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Concert uke strings and tuning
http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10128&t=51340
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Author:  Freeman [ Sat Dec 15, 2018 12:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Concert uke strings and tuning

I've been asked to work on a couple of ukuleles for a guy who plays with a small group that goes around to senior citizens homes and places like that. He has asked me to convert a them to left handed which is not a problem, but he also wants to play in so called "G" tuning (DGBE, same as a guitar top 4 strings). Again, with his baritone uke, no problem, strings are available for that tuning and it was pretty simple to switch it over and set up.

One of the ukes is a concert sized (15-1/2 scale) banjo headed thing. As far as I can find, no body makes string sets specifically for G tuning for this short of a scale. I have "C" tuning strings, with both high and low G strings (I find naming the tuning after the third string a bit confusing but I think I have the nomenclature right).

I'm pretty comfortable with guitar strings and tension charts figuring out what I need to do with odd ball tunings and/or string lengths but I'm at a loss with nylon and composition strings like a uke uses. I also know I could join a uke forum and ask, but that would probably be my only visit, so I thought I would ask here.

Attachment:
IMG_4842.JPG


ps - the bridge on the banjo uke is way too far forward in that picture, it will be moved to the correct location on the head when I do the conversion and restring it.

Author:  Allen McFarlen [ Sat Dec 15, 2018 2:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Concert uke strings and tuning

I really don't think you'll have any luck with that tuning of low DGbe on a concert. It's even difficult to get it to work on a tenor.

You could go with a re-entrant tuning so it would be a high "d" Gbe

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