Concert uke designed for Low G?

Apologies if this has been asked before. I am wanting to buy a concert uke, but I want to string it Low G.

I realize there are Low G string sets, but non-baritone ukes are typically set up for re-entrant.

Because of this, nut slots, etc., may have to be altered to better fit Low G.

I'd like to avoid having to do this or make modifications. If possible, I'd love to acquire a concert uke already set up for Low G. Purposefully designed for Low G.

Does such a beastie exist?

For a bit of background, I've played uke for over 20 years, have owned and played all sizes and varieties. I currently own a gCEA soprano and a DGBE baritone.

Thanks so much!

PS-- I don't have much of a budget.

Some wound Low-G strings may allow you to mount one without modification.

Sorry, I don't have any specs offhand, but in another thread about Low-G String options some of the strings mentioned included the diameters.

https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?145775-Low-G-sting-options

A good shop will mount a low-G string on a ukulele that you buy from them, often for no extra charge if they are doing a setup anyway. They should make sure there is room in the nut or widen the nut if necessary. They will also make sure there are no intonation issues with the saddle.

The Cocobolo concert comes with low G,if you can win the chance to purchase it in the lottery. I am sure the Ukulele Site can set you up with low G on a concert. I am sure other good uke shops can as well.

I second the advice about buying from a shop that sets up the ukes for you and having them put in a low G on whatever concert you like.

Call Mim.


One of my Ohana concerts is set up Low G. She did a wonderful job with it.

Some concerts have large enough bodies to be resonant with a low G but many are not. Chances are that the g will sound and feel like a lumpy thud. You can check how the C string sounds - if it is crisp and snappy then chances are it can handle low G, if it sounds notably more lumpy than the E and A strings then I would not put a low G on that uke.

Don't worry about the nut, if it is a bit tight just fold up some sandpaper and expand it a bit. This won't be a problem if you decide to go back to re-entrant.

Mele does almost all their concerts low g, even their lower priced import brands. But any good shop could set it up for you that way, as others have mentioned.

If you order from Mims or the ukukelesite.com, they will do all the work of setting it up for a low g of your choosing free of charge. (Well you might have to pay for the string.)

I have an Ohana PKC-25G all-solid-hog pineapple concert with low G. Not thumpy but the low G does tend to be a tiny bit prominant in the sound mix. I adjusted my playing accordingly -- not too difficult.

I think all the Romero Creations ukes come with Low G on body styles...
https://www.romerocreations.com/romero-concert
https://www.romerocreations.com/st-concert/

I always have the shop setup for the Low G. Looking at my collection, I have very few reentrant Ukes left. Almost all of them were ordered as, or converted to, Low G. When I convert, the only thing that's usually necessary is to widen and deepen the slot in the nut. That's an easy job with a file. The only caution is not to go too deep. But, there is plenty of wiggle room, and you'd really have to grind away pretty vigorously to get it so deep that the string starts to buzz on the frets. I simply hold the Uke up to the light, and sight align the bottom of the Low G string with the bottoms of the other strings. Hint: You can keep some tension on the Low G string, and simply push it to one side for the filing. That way you can snap the string back into the slot at any time for the alignment check. if the Low G is too big to fit through the hole (if you have a hole) in the bridge, then it's a little more complicated. I've only have to deal with that issue a couple of times, as most Ukes don't have such a hole. In my cases, I was able to enlarge the hole using a standard drill bit, turning it by hand, and running it back and forth through the hole. Just be gentle and patient.

I notice that most shops use a wound Low G string. That's fine, but I do prefer the sound of a solid string. I use the Aquila Red Low G string on my conversions, and like them a lot. I've never had trouble with one, although I've read reports of people breaking them during installation.

You didn't mention a price range, so I'll mention Kinnard, (one stunning high end low G concert was just sold from their website, but the photos and sound sample are still there.)

I use Freemont Soloist wound low G strings, and have never had to modify a ukulele, even if it was set up as high G when I got it.

I swapped out the re-entrant Worth strings that came on my Bonanza Oreo concert with a Living Waters low G set and later with Fremont Blackline low G set. No problem installing either set and while the Living Waters were excellent I really love the Fremonts.

Despite reading many warnings, I have yet to experience a problem installing low G strings on my tenor ukes either. Maybe I'm an outlier but I think this fat G string "problem" is overblown.

I've put both wound & unwound low G strings on my KoAloha concert without modifying the nut.

I put whatever I want on whatever I want, and I've never had a problem. However I never use wound strings and I never use nylon. Maybe that makes a difference on what I do.

ksiegel said:

Call Mim.


One of my Ohana concerts is set up Low G. She did a wonderful job with it.

-Kurt​

Click to expand...

This is by far your easiest solution!


Scooter

Two that spring to mind for me are:

Kamaka Ohta-San
- this one's a 16" concert scale with a sort of dreadnought shaped body

Blackbird Clara

Both designed with low G in mind. Both sound amazing. Both cost a lot...

UkeRepublic will also setup your uke for Low-G. I had a Pono ATD tenor modified when I bought it from them. There was no charge for the setup or Low-G adjustment.

I don't play concert size ukes, so I can't comment on the nut slots on them. I've had a couple of tenors that needed to have the nut modified to accommodate a plain Low-G string. The slots were quite shallow on one and the Low-G string popped out with any kind of vigorous strumming.

I took them to a repair tech at a nearby guitar shop. They did a great job for about $20 USD.

I don't know enough about compensated saddles. But some ukes come with them and I don't know how a Low-G will be affected by such a saddle. Anyone here know?

ksiegel said:

Call Mim.


One of my Ohana concerts is set up Low G. She did a wonderful job with it.

-Kurt​

Click to expand...

I recently purchased an Ohana low G from Mim as well. I can’t say enough about Mim and her set up process. It plays so much easier than my other uke. She put the same care into it that you would expect on a much more expensive instrument. Love it