Yamaha Guitalele

ukulelearp · Dec 6, 2008

Hi,

I'm just learning to play the ukulele and guitar. I had been looking around for a nice, inexpensive, tenor ukulele and stumbled across the Yamaha Guitalele. My question is, do you think I will be better off with a regular ukulele? Could I fare just as well by simply muting the two top strings on the Yamaha when playing ukulele pieces?

WS64 · Dec 6, 2008

Depends what you want.
I am a big fan of the Yamaha Guitalele, but it's no substitute for a Ukulele.
It is on for the guitar though.

ukulelearp · Dec 6, 2008

Well I was originally searching for a tenor ukulele, so I was wondering if this would satisfy my want of a tenor and also give me a little more versatility in one instrument.

GrumpyCoyote · Dec 6, 2008

I want one in the worst way - but can't get them in the states.

I may have to just eat the shipping from the UK or Canada.

ukulelearp · Dec 6, 2008

Well I'm in Texas, so if I get one I'll be importing it from Canada.

Kanaka916 · Dec 7, 2008

There are several threads about guitalele,
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/search.php?searchid=296765

therimidalv · Dec 8, 2008

Well, there is a tenor on sale at the UU store for just under 200 bucks. Pretty sweet deal. Good Uke also.

GrumpyCoyote · Dec 9, 2008

therimidalv said:
Well, there is a tenor on sale at the UU store for just under 200 bucks. Pretty sweet deal. Good Uke also.

That thing is a great deal... Cool mahogany tenor, near perfect starter uke.

k0konutz · May 12, 2009

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I'd like to continue the guitalele discussion.
I've sent an email to WS64 about stringing for EADGBE and he hasn't been satisfied with any of his findings, but is there a way to be able to mix-and-match strings if I know of a place that sells me individual strings? Can I use baritone uke strings for DGBE and then find two others that will do well for the lower pitches?
What strings does the Koaloha D-VI ship with? I think I heard somewhere that it can be tuned for standard guitar and also ADGCEA

Keonikapila · May 12, 2009

I used to have a cheap baritone-ukulele-sized guitar, it's a little bigger than Yamaha's Guitalele, but this probably still applies.

The "normal" tuning using a regular set of classical guitar strings was ADGCEA, but I was able to tune it to EADGBE by using a 7-string classical set (basically you toss the 1st string and shift everything else down one slot)...it worked, but the strings are thick and 4 of them are wound and it was a little loose feeling (it'd probably feel tighter on a tenor, not sure if it would be too much tension though).

Stackabones · May 12, 2009

For the higher tuning, you could get requinto strings.

k0konutz · May 12, 2009

Stackabones said:
For the higher tuning, you could get requinto strings.

I think you can just use regular classical guitar strings, but they have to be tuned up to the higher tuning for the shorter scale as mentioned by Keonikapila.

Also, are there chord charts for ADGCEA instruments like requinto and guitalele and 1/4 size guitars? Google says no, or I didn't look hard enough.

Maybe I have to do it the hard way and scratch the correct notes on a regular guitar chord chart?

Ahnko Honu · May 12, 2009

Why's it called a "Guitalele" instead of "Ukutar"?

Keonikapila · May 13, 2009

k0konutz said:
....

Also, are there chord charts for ADGCEA instruments like requinto and guitalele and 1/4 size guitars? Google says no, or I didn't look hard enough.

Your chord shapes will be the same, ADGCEA is just the standard guitar tuning with a capo at the 5th fret. So, for example, the standard tuning "G-chord shapes" would be the C-Shapes in ADGCEA.

k0konutz · May 13, 2009

Keonikapila said:
Your chord shapes will be the same, ADGCEA is just the standard guitar tuning with a capo at the 5th fret. So, for example, the standard tuning "G-chord shapes" would be the C-Shapes in ADGCEA.

I understand that much...I know the shapes will be the same but if I play a G major shape on the guitalele it won't be the same pitch it is on the guitar. The chord coming out of it would be C, as mentioned. But are there diagrams out there that say what the C chord is on guitalele, for example?

Keonikapila · May 13, 2009

k0konutz said:
I understand that much...I know the shapes will be the same but if I play a G major shape on the guitalele it won't be the same pitch it is on the guitar. The chord coming out of it would be C, as mentioned. But are there diagrams out there that say what the C chord is on guitalele, for example?

There are software applications as well as websites that allow you to define the tuning of a stringed instrument and then look up chords. I used to use ChordAlchemy, but I'm sure there are free things hiding somewhere on the web.

k0konutz · May 13, 2009

I actually just went ahead and bought this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=250300381470
It'll work out well enough so that I can be lazy and not have to let my mind do any work.
Unfortunately, most of those chord/tab software isn't available for Mac. I currently use a Open Source application to open powertab and guitar pro files but it gets a little funky sometimes.

maikii · Nov 25, 2010

k0konutz said:
I think you can just use regular classical guitar strings, but they have to be tuned up to the higher tuning for the shorter scale as mentioned by Keonikapila.

Also, are there chord charts for ADGCEA instruments like requinto and guitalele and 1/4 size guitars? Google says no, or I didn't look hard enough.

Maybe I have to do it the hard way and scratch the correct notes on a regular guitar chord chart?

If you know guitar, you play the exact same chords, they just will sound one fourth higher. No need to look at a chord chart, Just remember it sounds in a different key.

Or, if you play ukelele and not guitar, the first four strings are pitched teh same as the uke, and wil play the same chords, Nice though, to learn chords with the lower two strings as well. For that you might need a chart. You could get a guitar chart, and transpose. Where the guitar chart says E, you know that is A on the guitalele.

maikii · Nov 25, 2010

k0konutz said:
I understand that much...I know the shapes will be the same but if I play a G major shape on the guitalele it won't be the same pitch it is on the guitar. The chord coming out of it would be C, as mentioned. But are there diagrams out there that say what the C chord is on guitalele, for example?

I'm not sure why any diagram would be necessary. Just know that when you play C, it will sound F, four steps higher. Not a lot of figuring out. More time to try to figure out a diagram.

maikii · Nov 25, 2010

Could anyone describe the difference in sound between a guitalele and a requinto, both tuned the same?

I read that a guitalele is the same size as a tenor uke. I certainly hooe its neck is wider than a tenor uke, to fit in two more strings,

As the requinto is larger, is it similar in size to a baritone uke? (I would imagine that the larger size would make the lower strings sound better, no?

Yamaha Guitalele

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