About a year ago at the start of the COVID lockdown in the UK I converted my banjo ukulele, which is closer to a concert size than a tenor, into a Baritone Banjo Ukulele. I calculated the tensions involved and chose Irish Tenor Banjo strings because they worked out close to the original string tensions.. So there was no risk of physical damage. I replaced the bridge and made the grooves further apart to make it better for finger picking. I made pdfs of the calculations but never got round to making a video about it. I'm thinking of doing the same with my tenor sized resonator ukulele. Great video. Thanks.
The reason I am so sick of my present baritone ukulele is because of the extra wide spacing of the strings on my particular baritone ukulele. Then I thought, hey, I like the nut width on my tenor ukulele, so I googled the question and got the answer here. Thank you! I will get these Pepe Romero strings and give it a try.
I converted my tenor-size (17" scale length) Vorson solid-body electromagnetic-pickup ukulele into a baritone-tuned DGBE uke. I call it my bari-tenor. I replaced the factory gCEA steel strings with the following steel strings: 0.014", 0.020"fw, 0.028fw, and 0.038fw, where "fw" means flat-wound. I prefer flat-wound instead of the common round-wound strings because they are perfectly smooth and don't squeak when you slide your fingers along them. You can also tune these strings lower than standard DGBE by 1/2 to 1+1/2 steps to get a deeper, more mellow sound, as some jazz guitarists do. This electric ukulele is really fun to play because its tone is very adaptable by means of the tone control on the ukulele and on the external amplifier, by the selection switch that chooses which of the 2 pickups are active, and by where you pick or strum along the length of the string. Nearer to the bridge gives more sparkle and twang. Closer to the fretboard gives a deeper, more mellow tone. Also, hammer-ons and string-bends are easier to hear due to amplification, compared with the acoustic and electro-acoustic ukuleles I have.
Stanley, thank you for that breakdown. As a fellow electro uke player, I have faced many of the same problems you detailed solutions for. I cannot stress how much you helped
I just ordered a tenor ukelele and want turn it into a baritone straight of the bat. Where can I find the Pepe Romero strings that ships worldwide at a good price?
I'm looking at getting a Fender Fullerton concert ukulele. Can it be turned into a baritone? If so, would the baritone strings need to be Pepe Romero strings, or will any popular brand work?
Possibility not as I think baritone needs a bigger body for it to sound any good but I don't really know and I hope that someone knows better than me answers your question.
Well, you don't have to get expensive special strings...you just get a normal classical guitar set over the counter, get rid of the two E strings, put the middle four on the tenor uke, and tune them DGBE. Works wonderfully.
I found the Aquila concert fifths U31s can be tuned to DGBE on a tenor uke, but they also work better on a concert. And the concert strings sound better on the tenor in their suggested fifths tuning CGDA. So I have a concert baritone, and a tenor "mandola" all using the Aquila U31 strings.
Great video. I restrung my cheap Donner(!) tenor ukulele with the baby baritone strings because I wanted a travel guitarish uke. In standard tenor uke tuning the Donner was unimpressive especially when compared to bigger name tenors... but! when tuned DGBE with the baby baritone strings it came alive! I guess this uke's top is laminate and resonates better with baritone tuning? One note; i had to file the string slot on the bridge for the 4th string to allow a thicker string - it wasn't hard but it is tedious.
Just curious, why can’t you simply put regular baritone strings on a soprano/concert/tenor uke? Why do the strings need to be specially designed for this tenor conversion?
I would think all you need is a set of Low G tenor strings and a properly gauged wound string for the low D. Maybe a classical guitar A string? Or use a plain tenor E string and go re-entrant. I believe this is how jazz ukulele great Lyle Ritz tuned his Martin tenor. I can’t try it out myself as all I have right now is a concert.
I actually bought a GCEA baritone. I had to send it back because it started buzzing like crazy. I just got an Avila baritone, and I'm loving it. Like playing a guitar without having to use so many fingers to chord. I also have three GCEA-tuned ukes--Eddy Finn concert, cigar box kit electric concert, and an Avila tenor. I'm thinking of getting a Fender Fullerton Tele concert. Would like to convert it to a 'baritone' if it's possible.
I would like to get a solid body electric ukulele, but there is a huge price difference between the tenors ($100 - $200), and the baritones ($600+). What steel strings would I use if I want to convert a solid body electric tenor uke to baritone tuning?
Can I get a set for my 8 string? I dislike the high C string on it and only play it with 7 strings. A octo-baritone would be a nice bridge to my 12 string guitar. Nice and bright and not too brassy.
If you haven't already- can you do a video on ukulele with built in equalizer and pickups, installing them and different types and qualities Greatly appreciate it
I'd like to try tuning my tenor GCEA, but an octave down. Already has a Fremont Soloist low g. Can you recommend strings to use for octave lower CEA? Thanks!
Super new to ukulele over here. So please excuse if my question sounds kind of dumb but could I get DGBE strings from guitar and put it on baritone ukulele or does it (have) to be baritone ukulele strings? I mean nylon though not steel of course.
The scale of a baritone ukulele is much smaller than the scale of a classical guitar so it's likely the tension will be off. I bet there are videos about using guitar strings on a baritone uke and what kind of guitar strings to use (high/normal/low tension). Just getting a set of baritone ukulele strings means you will have the right tension. This video where you commented is about tuning a tenor ukulele (normally tuned cGEA) like a baritone (normally tuned DGBE) though.
El Shivers I didn’t get a reply but I ended up ordering Martin & co baritone strings. I had to file the nut to fit the D and G strings since they are much thicker and I’m loving it. I just need to get used to the new placements of the chords and especially the F chord. Lol.
Carmina Reyes Ok thanks..i am going to try and wait for them to be restocked. I hate to modify the nut. I assume there is no switching back then. I picked up my old guitar and am playing it more so would love a uke with the same tuning without purchasing another...lol thanks for the reply!
You need these strings store.ukelikethepros.com/products/pepe-romero-baritone-ukulele-strings-for-tenor-ukulele-d-g-b-e-tuning?_pos=2&_sid=2d7fbc84b&_ss=r
If these strings are the key then the answer is: only if you live in America. Had a shop around and the best price I could find including shipping (the slowest option) was $46 AU. That's a pretty expensive set of strings.
I restringed my baritone with lava 117u strings to get the ukelele tuning GCEA, but the strings are almost like wire and hard to play ! I would recommend leaving a tenor a tenor uke, and a baritone uke a baritone , Hilo baritones, all Mohogany, are cheap for 65 dollars and sound great for a baritone, I am sorry , I restrung my baritone to a tenor !
I have a Romero Creations Grand Tenor. It's objectively a lovely instrument by every sane standard, but for whatever reason I just haven't "clicked" with it. I'm about to order some of these strings. My main axe is a Kanile'a baritone, and I'm thinking the Grand Tenor will make a nice companion for it. If it sounds anything like the one in this video once the baritone strings are installed, that'll be a major win.
About a year ago at the start of the COVID lockdown in the UK I converted my banjo ukulele, which is closer to a concert size than a tenor, into a Baritone Banjo Ukulele. I calculated the tensions involved and chose Irish Tenor Banjo strings because they worked out close to the original string tensions.. So there was no risk of physical damage. I replaced the bridge and made the grooves further apart to make it better for finger picking. I made pdfs of the calculations but never got round to making a video about it. I'm thinking of doing the same with my tenor sized resonator ukulele. Great video. Thanks.
I just received the baby baritone strings and restrung one of my Koaloha tenors. It sounds fantastic!
The reason I am so sick of my present baritone ukulele is because of the extra wide spacing of the strings on my particular baritone ukulele. Then I thought, hey, I like the nut width on my tenor ukulele, so I googled the question and got the answer here. Thank you! I will get these Pepe Romero strings and give it a try.
I converted my tenor-size (17" scale length) Vorson solid-body electromagnetic-pickup ukulele into a baritone-tuned DGBE uke. I call it my bari-tenor. I replaced the factory gCEA steel strings with the following steel strings: 0.014", 0.020"fw, 0.028fw, and 0.038fw, where "fw" means flat-wound. I prefer flat-wound instead of the common round-wound strings because they are perfectly smooth and don't squeak when you slide your fingers along them. You can also tune these strings lower than standard DGBE by 1/2 to 1+1/2 steps to get a deeper, more mellow sound, as some jazz guitarists do. This electric ukulele is really fun to play because its tone is very adaptable by means of the tone control on the ukulele and on the external amplifier, by the selection switch that chooses which of the 2 pickups are active, and by where you pick or strum along the length of the string. Nearer to the bridge gives more sparkle and twang. Closer to the fretboard gives a deeper, more mellow tone. Also, hammer-ons and string-bends are easier to hear due to amplification, compared with the acoustic and electro-acoustic ukuleles I have.
Stanley, thank you for that breakdown. As a fellow electro uke player, I have faced many of the same problems you detailed solutions for. I cannot stress how much you helped
Hi I’m fixing to purchase a sound smith tenor uke with steel strings. Want to convert to baritone. Can you tell me where you purchased strings?
I would love to see you do this with the Ohana BKT-70G. Tenor scale with a baritone body.
I just ordered a tenor ukelele and want turn it into a baritone straight of the bat. Where can I find the Pepe Romero strings that ships worldwide at a good price?
I tuned my tenor ukulele DGBE but with high D, without changing the strings. The sound is better than my low D baritone.
Thanks I just did that AND I LOVE IT ❤️
Just did the same with my Islander Super Tenor. It’s pretty cool!
I'm looking at getting a Fender Fullerton concert ukulele. Can it be turned into a baritone? If so, would the baritone strings need to be Pepe Romero strings, or will any popular brand work?
Can I string a concert size ukulele to baritone? Concert seems to be the best size for me.
Possibility not as I think baritone needs a bigger body for it to sound any good but I don't really know and I hope that someone knows better than me answers your question.
I uses top 4 strings of a classical guitar pack and tune them dgbe for my tenor, the tension is a bit high but it sounds good.
Right on.
Well, you don't have to get expensive special strings...you just get a normal classical guitar set over the counter, get rid of the two E strings, put the middle four on the tenor uke, and tune them DGBE. Works wonderfully.
in this way, can i put the classical guitar strings on a tenor ukulele to make it baritone? thanks in advance!
@@BrianJeffersonMGogoc yes
I might try that. Thanks 🦋
@@BrianJeffersonMGogoc have you tried it?🦋
Thanks!
Can also ditch the E strings from any classical guitar set of strings and use them on a uke. Saves some money.
I just ordered these Pepe Romero UBB strings from y’all and restrung a tenor. I LOVE it!!!
Awesome, I agree they are wonderful strings
I found the Aquila concert fifths U31s can be tuned to DGBE on a tenor uke, but they also work better on a concert. And the concert strings sound better on the tenor in their suggested fifths tuning CGDA. So I have a concert baritone, and a tenor "mandola" all using the Aquila U31 strings.
Was the quick song you play at 2:10 “The Weight of Lies” by Avett Brothers? Great video btw.
Great video. I restrung my cheap Donner(!) tenor ukulele with the baby baritone strings because I wanted a travel guitarish uke. In standard tenor uke tuning the Donner was unimpressive especially when compared to bigger name tenors... but! when tuned DGBE with the baby baritone strings it came alive! I guess this uke's top is laminate and resonates better with baritone tuning? One note; i had to file the string slot on the bridge for the 4th string to allow a thicker string - it wasn't hard but it is tedious.
Just curious, why can’t you simply put regular baritone strings on a soprano/concert/tenor uke? Why do the strings need to be specially designed for this tenor conversion?
Im late to this but you can as that's how mine is set up, I assume the answer here is money.
I would think all you need is a set of Low G tenor strings and a properly gauged wound string for the low D. Maybe a classical guitar A string? Or use a plain tenor E string and go re-entrant. I believe this is how jazz ukulele great Lyle Ritz tuned his Martin tenor. I can’t try it out myself as all I have right now is a concert.
Asking as a totally newbie the numbers on the Pepe Romero strings has me confused.
Is this correct
D - 4
G. - 3
B - 2
E -1
Thanks
Do you have any videos of a Tiny Tenor strung with Baby Baritone strings?
I"m thinking of doing this because I'm older and I have small hands guitars were to big for me yet I still miss fingerpicking.
Hello!
Is it ok if I buy a set of baritone ukulele strings ( Ortega UWNY-4-BA) and put them on a ukulele concert?
Thank you!
What about converting a baritone ukulele into a tenor? Is that possible? Thanks
It is and he has made videos about it. Just buy some gcea strings.
I actually bought a GCEA baritone. I had to send it back because it started buzzing like crazy. I just got an Avila baritone, and I'm loving it. Like playing a guitar without having to use so many fingers to chord. I also have three GCEA-tuned ukes--Eddy Finn concert, cigar box kit electric concert, and an Avila tenor. I'm thinking of getting a Fender Fullerton Tele concert. Would like to convert it to a 'baritone' if it's possible.
Love baritone ukes
I would like to get a solid body electric ukulele, but there is a huge price difference between the tenors ($100 - $200), and the baritones ($600+). What steel strings would I use if I want to convert a solid body electric tenor uke to baritone tuning?
I have the same question
Can I get a set for my 8 string? I dislike the high C string on it and only play it with 7 strings. A octo-baritone would be a nice bridge to my 12 string guitar. Nice and bright and not too brassy.
If you haven't already- can you do a video on ukulele with built in equalizer and pickups, installing them and different types and qualities
Greatly appreciate it
I'd like to try tuning my tenor GCEA, but an octave down. Already has a Fremont Soloist low g. Can you recommend strings to use for octave lower CEA? Thanks!
That is a great question. An octave lower would be super cool, I’m not sure you can get enough tension if you tuned an octave down.
Strings are sold out! When will I be able to order them?
Can this mess your tenor ukulele up in any way?
Super new to ukulele over here. So please excuse if my question sounds kind of dumb but could I get DGBE strings from guitar and put it on baritone ukulele or does it (have) to be baritone ukulele strings? I mean nylon though not steel of course.
The scale of a baritone ukulele is much smaller than the scale of a classical guitar so it's likely the tension will be off. I bet there are videos about using guitar strings on a baritone uke and what kind of guitar strings to use (high/normal/low tension). Just getting a set of baritone ukulele strings means you will have the right tension. This video where you commented is about tuning a tenor ukulele (normally tuned cGEA) like a baritone (normally tuned DGBE) though.
Interesting.
I did like the sound.🦋
Can I use those same strings to tune a Kemise banjolele DGBE or DGBD?
How do these compare to the Aquila high d with the red string?
are the low strings wound?
#1 reason for baritone is....... 4th - 1st strings of a regular tune acoustic guitar! :-)
Do you have to adjust the nut to fit the baritone strings on the tenor?
Did you get a reply on your question? I have that same question...also they are sold out..wonder how long the wait is.
El Shivers I didn’t get a reply but I ended up ordering Martin & co baritone strings. I had to file the nut to fit the D and G strings since they are much thicker and I’m loving it. I just need to get used to the new placements of the chords and especially the F chord. Lol.
Carmina Reyes Ok thanks..i am going to try and wait for them to be restocked. I hate to modify the nut. I assume there is no switching back then. I picked up my old guitar and am playing it more so would love a uke with the same tuning without purchasing another...lol thanks for the reply!
Thanks 😊
Do I need the special strings or just any baritone string
You need these strings store.ukelikethepros.com/products/pepe-romero-baritone-ukulele-strings-for-tenor-ukulele-d-g-b-e-tuning?_pos=2&_sid=2d7fbc84b&_ss=r
Everyone watching this video is thinking of buying a baritone uke. Just go and buy it.
ha ha but the tenor is smaller
I’m trying but lefty baritone is a rare breed!
If these strings are the key then the answer is: only if you live in America.
Had a shop around and the best price I could find including shipping (the slowest option) was $46 AU.
That's a pretty expensive set of strings.
Special strings mean nothing. You just need the right gauge to get the appropriate tension. You can use guitar strings.
Baritone!!!!!!
👍wow that sounds even better than I thought it would. I’m super excited to restring my Kala. Thanks for sharing this video 🤙
I had Baritone e strings put on my Ohana BK-T70 and it sound beautiful as a Baritone
I restringed my baritone with lava 117u strings to get the ukelele tuning GCEA, but the strings are almost like wire and hard to play ! I would recommend leaving a tenor a tenor uke, and a baritone uke a baritone , Hilo baritones, all Mohogany, are cheap for 65 dollars and sound great for a baritone, I am sorry , I restrung my baritone to a tenor !
Greetings from UK! Hi Terry, could you please let me know if the strings work on a *super tenor*?
Hmm..🤔
I'll take that as a no.
In theory it should work
I have a Romero Creations Grand Tenor. It's objectively a lovely instrument by every sane standard, but for whatever reason I just haven't "clicked" with it.
I'm about to order some of these strings. My main axe is a Kanile'a baritone, and I'm thinking the Grand Tenor will make a nice companion for it. If it sounds anything like the one in this video once the baritone strings are installed, that'll be a major win.
The strings are a dead giveaway.
So many annoying plugs, social media and shop comments