

merlin666 said:

I have played 5 strings a few times and they are fun for strumming and give some extra oomph. But I didn't consider getting one myself because they seem to be somewhat undecided between linear and re-entrant setup, but not quite like either. I own a six string and when I bought it it had the G octave set up. I played it like that for a couple of months but didn't really connect. Then I switched to the a octave setup and I love it. It is definitely my favourite uke now and I would never consider the G octaves again.

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Wait, I don't understand how you switched from doubling the g to doubling the a. Isn't the nut set up for doubling on specific strings?

snowdenn said:

Wait, I don't understand how you switched from doubling the g to doubling the a. Isn't the nut set up for doubling on specific strings?

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I had the same question! And I'm assuming he went from double G/double C to a double C/double A?

snowdenn said:

Wait, I don't understand how you switched from doubling the g to doubling the a. Isn't the nut set up for doubling on specific strings?

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It is a Kamaka so the nut was already cut for the thick a. The transition was very smooth.

I love the sound of a 12 string guitar. I bought a six string Kala at a reasonable price. I like Kalas in general as well as many other comparable brands and also more expensive brands. But, what I didn’t like is there was very little room for me to push the strings, to slightly bend the strings. So, my point is that if you buy one it’s probably more for just strumming rather than picking or using it for fills.

Perhaps a better player has had more success.

I'd like to add that I use the 6 string with the same songs that I use my re-entrant concert for. My low G tenor is used for different songs that need fundamental bass and for fingerstyle. I can't accomplish that with a G in octaves.j

merlin666 said:

It is a Kamaka so the nut was already cut for the thick a. The transition was very smooth.

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merlin666 said:

I'd like to add that I use the 6 string eith the same songs that I use my re-entrant concert for. My low G tenor is used for different songs that need fundamental bass and for fingerstyle. I can't accomplish that with a G in octaves.

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Thanks, this answers a question I've had about 5-string ukes and whether they're more suited to high or low G song arrangements.

But I'm still confused about the nut because of spacing. When there are double strings, aren't the slots spaced really close to each other? So if they were spaced really close together for the G, and there's just a single slot for the A, how were you able to switch from doubling G to A?

snowdenn said:

Thanks, this answers a question I've had about 5-string ukes and whether they're more suited to high or low G song arrangements.

But I'm still confused about the nut because of spacing. When there are double strings, aren't the slots spaced really close to each other? So if they were spaced really close together for the G, and there's just a single slot for the A, how were you able to switch from doubling G to A?

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Apologies my memory was playing tricks. I looked at the nut and now I remember that it just had a low G and the As in unison. So not like a 5 string at all. So there is no empty nut slot and this is was the linear set up for a 6 string whereas I prefer the re-entrant. It's a common option that the OP didn't mention.

Where low = lower case and high = upper case, I initially set my 6-string as g cC E AA. The unision high A was too dominant & twangy for my ears, so I went to g cC E aA. The result was pleasing to the ear as a change of pace but was too zither sounding for use as a primary uke. I finally gave that 6-stringer away.

I keep nearly buying one, then changing my mind. You'd stand out if you were playing in a group, but that just isn't a good enough reason.

I once had a nice Mya-Moe 6 string. Ultimately I decided that a 8 string would suit me more. The person I sold it to played in a duo with a guitarist. From numerous sources I discovered that a 6 string Uke compliments the sound of a guitar.

I got mine when I went for an 8 string. I was persuaded to try a 6 string and ended up buying it instead. It came tuned high G and octave C & A. It was the octave A that won me over. I find it great for strummed accompaniment. I now have it tuned down to DGBE with high D and octave G & E which I find works well. I later got an 8 string and I now have it tuned unison high g and octave C & A to capture a similar strummed effect.

**6 stringers**

I'm intrigued by a 6-string with the doubled C and A strings. How would you compare the ease and feel of play with such a 6-string and a regular 4-string? Is it more difficult to play or relatively the same? Is the feel of play notably different or is it about the same? Is it notably different getting clean notes having to hold down the paired strings?

I play on 6 string ukulele (Lanikai ULU 6E) g-cC-e-Aa

I'm trying to use the 6 string ukulele as a solo instrument. Here tabs. Page 103-106 http://osos.sweb.cz/preview-ukulele.pdf

On this line you will find an explanation "legend" of tablature for the 6 string ukulele.

And here is a old youtube (2012).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV0xf64Dt48
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5H-C0RFg70
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-feGsmMM8Cs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX2K4l6Fa78

And new youtube (2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnC8iz4nttQ

And 6 string ukulele with cut capo (2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoighH5-sAU

Thanks Ondrej that is a creative way to use the Lili'u.

merlin666 said:

Thanks Ondrej that is a creative way to use the Lili'u.

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I enjoyed inspiring. I hope this style of play takes hold.

My Pineapple Sunday is a six-stringer, set up with a gcCeaA tuning. I bought it because I played a ton of Pineapple Sundays that week (including Pop's personal pyrography PS!) and this used six-stringer that I found at HMS just stood out head and shoulders above the rest. None were bad -- I love the spruce of the modern models, and Pop's UkeSA models are great too, but the six stringer paired with the tight, projecting body that the PS has makes for a special combo. It definitely has more of a mid-range, small-body punch to the tone that you'd expect from any of the PS models, but that low A string gives the tone a lot of fullness when strumming and a lot of character to play around with when fingerpicking.

You kind of have to approach the six stringer as it's own thing -- which feels pretty niche, but actually opened up a few more doors to me than I thought I had before. Last night I was noodling around on some pretty typical slack-key chord progressions and it was the absolute perfect tone to pull more of that out of me in the moment. Instead of true fingerpicking like I would on my Kamaka, I usually do some strum/pick hybrid as I bounce around the fretboard, and that playing style just leads me down completely different roads. The other effect of having the a strings coursed is it really mellows out the top string, so the melody I play (if I keep more or less to the A string as I'm strum/picking the melody) ends up feeling much fuller and more intentional when played at volume, where some of those higher notes can get lost when I do the same on my Kamaka.

I definitely think everyone should at least play one to see how it fits! The only six stringer I ever had on my radar before I bought my Koaloha was the Kamaka, which I still love but probably won't purchase in the future since I've scratched my six string itch. Pops said he thinks he's made fewer than 10 of the Pineapple Sundays as six stringers though, which is a bummer since I think the shape/size and tone really works perfectly with the six string setup.