Questions about Tenor ukes with wound strings

I'm mainly a guitarist but I've really started enjoying my baritone uke. I play flamenco and classical guitar and like the refreshing change of playing in the higher register when putting a capo on the 5th fret, resulting in a low G GCEA tuning.

The problem is that the bari+capo only has access to 9 frets and the intonation suffers. So, I'm thinking of getting a good tenor but, from what I see, the strings are all unwound and look really thin. I'd actually like it to sound like my bari+capo. As well, I like the feel of the bari strings which is similar to a guitar in tension and gauge.

Can I put baritone strings on a tenor and just tune them up to GCEA? Is it too much tension or will the nut and bridge need to be modified? Are there heavy "low G" tenor sets with two wound strings?

I'd normally just go into a store and try out tenors to see if I like the thinner unwound strings, but I've called around and that's just not possible right now due to lockdown. If it matters, I'm looking online at two models, the Kala KA-SRT-SC with the scalloped cutaway and the Flight Victoria.

Thanks for any suggestions!

The standard tuning for a Tenor ukulele is gCEA; the same as for Concert and Soprano. Baritone is the only ukulele that is DGBE.

The little "g" means a reentrant (1 octave higher) G. You can buy a single low G string to make it GCEA.

Personally, I use a D'Addario .029w for Tenor low G.

I hope this helps.

-Wiggy

There are GCEA (and gCEA) string sets available for baritone ukulele. UkeLogic comes to mind. They have several different sets with varying tension/thicknesses.

Wiggy said:

The standard tuning for a Tenor ukulele is gCEA; the same as for Concert and Soprano. Baritone is the only ukulele that is DGBE.

The little "g" means a reentrant (1 octave higher) G. You can buy a low G string, specifically for Tenor, to make it GCEA.

Personally, I use a D'Addario .039 wound for Tenor Low G.

I hope this helps.

-Wiggy

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I realize that about the re-entrant and the low G, but I'm really wanting the scale length of a Tenor with a low wound G and a wound C so it feels like a baritone with a capo. Even with these two wound strings, I worry that I'll want the unwound strings to also feel like a baritone (which feels like a guitar). This is why I'm thinking of putting baritone DGBE strings on a tenor but tuning them up to GCEA. I'm wondering if that presents a problem, like the nut slots and tailpiece holes won't allow the heavier gauge.

You didn't have any issue switching from a high G to a wound low G? Seems like that's quite a gauge change.

rorym said:

There are GCEA (and gCEA) string sets available for baritone ukulele. UkeLogic comes to mind. They have several different sets with varying tension/thicknesses.

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Thanks, but I'm really looking for the shorter scale length of a tenor. I will keep my baritone at DGBE for different uses.

Sabicas said:

...You didn't have any issue switching from a high G to a wound low G? Seems like that's quite a gauge change.

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Yes, I had to widen the nut slot a bit for low G. Your idea of using a Baritone set on a Tenor may work. All I can suggest is buy a set and try it out.

-W

Try for instance: Ko'Olau tenor ukulele strings in low-G tuning, with wound 3rd & 4th strings

Talk to the folks at Stringbymail.com They sell Tenor ukulele sets made up of Savarez guitar strings. Or you can buy the strings individually. Some of the sets have wound Low-G and C strings. While the E and A are Nylon classical guitar strings.

On a ukulele, Nylon strings are, typically, thicker than Fluorocarbon strings. The wound Low-G and C strings are often thinner or the same dia. as the plain Fluoro or Nylon strings.

If you know the diameters of the strings you are looking for, you can probably put together a custom set that will meet your needs.

Thanks, everyone. Good leads here.

For a wound G and C I use the Thomastic-Infeld CF30 for the G and CF27 for the C. The CF 30 is a guitar D String and CF27 is a guitar G string. Using a guitar string this way makes up for the difference in scale length of the average guitar and 17" scale of a tenor.

Fremont is also another wound string many of us use for a wound G,C. Have never needed to widen the slot for either of these wound strings.

The vast majority of low G strings are wound and plain strings are usually fluorocarbon that come with their respective sets or Aquila Red to pair with Nylguts. Wound nylon guitar strings with your favourite metal winding are also suited for the job.

I switched over to using classical guitar strings on both my tenor and baritone. I love the change and doubt I'll go back to fluorocarbon uke sets. I like the thicker gauge, the feel, and the sound

cFloor said:

I switched over to using classical guitar strings on both my tenor and baritone. I love the change and doubt I'll go back to fluorocarbon uke sets. I like the thicker gauge, the feel, and the sound

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Care to share your gauges?

Sabicas said:

Care to share your gauges?

Click to expand...

Theres two different sets of Thomastik Infelds that I use. My baritone has wound D and G strings and nylon B and E, my tenor just has a wound G. I'm blanking on the set names but they seem to be fairly popular on this site. I enjoy the feel and thicker gauge of nylon over fluorocarbon and to my ears it sounds better.

I fit baritone strings with a wound D and G string to my tenor ukuleles and tune them to E, A, C#, F#. You won't get them to safely go to G, C, E, A. WAY too much tension. The issue is that tenor ukuleles have too much string tension anyway at GCEA with standard tenor ukulele strings. I really don't like GCEA on tenors myself.
there are various custom string options you could try as others have noted, yet my two bobs worth is that GCEA works best on Concert scale ukuleles which is the scale length (15") that its native to.