In general should a baritone uke action be as low as a tenor ?

LarryL

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this is ignorance on my part and in no way a reflection or criticism of the builders of my uke. I got a baritone today and was surprised that it seemed the action was harder/higher than on my tenor uke....they are both quality instruments set up by the vendor and I am sure my hands will adjust to the higher action if I need to, I am just curious if that is normal because of the longer scale of the baritone, heavier strings, etc.
Perhaps its the gauge of the strings on this particular baritone ? Any recommendations on changing strings ? I have no idea what the brand of strings are on this new uke. I am assuming that with lighter gauge strings, the action would be easier, but I would lose tone and volume ?

Thanks in advance for any input.
 
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Good question - I'm curious as well. I have two Bari's. One is a Pono steel string Bari and its action is very similar to my other ukes. I also have a Pono Mahogany and its action is higher. I've thought about adjusting the truss rod on it, but just haven't gotten around to it. Be curious to read the responses.
 
Vendors usually set the action a bit high unless told you want a low action. One of the reasons is they don't have to do a proper fret level for lower string buzz. For me, the lower the better. Also depends on the vendor whether the setup is good or not. Many just take one off the shelf and send it. There's a big difference getting one from Guitar Center and the same make through Mim or HMS.

I only buy from vendors who I know do a proper setup before sending out. I always tell them I want a low, fast action neck with the string gauge I use.. If I buy a used; I may take it my guitar tech/luthier for a check up and fret level.

I had one of the early steel strung baris.. The action was really good. The difference may be the guy who built the steel string sets his lower than the one who did the mahogany.

Thinner strings are easier on the fingers and are a softer tone. I like a stiffer wound 3&4 with Flurocarbon 1&2 if a new instrument and nylon if it's an old all mahogany like a Favilla or Martin. Di'addarios work really nice. Martin M630's are okay.

For myself, I've settled on Thomastic- Infeld CF35(A) for the D, CF30 (D)for the G and about any flurocarbon for the 1&2. Presently, I'm using Savarez Alliance 543R(G) for the B and 542R (B) for the E. These are classical guitar strings so to compensate for the scale length difference we use the string lower.

I'm not sure about non wound bari sets. I did have a set of DiAddario non wounds on and sounded great.
 
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Thanks Patrick for your words of wisdom and taking the time to express it. It is a Pono baritone I purchased from HMS and they did a full set up on it...so its definately me, not them. I didnt give them any instructions as far as low action nor request certain string gauges,,, my fault there. I did contact them just this afternoon and within an hour they responded and suggested I adjust the truss rod, which I dont feel comfy doing. I have a tech not far away that I trust, so I will take it to him and have him do that and see if he has some lighter gauge strings also. I love the quality of tone and the looks of this uke, so I want it to work for me and am willing to do what it takes to make it more comfy for me to play. part of the problem is that I am used to playing (for 56 years) electric guitars with low action, so my 73 year old hands are used to that ! ha Thanks again.
 
I think it's probably ideal for the action at the nut to be the same, ultimately requiring the same effort to barre chords; but I think you have more leeway on the other end of the ukulele (12th fret)...action slightly higher than the "ideal" 2.5mm is likely okay...but I wouldn't go crazy and say 4mm is good.
 
The short answer is no a baritone should not be set up with as low an action as a tenor can be set up, especially in the middle of the neck area through the 12 th fret. It has to do with string tension which is very low on a baritone. If you get the action really low you can get string buzzing because the strings oscillate so much when plucked compared to a tenor.
 
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This isn't a technical answer, but here's what I do:

Regardless of the ukulele's size, I clip on a Snark play some random notes up high on the neck and down low. If those notes are correct, I throw it back to them and tell them to "set it up." While the ukulele is downstairs with the indentured servants that do such tasks, I browse the instruments. When the ukulele is done, I toss it in the car, drive home, and then it plays nicely.
 
The short answer is 'yes' - they can have the same action.

The more comprehensive answer is, it depends on the particular instrument, the player's preference, what strings are used, amount of bow/relief on the neck, the frets, etc.

But generally speaking, there's no issue of having a 2-3mm -ish action on the 12th fret on ukuleles (sop, concert, tenor) and most guitars.
 
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