Can you Tune a Baritone Ukulele gCEA standard ukulele tuning?

QUESTION:

Can I Tune My Baritone Ukulele Ukulele Tuning gCEA?

QUICK ANSWER:
"Yes"  you can tune a baritone ukulele like a standard ukulele, but you need the right strings.

Aquila makes the AQ23U set of Baritone scale (length) strings that can be tuned to standard ukulele tuning of gCEA.

CLICK HERE to Buy Baritone gCEA Ukulele Strings  

BONUS:  FREE Online Ukulele Lesson, Yes you also get a voucher for a 1 on 1 video lesson with an experienced USA based Ukulele Master.

LONG ANSWER:
If you attempt to tune your standard baritone strings up in pitch to Standard ukulele Pitch (5 semitones higher) by simply turning the machine heads to tighten the strings you will most likely start snapping strings and/or pull your bridge off the top of your ukulele.

STOP! Get the Right Strings before you damage your ukulele

TUNING
The standard baritone ukulele strings are lower in pitch than the standard ukulele tuning. They are tuned to DGBE (the same as the top four strings of a guitar). They also differ from the standard ukulele as they are not in re-entrant tuning i.e. the strings go from low to high.

SCALE LENGTH
The Scale length of the baritone is longer than that of a Tenor Ukulele.  The strings are pulled to lower tension and produce notes lower in pitch than a regular ukulele.

CAN'T I JUST RETUNE MY BARITONE STRINGS?
If you attempt to tune your standard baritone strings up in pitch to gCEA you will most likely start snapping strings and/or pull your bridge off the top of your ukulele.

AQUILA GCEA STRINGS AQ23U
Baritone to Tenor tuning Conversion Strings made by Aquila are made specifically to produce notes of gCEA at the correct tension at the baritone scale length. From the treble side to bass side / 1st string to 4th string are about 025 031 038 027 in thousandths of an inch.

The strings are all plain Nylgut material with no wound stings.  Nylgut is a new formulation of polymerized plastic mixed with additives and patented by Aquila.

CLICK HERE to Buy Baritone gCEA Ukulele Strings  

Sigma SUM-2T Tenor ukulele ALL SOLID Mahogany Construction New in OZ.

SIGMA SUM-2T TENOR UKULELE
RRP $550 in OZ with gig-bag.
Solid Mahogany Top Back and Sides

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE 
SAVE $100
$449 (3 units only at this price)

Includes:
FREE Set-up
FREE Clip on Headstock tuner
FREE Ukulele Lesson from USA tutor Jeffrey Thomas

Obviously it pays homage to proper USA made Martin ukuleles in terms of the design, looks, tone and overall performance. Given its price and that its made in China (like the Gretsch' ukulele reissues) its build quality and tone is really remarkable at the price in the market.

The Competition in the Australian Sub $600 Solid Wood Tenor Ukulele Market just got very competitive indeed.

HISTORY
Guitar maker C.F. Martin & Co., based in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, created a line of inexpensive guitars in 1970 to compete with the increasing number of imported guitars from Japan and elsewhere. The result was Sigma Guitars.

In addition to the ongoing Martin inspired guitars, Sigma has now launched a range of all-solid mahogany ukuleles, in soprano, concert and tenor sizes and it’s those that we look at here.

There is no mistaking the heritage of these instruments; everything about them is supposed to make you think Martin, see Martin, and expect Martin, but without the price tag of course.

ABOUT 
When I heard that the Australian Importer/Wholesaler  fo Sigma Guitars had imported a batch of Sigma ukuleles I was genuinely excited to get some in and try them out.  Sigma are a brand with a long history of making quality instruments, licensing designs from the Martin Guitar company

You see I owned and love a Sigma guitar, it was my first really good acoustic.  I used that old sigma acoustic in recording, it always held its own against the pukka Martin guitars we had available to use in the studio. I always go that 'double take' look from engineers and producers when they heard it.  So I had high hopes that the Sigma ukulele would be similar.

RESULT
Well I am very happy to say that I am not disappointed at all, and have no hesitation recommending the Sigma SUM-2T Tenor ukulele to my customers, its a cracker!

LOUD LOUD LOUD is the tone, really punchy tone from this all solid Mahogany wood tenor ukulele. And the build quality and the sound certainly match up to the expectations that I had of the Sigma brand.

REVIEW FROM ACOUSTIC MAGAZINE
http://www.acousticmagazine.com/reviews/gear-reviews/sigma-sum-2s-sum-2c-sum-2t-ukuleles/

"It’s a nicely put together instrument for the price point; the nut and saddle are bone, not plastic, the assembly is excellent, and frankly, it looks nice, in a traditional sort of way. We were particularly impressed with the appearance of the wood on this instrument, ... it even comes with a free gig bag...

... no doubting that at the £200 price point, these represent excellent value in terms both of materials and construction...

Mahogany guitar tops tend towards a warm, dark chocolatey tone that emphasises the mids and low notes ... The result is that the wood takes the potentially shrieky edge off the sound coming from that tiny top, and leaves you with something loud but still palatable, which we’d describe as “punchy”.

... the tone more nuanced, and there is notably more sustain. This combines nicely with both the longer scale, and the easier top fret  access provided by the 14th fret join to greatly encourage more complex playing.

These are not vintage Martin ukuleles, but they are lovely little ukes, and great value for money at the £200 price point ($550 in OZ) ... are good

players, well made, and very well appointed. Indeed, seeing all-solid ukes delivering well at a price that normally only gets you a solid top may well rattle the competition.

...The tenor ... shines brightest when sweetly picked. ... If you’re ready to move from budget models on to your first really decent  instrument, you should give these Sigma ukuleles a try"

SPECS
Model: Tenor SUM-2T
Retail Price: $550
Body Size: Tenor
Made In: China
Top: Solid mahogany
Back and Sides: Solid mahogany
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Bridge: Mahogany
Frets: 20
Tuners: Nickel w/black buttons
Nut width: 36mm
Scale Length: 432mm
Machine Heads: Nickel / White & Black Buttons
Gig Bag/Case Included: Gig bag.

UKULELE REVIEW SK-350G Ohana Soprano Solid Hawaiian Koa Wood Uke

OHANA SK-350G SOPRANO UKULELE LIMITED EDITION.

Sadly the Ship Has Sailed on this Limited Edition Ohana .. no more are left in Australia.

The top of the range Ohana SK-350G is from Ohana Ukuleles 'Limited Edition' range of ukuleles, and what a truly awesome instrument it is.

SPECIFICATIONS
Solid koa top, back & sides
Abalone inlay, top, rosette & head
Rosewood fingerboard & bridge
Mahogany binding / headstock overlay
Premium geared tuners
Aquila strings
Bone nut & saddle
Gloss finish

Construction.
Beautiful hand-detailing makes it a knock-out  looker, and as with all Ohana ukuleles they are hand-crafted. All solid Top, back and sides of select Hawaiian Islands Koa wood with a 15 fret rosewood fingerboard and rosewood bridge.   Mahogany neck with koa headstock overlay. Abalone inlay, bound body, glossy finish, deluxetuners and Aquila strings.

The Abalone Inlays and Rosette wont improve the sound, but it does give it that 'Wow Factor' when you take the ukulele out of its case.  It looks the business and a bit of bling never fails to impress your friends.

The Clear gloss finish has that "dipped in glass' quality, very shiny and quite hard to photograph.  Obviously lots of sanding and spraying involved to get such a high gloss finish.

This Ukulele looks so good with its wonderful honey hued figured Hawaiian koa wood that you could hang it on the wall as a piece of art. Too good looking to hide in a case.


Woods.
Hawaiian Koa Back Sides and Top
This very beautiful wood comes exclusively from The Big Island of Hawaii, making supply very limited. Its weight varies somewhat from medium to heavy.  A tropical hardwood, koa's tone blends the midrange of mahogany with the top end of maple. Due to its density, a new koa instrument tends to start out sounding a little bright and tight, somewhat like maple. But the more a koa ukulele is played, the more the sound opens up, expanding the midrange and rewarding the player with a richer, sweeter, more resonant tone.

Anyone who has ever seen a nice piece of koa would be hard-pressed to deny its' stunning good-looks. Highly sought after because of its' beauty and tonal characteristics.

Rosewood Fingerboard
The most popular fingerboard wood!  Rosewood has the warm "rock-n-roll" tonality.  The warm tone is also a favourite amongst blues players. The feel is smooth and fast.

Neck Wood.
Mahogany is the neck wood most associated with Gibson guitars. Mahogany is known to provide the warmest, fattest tones. An open grain wood requiring more work in finishing to fill the open pores. The neck is very nicely shaped and fits in the left hand well.

Fretwork and Fingerboard feel.
Fretwork and fingerboard workmanship is immaculate and it plays smooth as butter.  The dark coloured rosewood board is smooth and tight grained and coupled with the smooth highly polished frets, make bending notes a breeze.  This Ukulele is as good for finger-style picking and lead work as it is for comping rhythm chords.

This one goes to 15 (frets)
Most Soprano ukuleles are fitted with just 12 frets (a one octave neck) or you can get 'long neck" Sopranos, but the long neck means larger fret spacing and the body to neck weight balance is drastically altered.  Long neck sopranos are an acquired taste.

This ukulele falls in-between these two types.  The OhanaSK-350G is fitted with an extended fretboard with 15 frets. Not a 'long neck" soprano as such, so the feel and balance of the instrument is still that 'small familiar soprano'. Its great to have the extra frets, when you are playing lead you need those extra frets!

Nut / Saddle material and workmanship.
The Nut and Bridge Saddle are of very traditional material, bone.  Bone is a hard material to work with, but it has that funky vintage look.  But bone must be cut cleanly to keep strings from binding in slots. Bone gives a sound that is bright, clear, and detailed. Not an easy material to work with, but well worth the effort, 'props' to the person who shaped and cut the nut.

Intonation.
I checked the intonation at the 12th fret and it is spot on. A pleasant surprise as proper intonation on the short scale soprano ukuleles can be problematic. Being such a small scale instrument any misplacement of nut/bridge/fret by even fractions of a millimetre can have a large effect on intonation.  Lets imagine the worker has a bad day and the bridge is glued on with a half a millimetre misplacement fault, this will have much less of an effect on a larger scale length tenor or Baritone Ukulele.  On a soprano the results are disastrous. The nut, bridge and frets are obviously all exactly in proper position.

A small detail to specify good quality tuners but very welcome.
Tuners are of a ratio that tuning is fast when restringing, but still smooth and accurate in fine tuning. Often a penny or two is saved in specifying cheaper tuners that are either too stiff or too slack.  Poor tuners are frustrating as they seem to jump from being either too flat or sharp.  The tuners fitted to the Ohana glide up to proper tune well, no fiddling back and forth. They are also of an interesting shape, very oval in length but not very wide, with gold coloured screws and metal enclosed body. From the rear they look modern, from the front the black buttons and gold grub screw look proper vintage.

Summary The SK-350G Soprano Ukulele:
A well-appointed 15 Fret Koa Soprano, nice sounding uke of fine craftsmanship, one to play, enjoy, and show off.  Plays as nice as it looks, sure to have the "Ahh and Drool" factor at your local Ukulele Club or on-stage at a gig.



ABOUT OHANA UKULELES
"Ohana translated from Hawaiian means "Family" and their ukuleles do embody that comfortable homely feel.  Ohana Ukuleles offer many models - from soprano to baritone, mahogany to selected koa from the islands of Hawaii, conventional to vintage models, plus unique ones for those who are looking for something different.

At Ohana Ukuleles their goal is to provide the highest quality hand-crafted ukulele at a reasonable price. Every ukulele that leaves the Ohana warehouse is carefully inspected and set up for maximum playability.

Yes that's right — EVERY UKULELE, regardless of model and price. Should musicians compromise on quality just because they need an entry-level ukulele? Ohana don't think they should.

Ohana Ukuleles believe in the basic concepts of QUALITY, PLAYABILITY, and VALUE. As a player you deserve each of these when you purchase a musical instrument.

Meanwhile, have fun, share the Aloha spirit with your loved ones, and Happy Strumming!"




Cheers CC.

Christopher Carr 

The Ukulele Trading Co Australia

Purveyors of Ukulele Workshops & Private Lessons + Fine New and Used Ukuleles.

Want the Mobile "Popup" Music Store at your Business, Corporate or Community Event?

EMAIL            chrisfromukuleletrading AT gmail.com

BLOG              http://theukuleletradingcoaustralia.blogspot.com.au/
FACEBOOK   http://www.facebook.com/TheUkuleleTradingCoAustralia
EBAY              http://myworld.ebay.com.au/chris-from-ukulele-trading

Phone 0432 306 920

DEMO: Ohana SK-350G All Solid Koa Wood Soprano with Abalone Binding, Ken Middleton playing The Gypsy Rover

Ohana Ukuleles make some very nice ukuleles indeed.  From their $80 entry level ukuleles to their top of the Range 350 Series its hard to find anything disappointing.

Ohana means "Family"  and all their ukuleles do seem to embody that 'comfortable at home feel.'

The Ohana SK-350G is an All Solid Koa Wood Soprano with Abalone Binding.  Enjoy Ken Middleton playing the piece 'The Gypsy Rover.'

A Word Cloud about The Ukulele Trading Co Australia

A Word Cloud about The Ukulele Trading Co Australia

Cases for Ukuleles Prices Sizes and Styles

Q. Do you sell the covers for Ukuleles and what Price?. June

A. Yes June,

I sell the Hard Cases and the soft Gigbag type covers.  Price depends on the size of Ukulele and the quality of the bag/case.

Below is a selection form an extensive range that is available.

.
Regular Ukulele Gigbag 12 mm Padded
Soprano    $19.95
Concert   $21.95

Tenor   $24.95
Baritone   $27.95

Deluxe Ukulele Gigbag 20mm Padded
Soprano    $29.95
Concert   $37.95

Tenor   $43.95

Baritone   $55.95

Polyfoam Hard Case 
Soprano    $59.95
Concert   $62.95

Tenor   $65.95
Baritone   $75.95

Black Hard Case with Vinyl covered plywood
Soprano    $109
Concert   $119

Tenor   $129

Kala Brand Vintage Tweed Covered Hard case AND Kala Brand Faux Alligator Skin Hard Case
Soprano   $115
Concert   $125
Tenor   $135
Baritone    $145

If you let me know what size of Ukulele and Type of case you would like I could make sure I have it in stock for you

Regards CC

Christopher Carr 

The Ukulele Trading Co Australia

Purveyors of Fine New and Used Ukuleles.

http://theukuleletradingcoaustralia.blogspot.com.au/

Phone 0432 306 920

How to Play Ukulele Jessie J Pricetag.

Jessie J Pricetag for Ukulele.

Had great fun today at The Northern Sound System teaching a group to play this song.  
Its really not that hard and they were fast learners and we were playing as a band in 2 hours. 

Now  F Am Dm and Bb Chords are not your standard "first" chords to teach on Ukulele, but you  might as well start off on "the good foot" as James Brown would say.

If you play  F Am Dm and Bb then you can jam along to the Jessie J video... other people have posted this in more Uke friendly (read easy) chords.. but persevere with the Dm and the Bb Chords and you can sound way more "authentic... plus everybody sings along to Jessie J in this Key so you wont have any trouble makers going "youse is playing that wrong"  

So Master  F Am Dm and Bb on your left hand and get choppy with that funky right hand.  And HAVE FUN
Cheers CC

14th April 10am - 2pm Tiny Tree Market Virginia

Just a quickie message today to tell you all that The Ukulele Trading Co has been accepted as one of the Market Stall Traders at the Virgina Tiny Tree Market on Sunday 14th April 2013.

This will be a new Market that will run out of the Virgina Community Centre.  Virginia is a Great little township North of Adelaide.  You can get to the township quicksmart on the New Northern Bypass road.  Or if coming from the Elizabeth area its at the end of Womma Road.

As usually there will be lots of the world famous Kala Brand Ukuleles to look at and play, lots of Ukulele Demonstrations through the day, lots of tips and tricks and free lessons.  No not your usual Market stall at all.

I have very fond memories of the country township of Virginia, my very first band, Contrapunctus, spent a lot of time in the town as we were offered the use of a local Market Gardeners Tractor Shed to have Band Practice in.

See you all on the Sunday 14th April at the Tiny Tree Market in the Virginia Community Centre.