This is the most comprhensive, practical treatment of using a Guitalele as a small guitar. It is enough to convince me I should get one. I think this setup sould sound really great for lute music.
The first thing i did was take it to the guitar shop and have them toss on Aquila Red strings, tune it to E, and install straplocks. The GL1 came out of the box good enough for the luthier to say no setup required, just a little oil on the board and the nut. I should have polished the frets, though, that didnt occur to me until just hearing you mention it...and I have the fricken polishing kit. Woops:) 100 bucks. Plays easy, sounds good. Small body is comfy. The price is exactly 1/10th the cost of my middle-range acoustic. When I cant make a stretch on the full sized guitar, I find myself practicing more on the GL1 to make the shape ring out, then transfer the finger memory back up to the big guitar. I think the GL1 is more understood because of guys like you that share a LOT of your thoughtful experience about them, by the way. I saw a video of someone explaining that new technology strings make Guitaleles tune to E, and immediately bought one because....it just makes sense for the quality and the money and the comfort. Nice video, Valentin. Im impressed youre self taught, but something about you suggests that youre likely one of those autodidacts running around being good at a lot of things;)
I bought the Cordoba Mini - all Mahogany - Santa Fe model which is slightly larger than the Guitarlelle and with a longer neck permits tuning in E with a standard classical guitar string set. But to your point, I gradually came to love playing it for it's quaint 'small sound' especially with certain pieces like Renaissance music and as you noted, it is great for initially learning a piece with challenging fingering and then transfering the skill to full size guitar. It's compact size makes it easy to comfortably noodle around without having to be in standard classical posture. The Mini comes with strap buttons already installed and using straps lets it lie comfortably against my chest while playing.
String Hint if you want A tuning for these shorties: look for requinto strings. D’Addario and labella both sell requinto sets, I’m sure there are others.
Bought one about 18 months ago for about $90 from Amazon. Still playing in A tuning. The 17" scale makes for a tight fretboard, but it is so fun to play this thing for this 70 year old guitar hack.
Thank you, I actually sold mine because I couldn’t get used to the A tuning- especially if I wanted to sing along. Size was perfect to carry on my motorcycle. I’m going to pick up another one and try the carbon strings and tune in E!
Very interesting review, well done! I´ve dwelled a bit on this matter and after testing a lot of high tension and extra high tension options for standard E tuning, I ended up with a solution I liked and have been using on my GL1 for the last 2 years. What I did was using a 7 string nylon guitar set, with the 7th as the 6th, 6th as 5th and so on (and abandoning the 1st string of course). I´ve sanded the nut to fit the new string gauge and this way I can get a satisfying feel and weight on the strings and still keep a reasonable tuning on the whole neck. 7 string nylon guitars are pretty common here in Brazil and I already had one so I could first test with an old set of strings I had. New sets are also cheap and fairly easily to find in any music store around here.
Thank you for good advice! I have had one of these for many years, with ordinary strings in E tuning. I thought I had to accept the floppy string action, but now I know better. New strings are ordered 👍
I own one of these. It is a fantastic little piccolo guitar that sounds great. It is currently the only nylon string instrument I own, but it makes me want a full size nylon string instrument. Sometimes the nylon string sound is the sweetest tone. Mine is nearly 10 years old and it only gets better with age. I've never had any issues with it. I play mine fairly often in a classroom setting. The kids particularly love when I play Spongebob theme music on it. But ABC songs also abound.
I can't believe I have NEVER seen or even heard of a GUITALELE before!!. This is so cool!!!.. Thank you for the review, it's a really nice little guitar... might have to put one on the shopping list :)
i found one in a charity shop for 50£ and i was delighted with it. i must try the strings that you recommend for E tuning just as a bit of a change of tone colour and feel. thanks for the video, your advice, knowledge and your lovely playing. i particularly enjoyed the excerpt from Barrios.
I liked your video very much, in fact didn’t wait to watch it all the way through, but went out and bought one! I play jazz on electric and acoustic guitars, and I play ukulele, so this is fun for me, and very affordable at AUD$149. I now wish to find some suitable strings for guitar tuning. Thank you! ❤
Wow, you play so beautifully ❤ I have one but also couldn’t get used to the A tuning. I may try the E tuning Aquila Reds, and maybe I’ll get some fresh inspiration!
Thank you! I have never tried Aquila Reds, so I do not know exactly about their sound. Based on their official demo video and other videos on RUclips, it seems that fluorocarbon strings which I use must be brighter than Aquila strings.
Thanks Valentin. Very informative video. I bought the yamaha when it came out. Used it as uke. Yesterday, decided to dig it out of closet then saw your video up only 3 days ago. Fate brought me here for guitar tuning. Thanks again.! 🌹
Had no idea you could tune these to E tuning! Thanks, been looking for something for taking on travels and always discounted the guitarlele as I didn't want A tuning
Fantastic review! I love this guitalale! The beautiful thing about it is you can put it anywhere in the house on a stand. I put mine next to tv. Play it while I watch the tv. The only thing I wish it had was built in pickup.
I've got a couple of these guitaleles and I use a KNA UP-1 stick on soundboard transducer on one of them. Unfortunately it doesn't sound quite as nice and balanced on the guitalele as on my solid mahogany tenor uke but it is just about usable. The guitalele has a bit more of that piezo "quack" that seems a lot harder to dial out than the uke which sounds really quite natural. I may have to play around some more with positioning the pickup on the guitalele. I have it stuck in the same place as on my uke (just behind and below the bridge) and it may actually work better elsewhere on the guitalele. I glue the pickups on (reversibly) with a Pritt Stick for best sound transfer so it's not a quick job repositioning it. Of course the right strings may help too.
Thanks, very interesting. I also bought this GL-1 when been in another country and had no guitar. I do not like A-tuning. So I found special set of strings for Guitalele for E-tuning. It was Aquila RED 153C. But anyway sound wasn't bright. So I will try your set of strings. I like GL-1, it's very comfortable to play.
For my guitalele (A tuning) I use Augustine Imperial: medium tension trebles, high tension basses. They tend to sound best, but this obviously depends also on other factors, like the soundwood used for the guitar. In my case it is masacara ebony (not very typical). I played a couple of different guitaleles and finally stuck with an Ortega model. For me A tuning is very useful, since guitalele is one of many guitars I play and sometimes I need a higher register. To have more fun I also sometimes play it through an amp (Boss Katana), which has many effects built in. It sounds great, especially with an octaver, which adds lower frequencies to bottom strings.
Very nice video, my friend. Well done! You covered all the bases and did a great job of explaining things. Also, I am a trained and experienced music instructor. Guitar, ukulele, and bass guitar are the 3 most requested for lessons. I would have no problem with this instrument. As an option for a higher end guitarlele, check out the Ortega. They are excellent.
Went into my local store to pick up a GL1 and strings for standard tuning. Since they didn't have any carbon high tension strings, the salesman suggested the EF44 extra high tension strings. You are spot on with your description. They don't sound good. €14 wasted. By the way, I would love the video on the strap button installation.
Congrats! I hope you will like it! Be careful with the nut and saddle though. If they are not specifically made for this model of guitalele, they will require some work to make them fit. Generic classical guitar parts will be too big in all dimensions. The saddle is easier to fit, but even with it be ready that the first couple of attempts will end up with wasted material if you do not have prior experience. I generally do not recommend that beginners try to DIY a custom nut because frustration is almost guaranteed :)
@@ValentinKovshikMusic Thank you for the advice. I will see if there is a guitar repair shop or even a Luthier near me. Your video was really expertly presented, you definitely deserve more followers.
Probably it will not be the next one, but I definitely have such plans. At least about the saddle, since it is much more important and much easier to make.
I agree with you, the Yamaha Guitalele is very interesting; a cheap and portable instrument with its own very specific timbre. I just find one main shortcoming: it can be a bit hard to play barre chords up to the 7th fret, but I think this may be solved by tuning the instrument as a standard guitar - using the right strings, of course. Anyway, this is one of the most exhaustive videos about Guitalele on RUclips! Thank you very much, you definitely deserve many more subscribers ;)
Thank you very much! For me, the barre chords are possible up to the 8th fret without problems, and the 9th and up are partially possible but are progressively more tricky. In fact, I experienced the same on a full-sized guitar. I think it depends more on the width and flexibility of your palm, rather than the strings.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic The A shape barre chord is the more problematic... At some point you have to remove the 2nd finger and play one string less, or barre with the little finger and not play the treble 1st string... Beside that you can play a lot on a guitalele!
@@luc5798 I think it depends on the fingers you have. I do not have such an issue with A-shaped chords, for example. A good exercise for barre chords is Prelude in C minor by Agustin Barrios. Definitely playable on guitalele.
I got a baritone Ukulele about a year ago. It doesn't have the range of the guitarlele but definitely feels more guitar like to play. Recently I got a semi solid electric baritone Uke. The advantages are tone, strings are no trouble to find, and it's very easy to play. Currently working on Rondo Alla Turca. I can see myself going back to guitar but I'm having too much fun with folk and blues on the baritone uke.
Dear!A few years ago I bought the Gl1 for my girlfriend in Russia who is a singer songwriter.She plays a lot on that instrument bud in the A tuning.The strings I recommended her are D’adario EJ46 hard tension.After 3 years the bridge came of the body.Sombody repaired de guitalele but he used both glue and a screw.Not the right way to do this.For the moment the bridge is holding but now she uses Aquila strings with a lower tension made in Italy.I saw your whole video and I really liked it .I was surprised that you recommend Hard tension strings carbon for this instrument while it is tuned in E.but probably it is possible! I saw a comment to you in Russian,so I supposed you are from Russia .My girlfriend is from Stary Oskol.I’m from Belgium.By the way you play very beautiful on that instrument and with the pickup and the reverb it sounds like a real classical guitar!Thanks for sharing your knowledge ,playing and passion!
I found that for A tuning even normal tension D'Addario strings are, subjectively, too strong, as I said in the video. However, the hard tension carbon, which is even stronger than high tension nylon, is perfect for E tuning because this tuning is much lower, 5 semitones down. The resulting tension is just right. Of course, I do not recommend tuning carbon strings much higher than EBGDAE. And with any strings, except some very special "high E" sets, you should not tune the guitalele to the next higher E. P.S. I'm from Ukraine.
What a difference the carbon fibre strings make! This sounds like a far larger and more expensive classical guitar. Thanks for a very informative video.
Could you provide a commentary or a separate video on how to install a strap without damaging the guitalele? Thanks and more power to you and your YT channel!
Thanks for the tips. I've got two of these and an Aria (I don't recommend the Aria). I tried lots of different strings when I got my first one and ended up sticking in A tuning with Aquilla light gauge Ambra 800 nylgut strings. They are supposed to sound more like traditional gut and silk strings. The only problem with them as with various others I tried was the winding on the lightest wound string never lasts. Fortunately a standard classical D string works well enough as a replacement. I find the same with Aquilla's wound low G string for tenor ukulele. I'm going to have to try having a play around with string sets again for my second guitalele to find what tuning I like as an alternative. I've never tried carbon strings so that should be interesting. I currently play the original one in AEADEA (DADGAD at the fifth) with a pick. Everything's folky round here these days. My arthritis won't let me play the Bach and Dowland I used to enjoy. 😞 Любов і мир.
Спасибо Валентин! Очень хорошее видео и описание. Ямаха очень хороший производитель гитар по доступным ценам. Тем из нас кто играет на классической гитаре надо иметь что-то такое под рукой.
Great video - Subscribed. I have same GL-1. I got Amazon bone classical saddle/nut and installed. Tone is much better. One mod you might like to try is what I did. Have clumsy fat fingers. the string width was too small for me. Amazon standard classical nut width is 52mm wide. GL-1 nut width is 48mm wide. Shaved off 2mm either side of the new bone nut and installed. Now have width string spacings exactly the same as a standard full size classical - but - GL-1 normal string spacing from A to A (E to E), highest to lowest string is 38mm. Now GL-1 with standard classical nut it is 44mm with 2mm on each side between string and fret edge. Which means both outside E strings, or A, are very close to the edge of the frets. 2mm from the edge. Standard GL-1 is 5mm either side. This takes an hour or so to truly get used to playing, but after that you will compensate and not notice it. (May be off on my mm's, not by much, but you get the point. - modded the new nut to be standard classical width for ease of playing) Will try your string suggestion, currently on A to A Aquila Guilele Purple set. Sounds ok.
Thank you! My fingers are relatively thin, so I do not have any problems with spacing. But some people may find your approach useful. The wider strings spacing can be a problem with E to E tuning since it is still slightly lower tension than A to A, so you may experience that the 1st and the 6th strings are sliding off the fretboard when pressed at 5-12 frets. It depends on what and how you play though. I never buy pre-made nuts and always start with raw blanks, so I do not know exactly, but it seems that there are 50mm ones with 42mm spacing in case you have any problems with lower tension strings.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic 41mm or 41,5mm (instead of 39) between the two "E" strings is very good (middle of the strings). More would be too much... I tune it in G# with Aquila 96c strings, sometimes in G but less tension, so have to be more careful not to slide off the bridge...
Brilliant, informative video! I will definitely be looking to purchase one of these. Just out of interest, what clip on/ soundhole mic are you using please?
Thank you! The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel and to capture a bit of low end. In fact, it's not that necessary in this setup. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine.
Awesome video. I was curious what your solution was for E tuning. in the mean time I have tried a set of strings, Aquila 153C red series. I think they're nylon but metal powder infused so that the strings are higher tension at the same thickness. They seem nice in my opinion but i'm just a beginner in the classical guitar world. I will have to try carbon next
Thank you! Yes, I'm aware of the Aquila 153c. The description of them looks promising, but even their official sound demo is not that convincing. Maybe it's because of the player's technique, like plucking over the fingerboard which I do not tolerate. And the red winding is strange :) Probably, I will try them one day, to have a proper opinion about them. Anyway, it is a good starting point for learning the instrument in the guitar tuning.
I had to lower saddle and the grooves in the nut on mine. The action was ridiculously high for such a short scale length and even without the saddle, it was high enough to where there was no buzzing. I might have to try G tuning at some point, though I hesitate with E as I don't think the deck will be bassy enough for my taste. The low end is something I really appreciate on my classical guitar, as I've used a steel string parlor guitar with a mediocre low end in the past.
Wow, that’s VERY high action. It’s good that you managed to adjust the saddle to make it playable. Mine is surprisingly good at low end. In person it sounds better than on video. Especially with fresh Oasis basses. I’m not sure about your case with a saddle that was reduced in height. This reduced the break angle and strings may sound with less power.
Hi Valentin, thanks a lot for the sharing ! You really sounds amazing. I'm curious too about the mike you use on the guitar ? You'll find a piece ( My Favorite Things ) play with the GL1 on my profile ( in standard A) , played when i just bought it some yeras ago, i found it so fun. Thanks again for the strings stories, i need to change them on the GL1 and found no serious advices before yours.
The mic on the guitar is Boya BY-M1 lav microphone. However the sound is a mix. That one + Fifine 669 USB mic nearby. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel. Most of the sound is from the Fifine.
Thanks Valentin for the video. I've had a GL1 for several years to play when I'm away from home especially abroad as it fits diagonally in my suitcase in the gig bag - and despite many, many long haul flights even without detuning - it has never been damaged. I've tried various Aquila strings and in general I cannot play classical pieces at the default high tension of A tuning. Instead I use Aquila 96C but with the strings tuned 6 to 1 as G-C-F-A#-D-G. This gives a tension similar to my medium tension on my normal classical guitar. Due to muscle memory I've ended up keeping specific pieces only for the instrument such as Aguado, Carcassi, and Carulli studies, plus some of the guitalelle pieces written by Wolfgang Vedral. Someone with perfect pitch might not be comfortable listening to me.... but nevertheless I find this a very workable solution when I cannot play my normal guitar for several weeks. I would be interested in how to put a strap catch in the base without damaging as currently I have to play by sitting on the edge of my hotel bed and not the normal position. Again, many thanks.
I'm glad that you like my video. And thanks for sharing your experience! I have tried to tune the guitalele to G too. I agree, this is a very good option to use with normal tension nylon or guitalele strings intended for A tuning. Yes, it is unusual to hear but the tension is just right.
I really like Aquila 96 strings. They're thinner (even the bass strings) and therefore very suitable for guitalele. I think they're a bit too flexible in G, so I prefer them in G#. In fact, G# 332HZ at the moment... For me, in A, it's a bit too tense and too high. I really like the sound when played in G or G#. But I don't really like it in E. Its little body resonates better when it's tuned higher!
@@luc5798 thanks. I'll try with G# (332Hz) and see how I get on. Essentially this shows the advantage of the GL1 in that one can experiment and find your own preference. I'm also going to look into carefully drilling a hole and fastening a clip to add a 'guitar' strap as Valentin mentioned. I've now noticed other makes of guitalele have this already.
I got the Fender Sonora and find it is very nice, it’s not a Gretsch or my Yellow Wood but nice sound. Stand your guitar next to you TV sub and tube every day.
Hi, thnaks, really good video!. I have 2 guitaleles and I am looking to amplify them. I want to know what microphone are you using in your video (the one thats kinda hanging from the hole)?
The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel and to capture a bit of low end. In fact, it's not that necessary in this setup. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine and I would recommend it if you need a good cheap microphone for home recordings, for example. For live gigs, you probably should look at piezo pickups. I have never tried them, so I cannot give you any advice.
The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine.
Awsome video , I would like to no what mic your using , and is it through a amp . I just bought a ortega guitarlele I have in A tuning for now to have something different than my regular guitar tunings.. 🎸 I just subscribe to you looking forward to watching more on your channel .. thanks from England 🏴
Thanks! It's not through an amp. The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is just to add a bit of stereo. In fact, it's not that necessary in this setup. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine and I will probably use only it later.
I'd say the easy way is to go the "toss the E string and use the rest" path. Pyramid makes an inexpensive 7 string set that did the job for me well enough that I'm probably not going to bother trying anything else. The set is Pyramid No 344 200 7 String set, which sells for less than $10USD. Discard the high E string and use the rest. You'll have a set with a wound G that works reasonably well. On my instrument, the B string has the worst intonation, which I mitigate with light fingering pressure. It can probably be adjusted, but will need more compensation at the bridge than the stock saddle will allow. The rest of the strings seem pretty decent as is. I had thought of experimenting with flourocarbon strings, but that gets pricey for experimentation with a high probability for dead ends. For what it's worth, if you're in the EU, Thoman sells a copy of the Yamaha that's pretty good and virtually identical, for about 50 Euros. They also conveniently sell that set of Pyramid strings I mention. The E tuned guitelele turns out to be a fun and extremely portable instrument to own, that's also very affordable.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I do not really see how using that set is _easier_ than just buying a carbon set that works in E tuning out of the box even without any adjustments to the setup. Pyramid strings are cheaper, but the downsides, like a very thick B and potentially noisy wound G, are too significant. I've checked the specs, and some strings in those Pyramids are surprisingly thick for a normal tension set. I guess they sound not bright. The price consideration is valid, for sure. But carbon strings are worth it, they do wonders for cheap guitars. Trust me, make yourself a gift by buying a hard-tension carbon set. Maybe not XTC46FF but cheaper non-coated EJ46FF (do not confuse it with EJ46). You will not want to return back to those tricks 😄
Thanks for the very useful review, I ordered a second-hand GL1 and carbon strings ! Could you share what do you use for amplification ? Only the little mic we see under the hole, or do you also use an overhead ?
Great advice for strings for using in standard guitar tuning. I have Yamaha GL1 too, and i love it! But my playing is blues based with bending and vibrato i used to play on electric. So my wounded strings dont last... they are soon damaged on fret spots. Do you have any recommendations for strings, or i have to modify my guitalele to suit my style?
I think, fret polishing will help. Also, I always tie the strings with a little "tail" on the bridge (about 1cm), and I shift the knot slightly from time to time, so fresh spots can contact the frets.
I just got a yamaha GL1 guitalele, but I saw the Aquila guitalele strings for low E tuning. Have you tried those and would you still reccomend the ddadario xtc over the aquila ones?
I did not try them because I did not like their official sound demo. Maybe they are good. I guess they sound less bright than carbon strings. When buying xtc series be careful with different types. XTC46 (nylon) is NOT the same as XTC46FF (carbon). EJ46 vs EJ46FF is almost the same, just not coated.
This is a fantastic review that inspired me to get one myself. I play a lot of lute music and play my guitar with capo 3 fret G tuning. Do you have a string recommendation for G tuning? Do you think regular strings will still sound good enough tuned one full step down? How about the Daddario xtc46ff, will there be too much pressure tuned in G?
@@Patrick-qj8ks I played for a couple of weeks in G tuning using normal tension nylon (D’Addario EJ45), because it was too much tension for A and too little for E. It worked very well. Check tension charts, maybe there is some light carbon with the same tension as EJ45. 46ff set has much higher tension, so I would not recommend you tune them higher than F, probably.
The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel and to capture a bit of low end. In fact, it's not that necessary in this setup. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine.
Hey! I had not seen you replied, thanks a bunch. I will look for those mics online. Thanks again and greetings from Chile...I'll try those Daddario strings, too. I have the same Yamaha guitalele.@@ValentinKovshikMusic
Dear Valentin, 2nd comment, when you screwed the strap clip into the base of the guitalele, did you also glue a small piece of wood on the inside the strengthen it? Thanks.
No, 99.9% of guitars already have an end block, a.k.a. tail block. You can see it at 5:54. And you check your guitalele using a small mirror taped to a stick, just in case. The most important thing is to pre-drill the hole with proper diameter of the drill bit: larger than the shank of the screw, slightly smaller than the threads. A piece of wood is necessary if you place a button somewhere near the neck. But generally, on ukulele-sized instruments, that button is not needed at all.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic Had a look inside my GL1 and 'Yes' there is a large tail block ! - like in your video. Given the sides are a wrap around and not two pieces joining at the base I was a little surprised to see the block there. It would seem therefore that the GL1 is designed to take a clip and a pity Yamaha don't install one to begin with. Will start drilling once my new strap and clip arrive! Thanks
My current time of the video? Huh? I own a Gl1, natural finish, and like you, really like it. Can you tell me more about the microphone pickup that you are using? Thank you
The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel and to capture a bit of low end. In fact, it's not that necessary in this setup. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine.
I used hannabach alto strings after getting advice from strings by mail, they were perfect but the wound third snapped quickly. But this was timed to A not E
Очень информативно и интеллигентно подан материал, спасибо. Валентин, как вы думаете, на классическую гитару 1/2 (мензура 530 мм) эти Дадарио подойдут?
Да, придётся некоторое время экспериментировать с натяжением. К тому же, на моей гитаре ширина грифа 45мм, так что карбоновые, надеюсь, будут меньше по диаметру, а то тесно пальцам с непривычки.
I just bought one and the daddario strings as well. If i do standard tuning and keep everything else like it is, will it still sound good or should i replace the strings before tuning it on standard tuning?
Congratulations with the new instrument! The stock strings that come with guitalele are very floppy when tuned down to E. I recommend that you play several days in A tuning with stock strings. Then try to tune them down to E and see how soft and weak they are. Then change strings to the new carbon ones and tune to E like a guitar. It will sound MUCH better. Of course, new strings will actively stretch for several days, so do not expect to play immediately after the change. Tune them to the pitch multiple times a day and they will stabilize.
@@ValentinKovshikMusicsry if im asking to much 😅 im a very curious person. What kind of microphone are you using in the video? I couldnt fine one like it
I remember I have already answered to this your question )) The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel and to capture a bit of low end. The majority of sound is from the Fifine and I would recommend it if you need one microphone.
Hello first thanks for the wonderful video! I have never played a guitar- or in that case any type of string instrument before and really don’t want to sound like an idiot but have a question. I would really like to buy a guialele and tune it as you mentioned in E using those D‘addario carbon strings with high tension. As far ad I know there are 6 strings in a guitalele, right? So if I were to do what you did, would I have to buy 6 packs of those strings? Or are there more than one sting in one pack? Cuz I just looked up the price for a pack of those carbon strings and they cost 19.90€ here in Germany, which seems quite pricy to me if I needed to buy 6 of them. (Maybe it isn‘t pricy at all compared to other strings but I know nothing about instruments…haha) So my question would be: Did I underdstand it right that you would need to buy 6 packs of those strings in order to tune it to E? I‘m sorry if it‘s a dumb question to ask😅
I think you will find more suitable sellers of the mentioned strings just by searching the product names in Google. Depending on your location, there may be different options including local stores. I bought mine at the Strings by Mail website. As far I know, there are no pre-made bone nuts and saddles for guitaleles. It means you need to DIY, which is cheap but requires skills, or ask a luthier to do it, which is expensive. I am sure that for 99% of players a new bone saddle is enough, no new nut is required. So I plan to make a video on how to make a saddle at home from a bone blank, for cheap. Stay tuned!
It's definitely not a good idea. Even normal tension nylon feels too strong for A tuning. Yamaha recommends light tension nylon for A tuning in their FAQ. There will be too much tension on the bridge if you try carbon.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic Thanks so much for your advice. Your video convinced me to buy the Yamaha GL1 and to subscribe to your channel. Keep up the great content.
I think I described this in the video starting from 12:43. If you tune the instrument to the guitalele tuning (A) you can use light tension tension nylon strings. Normal tension from most brands will be too strong. Yamaha recommends light tension nylon strings for the GL-1 in the official FAQ. Definitely do not use hard tension for A tuning. For the lower standard guitar tuning (E) you can use fluorocarbon, a.k.a carbon, strings. I found that for me the best is hard tension carbon.
Hello! So I have bought a yamaha g1 guitarlele but I dont like the A tuning. I just want to confirm that I have correctly understood your video. I need to switch the strings for D'addario XTC46FF hard tension strings and they need to be carbon right? Thank you so much for your video! Its super informative, we appreciate it😁
@@melissahighland Hello! Yes, D'addario XTC46FF or EJ46FF will work for E-tuning. Or, I believe, any hard tension carbon (fluorocarbon) strings if D'Addario are not available. Hard tension nylon has lower tension so it will not work. You do not need to do anything with the nut or saddle. In most cases, it should be fine. If not, e.g. strings are way too high over the frets, bring the instrument to a guitar shop for a basic setup.
The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel and to capture a bit of low end. In fact, it's not that necessary in this setup. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine.
This is the most comprhensive, practical treatment of using a Guitalele as a small guitar. It is enough to convince me I should get one. I think this setup sould sound really great for lute music.
Thank you!
Yes, it works great for baroque music!
They are great, I use mine daily, have had it for 3 years now. Makes a good travelling instrument.
This is by far, the best video about Guitalele you will find online. Thank you so much Valentin.
The first thing i did was take it to the guitar shop and have them toss on Aquila Red strings, tune it to E, and install straplocks. The GL1 came out of the box good enough for the luthier to say no setup required, just a little oil on the board and the nut. I should have polished the frets, though, that didnt occur to me until just hearing you mention it...and I have the fricken polishing kit. Woops:) 100 bucks. Plays easy, sounds good. Small body is comfy. The price is exactly 1/10th the cost of my middle-range acoustic. When I cant make a stretch on the full sized guitar, I find myself practicing more on the GL1 to make the shape ring out, then transfer the finger memory back up to the big guitar. I think the GL1 is more understood because of guys like you that share a LOT of your thoughtful experience about them, by the way. I saw a video of someone explaining that new technology strings make Guitaleles tune to E, and immediately bought one because....it just makes sense for the quality and the money and the comfort.
Nice video, Valentin. Im impressed youre self taught, but something about you suggests that youre likely one of those autodidacts running around being good at a lot of things;)
Thank you!
I am surprised that he’s self-taught, too! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I bought the Cordoba Mini - all Mahogany - Santa Fe model which is slightly larger than the Guitarlelle and with a longer neck permits tuning in E with a standard classical guitar string set. But to your point, I gradually came to love playing it for it's quaint 'small sound' especially with certain pieces like Renaissance music and as you noted, it is great for initially learning a piece with challenging fingering and then transfering the skill to full size guitar. It's compact size makes it easy to comfortably noodle around without having to be in standard classical posture. The Mini comes with strap buttons already installed and using straps lets it lie comfortably against my chest while playing.
String Hint if you want A tuning for these shorties: look for requinto strings. D’Addario and labella both sell requinto sets, I’m sure there are others.
Bought one about 18 months ago for about $90 from Amazon. Still playing in A tuning. The 17" scale makes for a tight fretboard, but it is so fun to play this thing for this 70 year old guitar hack.
Superb review..intelligent presentation..no wasted words.Sold! Thank you!
An excellent review and guide to this instrument. Thank you
Thank you, I actually sold mine because I couldn’t get used to the A tuning- especially if I wanted to sing along. Size was perfect to carry on my motorcycle. I’m going to pick up another one and try the carbon strings and tune in E!
same
Excellent video on this instrument, Valentin. You covered all the bases with your thorough treatment of the instrument and its setup.
Very interesting review, well done! I´ve dwelled a bit on this matter and after testing a lot of high tension and extra high tension options for standard E tuning, I ended up with a solution I liked and have been using on my GL1 for the last 2 years. What I did was using a 7 string nylon guitar set, with the 7th as the 6th, 6th as 5th and so on (and abandoning the 1st string of course). I´ve sanded the nut to fit the new string gauge and this way I can get a satisfying feel and weight on the strings and still keep a reasonable tuning on the whole neck. 7 string nylon guitars are pretty common here in Brazil and I already had one so I could first test with an old set of strings I had. New sets are also cheap and fairly easily to find in any music store around here.
This was very interesting. I’m planning to buy a guitarlele :) thank you!
thank you so much for your in-depth presentation. Loving it!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for good advice! I have had one of these for many years, with ordinary strings in E tuning. I thought I had to accept the floppy string action, but now I know better. New strings are ordered 👍
One of the better videos I have watched in a while!
Thank you!
You are a great demonstrator and educator ! Thank you so much.. peace
Thank you!
I recorded my second album using this guitar for 2 of the works . It actually worked really well, I was completely shocked.
I own one of these. It is a fantastic little piccolo guitar that sounds great. It is currently the only nylon string instrument I own, but it makes me want a full size nylon string instrument. Sometimes the nylon string sound is the sweetest tone. Mine is nearly 10 years old and it only gets better with age. I've never had any issues with it. I play mine fairly often in a classroom setting. The kids particularly love when I play Spongebob theme music on it. But ABC songs also abound.
Bro, you did a fantastic job on this analysis. Really detailed and intelligent. Much appreciated.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!
Thanks loved the detaild review, stay blessed.
I can't believe I have NEVER seen or even heard of a GUITALELE before!!. This is so cool!!!.. Thank you for the review, it's a really nice little guitar... might have to put one on the shopping list :)
Please do a video on your nut and saddle modifications if you haven’t already. Thank you for giving me reason to play my GL1 more! Great video!
Чудовий звук і техніка. Дякую за відео!
Just subscribed!
I was blown away by how nice the guitalele sounds tuned as a guitar. This channel deserves ALOT more subs!
Thank you!
Very nice, thanks for sharing 🤗
i found one in a charity shop for 50£ and i was delighted with it. i must try the strings that you recommend for E tuning just as a bit of a change of tone colour and feel. thanks for the video, your advice, knowledge and your lovely playing. i particularly enjoyed the excerpt from Barrios.
I liked your video very much, in fact didn’t wait to watch it all the way through, but went out and bought one! I play jazz on electric and acoustic guitars, and I play ukulele, so this is fun for me, and very affordable at AUD$149. I now wish to find some suitable strings for guitar tuning. Thank you! ❤
Wow, you play so beautifully ❤ I have one but also couldn’t get used to the A tuning. I may try the E tuning Aquila Reds, and maybe I’ll get some fresh inspiration!
Thank you! I have never tried Aquila Reds, so I do not know exactly about their sound. Based on their official demo video and other videos on RUclips, it seems that fluorocarbon strings which I use must be brighter than Aquila strings.
Thanks Valentin. Very informative video. I bought the yamaha when it came out. Used it as uke. Yesterday, decided to dig it out of closet then saw your video up only 3 days ago. Fate brought me here for guitar tuning. Thanks again.! 🌹
I'm glad my video was helpful! Have fun with the guitalele!
Had no idea you could tune these to E tuning! Thanks, been looking for something for taking on travels and always discounted the guitarlele as I didn't want A tuning
Fantastic review! I love this guitalale! The beautiful thing about it is you can put it anywhere in the house on a stand. I put mine next to tv. Play it while I watch the tv. The only thing I wish it had was built in pickup.
I've got a couple of these guitaleles and I use a KNA UP-1 stick on soundboard transducer on one of them.
Unfortunately it doesn't sound quite as nice and balanced on the guitalele as on my solid mahogany tenor uke but it is just about usable.
The guitalele has a bit more of that piezo "quack" that seems a lot harder to dial out than the uke which sounds really quite natural.
I may have to play around some more with positioning the pickup on the guitalele.
I have it stuck in the same place as on my uke (just behind and below the bridge) and it may actually work better elsewhere on the guitalele.
I glue the pickups on (reversibly) with a Pritt Stick for best sound transfer so it's not a quick job repositioning it.
Of course the right strings may help too.
Super job!. You sold me. My GL1 arrives in two days. I'm having to hunt, though, for the carbon strings, but that's OK. Thanks so much.
I hope you enjoy the new instrument!
Great sharing. I wish to try out too. Very interesting topic indeed.
Thanks!
Thanks, very interesting. I also bought this GL-1 when been in another country and had no guitar. I do not like A-tuning. So I found special set of strings for Guitalele for E-tuning. It was Aquila RED 153C. But anyway sound wasn't bright. So I will try your set of strings. I like GL-1, it's very comfortable to play.
Great playing and video
Thanks!
Thank you. You made a great video. I love the Yamaha GL-1. But I prefer playing it in A-Tuning. Sounds really great for the price. 👏🎶✨
Glad you enjoyed it!
For my guitalele (A tuning) I use Augustine Imperial: medium tension trebles, high tension basses. They tend to sound best, but this obviously depends also on other factors, like the soundwood used for the guitar. In my case it is masacara ebony (not very typical). I played a couple of different guitaleles and finally stuck with an Ortega model. For me A tuning is very useful, since guitalele is one of many guitars I play and sometimes I need a higher register. To have more fun I also sometimes play it through an amp (Boss Katana), which has many effects built in. It sounds great, especially with an octaver, which adds lower frequencies to bottom strings.
Very nice video, my friend. Well done! You covered all the bases and did a great job of explaining things. Also, I am a trained and experienced music instructor. Guitar, ukulele, and bass guitar are the 3 most requested for lessons. I would have no problem with this instrument. As an option for a higher end guitarlele, check out the Ortega. They are excellent.
Thank you very much!
Went into my local store to pick up a GL1 and strings for standard tuning. Since they didn't have any carbon high tension strings, the salesman suggested the EF44 extra high tension strings. You are spot on with your description. They don't sound good. €14 wasted. By the way, I would love the video on the strap button installation.
I love mine, had it for about 7 years. Tuned it to E about two years after i got it. It's got a beautiful voice
I want one!
edit: I just ordered mine in black with the strings you recommended plus a bone saddle and nut. Very exited!
Congrats! I hope you will like it!
Be careful with the nut and saddle though. If they are not specifically made for this model of guitalele, they will require some work to make them fit. Generic classical guitar parts will be too big in all dimensions. The saddle is easier to fit, but even with it be ready that the first couple of attempts will end up with wasted material if you do not have prior experience.
I generally do not recommend that beginners try to DIY a custom nut because frustration is almost guaranteed :)
@@ValentinKovshikMusic Thank you for the advice. I will see if there is a guitar repair shop or even a Luthier near me. Your video was really expertly presented, you definitely deserve more followers.
@@OzymandiasRex Thank you!
Very helpful! Thanks
You're welcome!
AWESOME info
Sir, you make playing look effortless.
Thanks!
I used to own a Luna guitarlele which the factory tuning is already E tuning. Great quality and affordable instrument.
Please more details about nut and saddle mods. Waiting for next video. Thank you!
Probably it will not be the next one, but I definitely have such plans. At least about the saddle, since it is much more important and much easier to make.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic I will also be eagerly waiting for this video!
@@ValentinKovshikMusicit would be great 😁 i dont really like the plastic one that comes with the guitalele
yes Valentin another one video for the saddle would be great !! and thanks for this perfect one !
Yes, I’m curious about the process too!
Great analysis of the strings timbre. I used to use Galli but they were a little light sounding.
I have never heard of this brand. I think many different sets can be good for guitalele, depending on what is the goal.
Thank you. It sounds good.
I use Hannabach 890 Guitar Strings 1/8 (Fits Scale 44-48 cm).Good tension, beautiful sound.
I agree with you, the Yamaha Guitalele is very interesting; a cheap and portable instrument with its own very specific timbre. I just find one main shortcoming: it can be a bit hard to play barre chords up to the 7th fret, but I think this may be solved by tuning the instrument as a standard guitar - using the right strings, of course. Anyway, this is one of the most exhaustive videos about Guitalele on RUclips! Thank you very much, you definitely deserve many more subscribers ;)
Thank you very much!
For me, the barre chords are possible up to the 8th fret without problems, and the 9th and up are partially possible but are progressively more tricky. In fact, I experienced the same on a full-sized guitar. I think it depends more on the width and flexibility of your palm, rather than the strings.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic The A shape barre chord is the more problematic... At some point you have to remove the 2nd finger and play one string less, or barre with the little finger and not play the treble 1st string... Beside that you can play a lot on a guitalele!
@@luc5798 I think it depends on the fingers you have. I do not have such an issue with A-shaped chords, for example.
A good exercise for barre chords is Prelude in C minor by Agustin Barrios. Definitely playable on guitalele.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic Lower than 5th fret, complete A shaped barre chord on the 5 strings is impossible on the guitalele...
I recently bought an Ortega requinto. Similar in nature the the guitarele. Very fun to play!
I got a baritone Ukulele about a year ago. It doesn't have the range of the guitarlele but definitely feels more guitar like to play. Recently I got a semi solid electric baritone Uke. The advantages are tone, strings are no trouble to find, and it's very easy to play. Currently working on Rondo Alla Turca. I can see myself going back to guitar but I'm having too much fun with folk and blues on the baritone uke.
Dear!A few years ago I bought the Gl1 for my girlfriend in Russia who is a singer songwriter.She plays a lot on that instrument bud in the A tuning.The strings I recommended her are D’adario EJ46 hard tension.After 3 years the bridge came of the body.Sombody repaired de guitalele but he used both glue and a screw.Not the right way to do this.For the moment the bridge is holding but now she uses Aquila strings with a lower tension made in Italy.I saw your whole video and I really liked it .I was surprised that you recommend Hard tension strings carbon for this instrument while it is tuned in E.but probably it is possible! I saw a comment to you in Russian,so I supposed you are from Russia .My girlfriend is from Stary Oskol.I’m from Belgium.By the way you play very beautiful on that instrument and with the pickup and the reverb it sounds like a real classical guitar!Thanks for sharing your knowledge ,playing and passion!
I found that for A tuning even normal tension D'Addario strings are, subjectively, too strong, as I said in the video. However, the hard tension carbon, which is even stronger than high tension nylon, is perfect for E tuning because this tuning is much lower, 5 semitones down. The resulting tension is just right.
Of course, I do not recommend tuning carbon strings much higher than EBGDAE. And with any strings, except some very special "high E" sets, you should not tune the guitalele to the next higher E.
P.S. I'm from Ukraine.
Thank you for your reply!
What a difference the carbon fibre strings make! This sounds like a far larger and more expensive classical guitar. Thanks for a very informative video.
Thank you Valentin
After such good review I think you need to test for us the aquala Red strings close the issue with the strings :)
Maybe one day :)
"It sounds not bad." Generous review, brotha.
You are really making me want one! I need it like I need a hole in the head but I have to admit....Im falling in love with this little thing ❤
Thank you! You saved my money 🙏
You're welcome!
Could you provide a commentary or a separate video on how to install a strap without damaging the guitalele? Thanks and more power to you and your YT channel!
Thank you! Yes, it will be a video about the strap installation.
Thank you!!!
Thanks for the tips.
I've got two of these and an Aria (I don't recommend the Aria).
I tried lots of different strings when I got my first one and ended up sticking in A tuning with Aquilla light gauge Ambra 800 nylgut strings. They are supposed to sound more like traditional gut and silk strings.
The only problem with them as with various others I tried was the winding on the lightest wound string never lasts.
Fortunately a standard classical D string works well enough as a replacement.
I find the same with Aquilla's wound low G string for tenor ukulele.
I'm going to have to try having a play around with string sets again for my second guitalele to find what tuning I like as an alternative. I've never tried carbon strings so that should be interesting.
I currently play the original one in AEADEA (DADGAD at the fifth) with a pick.
Everything's folky round here these days.
My arthritis won't let me play the Bach and Dowland I used to enjoy. 😞
Любов і мир.
You play beautifully. ❤
Thanks!
Спасибо Валентин! Очень хорошее видео и описание. Ямаха очень хороший производитель гитар по доступным ценам. Тем из нас кто играет на классической гитаре надо иметь что-то такое под рукой.
Great video - Subscribed. I have same GL-1. I got Amazon bone classical saddle/nut and installed. Tone is much better. One mod you might like to try is what I did. Have clumsy fat fingers. the string width was too small for me. Amazon standard classical nut width is 52mm wide. GL-1 nut width is 48mm wide. Shaved off 2mm either side of the new bone nut and installed. Now have width string spacings exactly the same as a standard full size classical - but - GL-1 normal string spacing from A to A (E to E), highest to lowest string is 38mm. Now GL-1 with standard classical nut it is 44mm with 2mm on each side between string and fret edge. Which means both outside E strings, or A, are very close to the edge of the frets. 2mm from the edge. Standard GL-1 is 5mm either side. This takes an hour or so to truly get used to playing, but after that you will compensate and not notice it. (May be off on my mm's, not by much, but you get the point. - modded the new nut to be standard classical width for ease of playing) Will try your string suggestion, currently on A to A Aquila Guilele Purple set. Sounds ok.
Thank you! My fingers are relatively thin, so I do not have any problems with spacing. But some people may find your approach useful.
The wider strings spacing can be a problem with E to E tuning since it is still slightly lower tension than A to A, so you may experience that the 1st and the 6th strings are sliding off the fretboard when pressed at 5-12 frets. It depends on what and how you play though.
I never buy pre-made nuts and always start with raw blanks, so I do not know exactly, but it seems that there are 50mm ones with 42mm spacing in case you have any problems with lower tension strings.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic 41mm or 41,5mm (instead of 39) between the two "E" strings is very good (middle of the strings). More would be too much... I tune it in G# with Aquila 96c strings, sometimes in G but less tension, so have to be more careful not to slide off the bridge...
It's a great guitar - I love mine!
Brilliant, informative video! I will definitely be looking to purchase one of these. Just out of interest, what clip on/ soundhole mic are you using please?
Thank you! The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel and to capture a bit of low end. In fact, it's not that necessary in this setup. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine.
Awesome video. I was curious what your solution was for E tuning. in the mean time I have tried a set of strings, Aquila 153C red series. I think they're nylon but metal powder infused so that the strings are higher tension at the same thickness. They seem nice in my opinion but i'm just a beginner in the classical guitar world. I will have to try carbon next
Thank you! Yes, I'm aware of the Aquila 153c. The description of them looks promising, but even their official sound demo is not that convincing. Maybe it's because of the player's technique, like plucking over the fingerboard which I do not tolerate. And the red winding is strange :) Probably, I will try them one day, to have a proper opinion about them.
Anyway, it is a good starting point for learning the instrument in the guitar tuning.
strap button tutorial would be great!
I had to lower saddle and the grooves in the nut on mine. The action was ridiculously high for such a short scale length and even without the saddle, it was high enough to where there was no buzzing. I might have to try G tuning at some point, though I hesitate with E as I don't think the deck will be bassy enough for my taste. The low end is something I really appreciate on my classical guitar, as I've used a steel string parlor guitar with a mediocre low end in the past.
Wow, that’s VERY high action. It’s good that you managed to adjust the saddle to make it playable.
Mine is surprisingly good at low end. In person it sounds better than on video. Especially with fresh Oasis basses.
I’m not sure about your case with a saddle that was reduced in height. This reduced the break angle and strings may sound with less power.
Hi Valentin, thanks a lot for the sharing ! You really sounds amazing. I'm curious too about the mike you use on the guitar ? You'll find a piece ( My Favorite Things ) play with the GL1 on my profile ( in standard A) , played when i just bought it some yeras ago, i found it so fun. Thanks again for the strings stories, i need to change them on the GL1 and found no serious advices before yours.
The mic on the guitar is Boya BY-M1 lav microphone. However the sound is a mix. That one + Fifine 669 USB mic nearby. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel. Most of the sound is from the Fifine.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic Thanks for your answer Valentin, i'll check those. Could be usefull for me and others here.
very interesting for traveling
Thanks Valentin for the video. I've had a GL1 for several years to play when I'm away from home especially abroad as it fits diagonally in my suitcase in the gig bag - and despite many, many long haul flights even without detuning - it has never been damaged. I've tried various Aquila strings and in general I cannot play classical pieces at the default high tension of A tuning. Instead I use Aquila 96C but with the strings tuned 6 to 1 as G-C-F-A#-D-G. This gives a tension similar to my medium tension on my normal classical guitar. Due to muscle memory I've ended up keeping specific pieces only for the instrument such as Aguado, Carcassi, and Carulli studies, plus some of the guitalelle pieces written by Wolfgang Vedral. Someone with perfect pitch might not be comfortable listening to me.... but nevertheless I find this a very workable solution when I cannot play my normal guitar for several weeks. I would be interested in how to put a strap catch in the base without damaging as currently I have to play by sitting on the edge of my hotel bed and not the normal position. Again, many thanks.
I'm glad that you like my video. And thanks for sharing your experience!
I have tried to tune the guitalele to G too. I agree, this is a very good option to use with normal tension nylon or guitalele strings intended for A tuning. Yes, it is unusual to hear but the tension is just right.
I really like Aquila 96 strings. They're thinner (even the bass strings) and therefore very suitable for guitalele. I think they're a bit too flexible in G, so I prefer them in G#. In fact, G# 332HZ at the moment... For me, in A, it's a bit too tense and too high. I really like the sound when played in G or G#. But I don't really like it in E. Its little body resonates better when it's tuned higher!
@@luc5798 thanks. I'll try with G# (332Hz) and see how I get on. Essentially this shows the advantage of the GL1 in that one can experiment and find your own preference. I'm also going to look into carefully drilling a hole and fastening a clip to add a 'guitar' strap as Valentin mentioned. I've now noticed other makes of guitalele have this already.
@@luc5798 332 Hz is not G#, at least in conventional tunings. It's close to E (329.6 Hz) in standard tuning (A=440 Hz)
@@ValentinKovshikMusic I set the tuner to 432Hz and tuned it to G#, if that's clearer...
I got the Fender Sonora and find it is very nice, it’s not a Gretsch or my Yellow Wood but nice sound. Stand your guitar next to you TV sub and tube every day.
Love me some guitalele ❤
Thx!
Hi, thnaks, really good video!. I have 2 guitaleles and I am looking to amplify them. I want to know what microphone are you using in your video (the one thats kinda hanging from the hole)?
The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel and to capture a bit of low end. In fact, it's not that necessary in this setup. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine and I would recommend it if you need a good cheap microphone for home recordings, for example. For live gigs, you probably should look at piezo pickups. I have never tried them, so I cannot give you any advice.
Hi Valentin,
Thanks for the video!
I am interested to know which microphone you use!
The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine.
Awsome video , I would like to no what mic your using , and is it through a amp . I just bought a ortega guitarlele I have in A tuning for now to have something different than my regular guitar tunings.. 🎸 I just subscribe to you looking forward to watching more on your channel .. thanks from England 🏴
Thanks! It's not through an amp. The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is just to add a bit of stereo. In fact, it's not that necessary in this setup. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine and I will probably use only it later.
I'd say the easy way is to go the "toss the E string and use the rest" path. Pyramid makes an inexpensive 7 string set that did the job for me well enough that I'm probably not going to bother trying anything else. The set is Pyramid No 344 200 7 String set, which sells for less than $10USD. Discard the high E string and use the rest. You'll have a set with a wound G that works reasonably well. On my instrument, the B string has the worst intonation, which I mitigate with light fingering pressure. It can probably be adjusted, but will need more compensation at the bridge than the stock saddle will allow. The rest of the strings seem pretty decent as is. I had thought of experimenting with flourocarbon strings, but that gets pricey for experimentation with a high probability for dead ends.
For what it's worth, if you're in the EU, Thoman sells a copy of the Yamaha that's pretty good and virtually identical, for about 50 Euros. They also conveniently sell that set of Pyramid strings I mention. The E tuned guitelele turns out to be a fun and extremely portable instrument to own, that's also very affordable.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I do not really see how using that set is _easier_ than just buying a carbon set that works in E tuning out of the box even without any adjustments to the setup. Pyramid strings are cheaper, but the downsides, like a very thick B and potentially noisy wound G, are too significant.
I've checked the specs, and some strings in those Pyramids are surprisingly thick for a normal tension set. I guess they sound not bright.
The price consideration is valid, for sure. But carbon strings are worth it, they do wonders for cheap guitars.
Trust me, make yourself a gift by buying a hard-tension carbon set. Maybe not XTC46FF but cheaper non-coated EJ46FF (do not confuse it with EJ46). You will not want to return back to those tricks 😄
Thanks for the very useful review, I ordered a second-hand GL1 and carbon strings !
Could you share what do you use for amplification ? Only the little mic we see under the hole, or do you also use an overhead ?
I mixed the mic on the guitar with a microphone on a stand, you are right.
Can you show how to install a strap button or is there a tutorial already
Great advice for strings for using in standard guitar tuning. I have Yamaha GL1 too, and i love it! But my playing is blues based with bending and vibrato i used to play on electric. So my wounded strings dont last... they are soon damaged on fret spots. Do you have any recommendations for strings, or i have to modify my guitalele to suit my style?
I think, fret polishing will help. Also, I always tie the strings with a little "tail" on the bridge (about 1cm), and I shift the knot slightly from time to time, so fresh spots can contact the frets.
Hi Valentin do you have any advice on how to install a strap button for the guitalele?
I will make a video on that soon. The most important thing is to pre-drill the hole appropriately.
ADGCEA: A Darn Good Capuccino or Espresso, Always?
I just got a yamaha GL1 guitalele, but I saw the Aquila guitalele strings for low E tuning. Have you tried those and would you still reccomend the ddadario xtc over the aquila ones?
I did not try them because I did not like their official sound demo. Maybe they are good. I guess they sound less bright than carbon strings.
When buying xtc series be careful with different types. XTC46 (nylon) is NOT the same as XTC46FF (carbon). EJ46 vs EJ46FF is almost the same, just not coated.
what kind of tuner is it on your neck? looks like a good optikon for my gypsy jazz guitar aswell
That is PW-CT-12 (Planet Waves/D'Addario micro headstock tuner)
👍👍👍
This is a fantastic review that inspired me to get one myself. I play a lot of lute music and play my guitar with capo 3 fret G tuning. Do you have a string recommendation for G tuning? Do you think regular strings will still sound good enough tuned one full step down? How about the Daddario xtc46ff, will there be too much pressure tuned in G?
@@Patrick-qj8ks I played for a couple of weeks in G tuning using normal tension nylon (D’Addario EJ45), because it was too much tension for A and too little for E. It worked very well. Check tension charts, maybe there is some light carbon with the same tension as EJ45.
46ff set has much higher tension, so I would not recommend you tune them higher than F, probably.
This instrument seems a wrap aorund side, with no block at the bottom, so I could not fit a pin strap button. How did you do so?
Externally the sides are solid piece, but inside there is an end block. At least, mine has it. See 5:54. Check your guitalele with a mirror.
Hello, Valentin. What is the microphone you attached to the guitalele?
Thanks in advance.
The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel and to capture a bit of low end. In fact, it's not that necessary in this setup. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine.
Hey! I had not seen you replied, thanks a bunch. I will look for those mics online. Thanks again and greetings from Chile...I'll try those Daddario strings, too. I have the same Yamaha guitalele.@@ValentinKovshikMusic
Dear Valentin, 2nd comment, when you screwed the strap clip into the base of the guitalele, did you also glue a small piece of wood on the inside the strengthen it? Thanks.
No, 99.9% of guitars already have an end block, a.k.a. tail block. You can see it at 5:54. And you check your guitalele using a small mirror taped to a stick, just in case.
The most important thing is to pre-drill the hole with proper diameter of the drill bit: larger than the shank of the screw, slightly smaller than the threads.
A piece of wood is necessary if you place a button somewhere near the neck. But generally, on ukulele-sized instruments, that button is not needed at all.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic Had a look inside my GL1 and 'Yes' there is a large tail block ! - like in your video. Given the sides are a wrap around and not two pieces joining at the base I was a little surprised to see the block there. It would seem therefore that the GL1 is designed to take a clip and a pity Yamaha don't install one to begin with. Will start drilling once my new strap and clip arrive! Thanks
@@stephenforsythe8195i just did mine and it was really easy. Didnt have any problems at all.
My current time of the video? Huh?
I own a Gl1, natural finish, and like you, really like it.
Can you tell me more about the microphone pickup that you are using?
Thank you
The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel and to capture a bit of low end. In fact, it's not that necessary in this setup. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic thank you, very useful
I used hannabach alto strings after getting advice from strings by mail, they were perfect but the wound third snapped quickly. But this was timed to A not E
Yes, those strings must sound quite good in A. The wound third string is something I always avoid: not durable and feels weird.
Очень информативно и интеллигентно подан материал, спасибо. Валентин, как вы думаете, на классическую гитару 1/2 (мензура 530 мм) эти Дадарио подойдут?
Theoretically they are for a full-size guitar, so most probably yes. Or, maybe use medium tension carbon if these are too strong.
Да, придётся некоторое время экспериментировать с натяжением. К тому же, на моей гитаре ширина грифа 45мм, так что карбоновые, надеюсь, будут меньше по диаметру, а то тесно пальцам с непривычки.
I just bought one and the daddario strings as well. If i do standard tuning and keep everything else like it is, will it still sound good or should i replace the strings before tuning it on standard tuning?
Congratulations with the new instrument!
The stock strings that come with guitalele are very floppy when tuned down to E. I recommend that you play several days in A tuning with stock strings. Then try to tune them down to E and see how soft and weak they are. Then change strings to the new carbon ones and tune to E like a guitar. It will sound MUCH better. Of course, new strings will actively stretch for several days, so do not expect to play immediately after the change. Tune them to the pitch multiple times a day and they will stabilize.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic thank you for your help
@@ValentinKovshikMusicsry if im asking to much 😅 im a very curious person. What kind of microphone are you using in the video? I couldnt fine one like it
I remember I have already answered to this your question )) The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel and to capture a bit of low end. The majority of sound is from the Fifine and I would recommend it if you need one microphone.
Hello first thanks for the wonderful video! I have never played a guitar- or in that case any type of string instrument before and really don’t want to sound like an idiot but have a question.
I would really like to buy a guialele and tune it as you mentioned in E using those D‘addario carbon strings with high tension.
As far ad I know there are 6 strings in a guitalele, right? So if I were to do what you did, would I have to buy 6 packs of those strings? Or are there more than one sting in one pack?
Cuz I just looked up the price for a pack of those carbon strings and they cost 19.90€ here in Germany, which seems quite pricy to me if I needed to buy 6 of them. (Maybe it isn‘t pricy at all compared to other strings but I know nothing about instruments…haha)
So my question would be:
Did I underdstand it right that you would need to buy 6 packs of those strings in order to tune it to E?
I‘m sorry if it‘s a dumb question to ask😅
No, each pack contains 6 different strings, so you need one pack.
@@ValentinKovshikMusicThank u sm!
Could you put links for the nut, saddle and strings please? Thanks!
I think you will find more suitable sellers of the mentioned strings just by searching the product names in Google. Depending on your location, there may be different options including local stores. I bought mine at the Strings by Mail website.
As far I know, there are no pre-made bone nuts and saddles for guitaleles. It means you need to DIY, which is cheap but requires skills, or ask a luthier to do it, which is expensive. I am sure that for 99% of players a new bone saddle is enough, no new nut is required. So I plan to make a video on how to make a saddle at home from a bone blank, for cheap. Stay tuned!
@@ValentinKovshikMusic thank you!
Is it possible to tune the D’Addario high tension carbon strings to A tuning, or would doing so put too much tension on the neck?
It's definitely not a good idea. Even normal tension nylon feels too strong for A tuning. Yamaha recommends light tension nylon for A tuning in their FAQ.
There will be too much tension on the bridge if you try carbon.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic Thanks so much for your advice. Your video convinced me to buy the Yamaha GL1 and to subscribe to your channel. Keep up the great content.
So, can I use any guitar strings set?
I think I described this in the video starting from 12:43.
If you tune the instrument to the guitalele tuning (A) you can use light tension tension nylon strings. Normal tension from most brands will be too strong. Yamaha recommends light tension nylon strings for the GL-1 in the official FAQ.
Definitely do not use hard tension for A tuning.
For the lower standard guitar tuning (E) you can use fluorocarbon, a.k.a carbon, strings. I found that for me the best is hard tension carbon.
Hello! So I have bought a yamaha g1 guitarlele but I dont like the A tuning. I just want to confirm that I have correctly understood your video. I need to switch the strings for D'addario XTC46FF hard tension strings and they need to be carbon right?
Thank you so much for your video! Its super informative, we appreciate it😁
And also, do I NEED to fiddle with the nut and saddle? - I'm very beginner so sorry if this is common knowledge 😅
@@melissahighland Hello! Yes, D'addario XTC46FF or EJ46FF will work for E-tuning. Or, I believe, any hard tension carbon (fluorocarbon) strings if D'Addario are not available. Hard tension nylon has lower tension so it will not work.
You do not need to do anything with the nut or saddle. In most cases, it should be fine. If not, e.g. strings are way too high over the frets, bring the instrument to a guitar shop for a basic setup.
@@ValentinKovshikMusic sorry, I didn't see you comment! Thank you so much for your fast response. I'm excited to give this a try!! 😁
What’s the little clip on mic?
The sound here is a mix of Boya BY-M1 lav microphone on the guitar + Fifine 669 USB mic. The lav mic is mostly to add a bit of stereo feel and to capture a bit of low end. In fact, it's not that necessary in this setup. Most of the sound in my recent videos is from the Fifine.