Baritone Ukulele, is it worth it?

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jnicholes

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Hi everyone,

I have not been on in a LONG time. Reason being there has been so much going on. I kind of forgot about this forum.

A little update on what’s been going on. I had to fix my soprano recently.

Anyway, I was wondering, do you guys think a baritone ukulele is worth it?

Jared
 
jnicholes said:
Hi everyone,

I have not been on in a LONG time. Reason being there has been so much going on. I kind of forgot about this forum.

A little update on what’s been going on. I had to fix my soprano recently.

Anyway, I was wondering, do you guys think a baritone ukulele is worth it?

Jared
Click to expand...

Sorry, for some reason, my entire post which was a lot longer got deleted when I posted this. Don’t know what happened. Here the basic summary:

I am interested in a baritone ukulele. What I’m trying to figure out is if it’s worth it to get one. I’m currently debating between an eight string ukulele and a baritone.

Any thoughts?

Jared

Do you guys think getting a baritone is worth it?
 
Is it worth what? The price? Having a second uke? Something else? Most of us have more than (ahem) a few ukes, so if you have an interest in playing baritone then it is worth getting. Personally, I don't have a baritone, and I'd like to get one. I like the deeper scale. On the other hand, I have no interest in an 8 string, so for me that would not be worth getting.
 
Cadia said:
Is it worth what? The price? Having a second uke? Something else? Most of us have more than (ahem) a few ukes, so if you have an interest in playing baritone then it is worth getting. Personally, I don't have a baritone, and I'd like to get one. I like the deeper scale. On the other hand, I have no interest in an 8 string, so for me that would not be worth getting.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I think I will try getting one, then.
 
jnicholes said:
Sorry, for some reason, my entire post which was a lot longer got deleted when I posted this. Don’t know what happened. Here the basic summary:

I am interested in a baritone ukulele. What I’m trying to figure out is if it’s worth it to get one. I’m currently debating between an eight string ukulele and a baritone.

Any thoughts?

Jared

Do you guys think getting a baritone is worth it?
Click to expand...

If you are comfortable with longer scale, and want a lower, deeper tone then yes, it is worth it. Go for it.
 
I'm going to vote no, they aren't worth it. A baritone is just an inch or so taller than my tenors. My tenor guitar, tuned DGBE, is essentially a much better-built baritone with steel strings. There just isn't a place for the baritone, at least in my collection.

However, do you know what I'm saving my money for? A custom high-end baritone. Why? Not because of necessity. I don't need a baritone. It is more in the spirit of acquisition and it seems to me to be a challenge. I have been very, very unimpressed with the typical Kala/Lanikai/whatever result of a Chinese assembly line. I want to see what one of the master craftsmen can do with a baritone.

So, to recapitulate, I don't think baritones fit a niche. You may have a different opinion based on your current ukuleles. Nevertheless, although baritones aren't worth it, i'm pursuing one just to complete my collection and to see if I can acquire an enviable instrument with a cutaway.
 
I have a baritone uku and I love it. You will too. Get one.:iwant:
 
Once you get one the spirit of Linn Sheldon aka "Barnaby" from WKYC Cleveland will live on!:nana::smileybounce:
 
I have several guitars and for me a baritone uke is useless, it's almost as big as a small guitar but lacks two strings. But if you're in a uke group that only has tenors and smaller it may add a bit of extra colour.
 
I also have several guitars and thought getting a baritone uke would be repetitive. So I am getting a baritone uke tuned GCEA but an octave down from standard.
 
Hi Jared,

Good to hear from you.

As with everything, there are pros and cons. I don't play baritones, but I have friends that do.

They do have a deeper more resonant sound compared to a tenor. Very classical guitar-ish. Standard Baritone tuning is DGBE so the chords will be different. (You can tune one to standard GCEA, but that's a different thread. Lots of discussions about it in past postings.)

They sound quite nice. And will offer a wider range of sound to your ukulele playing. I know you play a number of different instruments, so it shouldn't be a problem for you.

I think you will play a baritone more often than an 8-string. An 8-string does sound closer to a mandolin. A bit more difficult to pick than a baritone due to the closeness of the string pairings.

It comes down to the sound you like. Baritones have a deeper voice. 8-strings more harmonious.

Good luck Jared.
 
You could also look at a tenor guitar and change from steel to nylon. I had a "contra" baritone custom built. It's basically a tenor guitar scale and size built for nylon strings. I also play guitar in a bluegrass group and use it sometimes just for a change.

Here's a photo next to a Chennell bari.. The "Contra" is 23" scale and Chennell is 20" scale
 

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Baritone is DGBE, and very convenient when you play together with a guitar player. I am also going to buy Fremont re-entrant dGBE strings, for my Bruko Concert uke. It stream lines more options for me.
 
From the perspective of a baritone ukulele player, one could ask are soprano/concert/tenor ukuleles worth it?

As both an ukulele and guitar player, I really think baritone ukuleles have a unique place.
Due to their 4 string layout, I can play things on it differently compared to what I do on guitar.
 
I have three Baritone Ukes. One strung as a normal Bari, one strung CGEA, and one strung cgea (an octave lower than normal). I find their fretboards challenging due to size. My hand doesn't want to make those big stretches. And, I play them much less frequently than my other Ukes. So, if money is no object, then by all means spend on a nice Baritone. But, if you're on a budget, I'd add another nice smaller Uke to your collection. In my experience, you will get a lot more use and enjoyment from it.
 
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