question for a friend about a baritone guitarele?

[iamesperambient]

If it is going to be used as the money instrument for a teacher, perhaps it is worth sending an email to a maker like Koaloha to see if they can set up a semi-custom DVI, and to find out costs and options. Or to the Islander maker to ask the same question. Or find a maker close enough to visit physically. The physics will be a challenge for the two low strings, but it may turn out to be a popular instrument, worthy of a bit of risk and effort to develop.
I suspect a guitar teacher who teaches children would already know something about 1/2 size guitars and 3/4 size as well.

she doesn't have the budget for a custom like that, this islander is with in her budget.

 

[southcoastukes]

These "Guilele" strings recently came out just for this purpose.

http://www.southcoastukes.com/specialty.htm

Thanks for the reference. There's just one problem - that set is for the standard 17" scale. I didn't even know about the bigger Guileles until we released this set. I then found out quick.

We've been asked to do a set for the longer scale and are working on it now. It looks like it will go pretty fast. If all happens as it appears at the moment, this set will have 2 wound strings instead of 4 and I'd guess we'll be mailing out notice of its availability sometime next week.

Dr. Bekken has posted some videos with the 1st set. This is a type of reentrant form called the "Eddie Freeman Special".

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?98399-You-Gonna-Need-Somebody-On-Your-Bond

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?98437-Eddie-Freeman-Special-Rag

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?98296-Southcoast-EFS-Guilele-String-Set

 

[The Big Kahuna]

So Big Kahuna.... would these strings work well on the GL-6 tuned A-A? If not, which would you recommend?

I think you'd either snap each string, or end up with a boomerang. I'm pretty sure Ko'olau make guilele strings, but other manufacturers will too.

Maybe try the strings suggested by Ken of York in this thread:

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?48054-Kanile-a-GL6-my-highly-strung-Angel

<edit>

Probably you best option is to email Andrew at HMS. He's recorded Corey using a Kanile'a GL6 on his album, so between the pair of them (not forgetting Aaron also) they should have a good idea of what will best suit the GL6.

 

[The Big Kahuna]

she doesn't have the budget for a custom like that, this islander is with in her budget.

Andrew put me a MiSI Trio in mine, but there are now 2 or 3 new models of the GL6 with different woods and build in mics and EQ. The price is very reasonable.

http://www.theukulelesite.com/shop-by/brand/islander.html

Correction...in addition to the one I have, there's one without a mic and with a solid spruce top, then 3 with active pickups and EQ. The spalted maple version is beautiful.

 

[Booli]

My friend is in the market for a baritone guitarele especially the islander one. She wants to tune it like a guitar EADGBE. Being this is baritone scale i wouldn't see this being impossible. can anyone offer any insight on this?

I have been thinking along a similar path, yet for my Yamaha GL-1 guitalele, which is tenor scale @ 17" (430mm).

I have actually done quite a bit of research on this myself and come up with a few possible options so far (there may be more possible solutions that I have not discovered yet) -

DISCLAIMER: I have NOT actually tried any of these yet, but will be ordering these strings in the next few days to try them.

You might want to look into strings for a 'fractional' 1/4-sized guitar which should have enough tension for EADGBE tuning in the same octave as a standard guitar, such as these:

La Bella FG114:
http://www.stringsbymail.com/store/la-bella-fg114-fractional-guitar-1-4-size-full-set-798.html

Otherwise, a few other possible options are:

D'Addario EJ44C strings:
http://www.stringsbymail.com/store/...omposite-extra-hard-tension-full-set-115.html, which are 'extra hard tension',

or

GHS La Classique 2350:
http://www.stringsbymail.com/store/ghs-la-classique-2350-high-tension-wound-3rd-full-set-2221.html, which are 'high tension'

I am understanding that the higher tension strings might get you to be able to use the lower tuning, instead of being forced to tune to ADGCEA, but you need to be very aware that these strings 'could' actually be too much tension if the instrument is not built strongly enough if you tune it UP to ADGCEA - so this is something to keep in mind.

Also to note, the D'Addario and GHS have a wound '3rd' string, i.e., the 'G' string in standard guitar tuning, which might help with intonation, as well as not being as floppy on a shorter scale (and might fix some of the problems that Big Kahuna experienced.

The D'Addario set mentioned above also has a non-wound 3rd string as an option that is already included in the set.

Don't forget that there is a NEW set made by SouthCoast for Guilele/Guitalele, called 'Eddie Freeman Special Guilele String Set' that fellow UU brother Dr. Bekken reviewed here in the forum, and put up a video demo a few days ago, but keep in mind that while giving the tuning of EADGBE, the E,A, & D strings are RE-ENTRANT, and thus an OCTAVE HIGHER than for standard guitar.

I am not sure I could adapt to this myself, it's taken me about 1 yr to adjust to being able to play a standard re-entrant uke without my brain melting due to the 'lower' string having a 'higher' pitch than the next 'higher' string.

Dr. Bekken's thread:
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?98296-Southcoast-EFS-Guilele-String-Set

and another, different song he does with the same strings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32dr-r_9dX4

I currently have the Thomastik-Infeld CF127 set on my Guitalele:
http://www.stringsbymail.com/store/...n-superlona-normal-tension-full-set-1809.html

and they sound and feel great at ADGCEA tuning, but I tried it in EADGBE and while not too floppy for me (these are higher tension strings than most, despite being labeled as 'normal tension') fingerpicking was 'just ok' but chords sounded really muddy.

The reason I chose these Thomastik-Infeld CF127 was due to the 3 bass strings being FLATWOUND and this significantly reducing the string squeak noise (which I detest).

Thomastik-Infeld also makes a set called the CF128, which has a wound 3rd string, as in the thickest 4 strings are wound and only 2 strings are nylon, I have them on another, full-scale classical guitar and I like them a lot.

See here:

http://www.stringsbymail.com/store/thomastik-infeld-cf128-classic-n-superlona-full-set-2181.html

Hope this helps.

-Booli

 

[TheCraftedCow]

I have two on order from my distributor which are made to be tuned as EADGBE. The badge will be Madison/Monroe.
M/M is well known for banjos and mandolins. It will be interesting to see what I am getting.

 

[drbekken]

Thanks for the reference. There's just one problem - that set is for the standard 17" scale. I didn't even know about the bigger Guileles until we released this set. I then found out quick.

We've been asked to do a set for the longer scale and are working on it now. It looks like it will go pretty fast. If all happens as it appears at the moment, this set will have 2 wound strings instead of 4 and I'd guess we'll be mailing out notice of its availability sometime next week.

Dr. Bekken has posted some videos with the 1st set. This is a type of reentrant form called the "Eddie Freeman Special".

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?98399-You-Gonna-Need-Somebody-On-Your-Bond

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?98437-Eddie-Freeman-Special-Rag

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?98296-Southcoast-EFS-Guilele-String-Set

I must say that these strings has made my humble little Yamaha guitalele/guilele a whole new instrument. Absolutely lovely.