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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
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| Felt Pick for Bigger Sound? | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 13th, 2006 02:45 am |
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1st Post |
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boruike Approved
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Some people of mentioned that a felt pick helps to make a bigger sound. Why is this? Thanks.
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| Posted: Wed Dec 13th, 2006 01:44 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Will Approved 
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The majority of ukulele players don't use any picks; just fingers, thumb, and fingernails. Compared to the soft surfaces of fingertips and fingernails, a pick is a flat, rigid surface whose purpose is to generate stronger string vibrations, and hence, more instrument volume. Standard plastic flat picks used for guitars and mandolins come in different thicknesses and shapes, but are not generally used for nylon string instruments. Felt picks, often used for baritone ukes, also come in different thicknesses and shapes, and some felt picks are soft, while others are pressed and/or treated to make them stiffer. There is even a hybrid composite pick that had a thin plastic pick sandwiched between two pieces of felt (I got one of those as a freebie from Roy Cone's Ukulele World when I ordered a uke from him). Here are some examples: Dunlop "hard" felt pick:  Soft, thick felt pick, in different shapes:  Talina composite (plastic sandwiched in felt) picks:  Last edited on Wed Dec 13th, 2006 01:45 pm by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 13th, 2006 03:19 pm |
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3rd Post |
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boruike Approved
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Will, Ah ha!  Thanks for the clarification. Having experimented with the guitar so many years ago, I didn't comprehend in my research that Baritone Ukuleles use nylon strings. Do they ever use steel strings?How much does the sound quality change between the $50 Baritone Ukulele, the $200 Baritone Ukulele and even higher priced Baritone Ukuleles ($300, $500, $1000)? I'll be going to check out Ukes at Elderly Instruments (~ 1 hour from my house) over the holidays, but I'm trying to understand what to expect. Thanks for your patience.
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| Posted: Wed Dec 13th, 2006 05:57 pm |
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4th Post |
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Will Approved
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boruike wrote: Will, Higher priced baritone ukes are generally made solid wood (top, back, and sides) rather than laminated wood; the solid top vibrates better for a richer sound. Their construction may range from all mahogany, to spruce (generally with rosewood or mahogany back and sides), to cedar (generally with rosewood back and sides). A good solid-wood model for about $250 would be a Bushman "Jenny" (mahogany top) http://elderly.com/search/elderly?terms=Bushman+baritone Baritone ukes and virtually all ukuleles, for that matter, are designed for the lower tension of nylon strings. This applies not only to the neck (which lacks the steel truss rod that steel string guitars have), but also to the instrument top, which is thinner and braced less heavily than a steel string instrument. You can't install steel strings on a uke without severely damaging the instrument. If you prefer the sound of steel strings, there is the 4-string tenor guitar, which is much larger than a baritone uke, but smaller than a dreadnought 6-string guitar, with a shorter 23" scale (the length of the vibrating string, measured from the slotted plastic "nut" at the end of the neck down to the bridge saddle below the sound hole). Tenor guitars are rarer, and harder to find, and generally more expensive than baritone ukes. Tenor guitars can be tuned exactly like a baritone uke, using the 4 thinnest strings of a standard steel string set, DGBE. I own and played tenor guitar after starting out on baritone uke, eventually learning to play 6-string and 12-string guitar. I still have all of these instruments. In my experience, it's easier to learn chords on a small 4-string instrument, and after gaining dexterity, playing a bigger 6-string guitar for me was much easier. For more info and photos, here's the tenor guitar thread and discussion that was posted at this forum a while ago: http://www.ezfolk.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=2530&forum_id=78 Good luck on your trip to Elderly! I got a chance to visit the shop in person in 1999, after a business trip was concluded in Lansing, MI, and brought back a new Oscar Schmidt autoharp. Last edited on Wed Dec 13th, 2006 06:23 pm by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 14th, 2006 01:46 am |
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5th Post |
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boruike Approved
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Will, You stirred my interest with the Tenor Guitar comments, so after work I went to my local guitar shop. Unfortunately, they didn't have one in stock. The store manager showed me one online made by Gold Tone. Ironically, we wound up going to Elderly Music -- and yes, it's a lot more expensive at $446. http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/TG18.htm Well, at this stage, it seems like I need to go to Elderly and compare the Bushman Jenny Baritone Uke with the Gold Tone Tenor Guitar. A concern I have is that the comments on the website state: "Designed to perform best (tone and intonation) when tuned C, G, D, A." Any idea how the sound would change using DGBE? I don't think I'm ready to shell out that kind of money just yet. Thanks.
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| Posted: Thu Dec 14th, 2006 04:12 am |
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6th Post |
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Will Approved
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Hi, Boriuke: There are all kinds of tunings used for guitars, and many of them are not considered "optimum" but they are still used for certain circumstances and playing styles. You could easily restring the Gold Tone tenor with the 4 highest (DGBE) strings of a light gauge set of regular guitar strings. The shorter 23" scale (regular guitar scale is 25.5") will result in a lower string tension and will make it easier to play than a 6-string guitar. If the instrument has a solid top and is well made, you'll probably like the sound. Nick Reynolds of the original Kingston Trio played a Martin tenor guitar tuned DBGE, which was about thesame size as the new Gold Tone instrument, although the Martin instrument also came from the factory tuned CGDA. Martin stopped making tenor guitars decades ago, and vintage Martins are very expensive. Due to the history of the instrument, tenor guitars were originally tuned in fifths, CGDA, so that tenor banjo players could switch to a guitar (at a time when 4-string banjo rhythm accompaniment was dying out in favor of guitars) in without learning a new tuning (EADGBE). Guitar tuning is tuned in fouths and has the tones of the strings spaced closer together. A chord played on a tenor guitar in CGDA would span a wider range of notes than one tuned DGBE. For more info, check out: http://www.tenorguitar.com There are recordings of tenor guitars tuned CGDA at Tenorguitar.com: http://www.tenorguitar.com/radio1.html Last edited on Mon Dec 18th, 2006 02:06 pm by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 15th, 2006 02:00 pm |
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7th Post |
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boruike Approved
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Hi Will, Thanks for the info. Since I play the piano, I was able to play the chords as played with the various tunings (DGBE vs CGDA). I can see now see why the comments about open chords on the Tenor Guitar tuning. If I have this right, the lowest note on any of the 4-string instruments is C (i.e. middle C), but there are a multitude of different tunings depending on the instrument. So, I guess my next question would be: does the 6-string guitar get the "bigger sound" from the extra 2 strings resonating even if they aren't played? There's a website I found that has mp3 of nylon strings vs steel strings on a guitar -- very helpful in being able to hear the difference. Does anybody own any of the Bushman Baritone Ukes? If so, how do they compare to others? Most stores seems to carry only one brand -- so hard to make a comparison. Thanks!
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| Posted: Fri Dec 15th, 2006 02:54 pm |
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8th Post |
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Will Approved
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boruike wrote: Hi Will, Hi, Boruike: I played self-taught electronic keyboards and organ for 20 years before I took up the autoharp and later, the uke and guitar. Regarding your question about the 6-string guitar vs. a 4-string baritone uke, the "bigger sound" is a combination of steel strings vs. nylon, the much larger body size of the guitar, and the additional bass strings on the guitar. Most folk guitar styles rely on open chords, which are played with many unfretted strings, some chords are played with 5 or 6 strings, which would include the E and A bottom strings. Elderly Instruments carries the Bushman baritone uke, but their web site indicates that it's currently out of stock and is on back order: http://elderly.com/search/elderly?terms=bushman+baritone There are several more small steel-string instruments that you might consider - however, they may be hard to find in local stores. The Chromatic Strumstick - this $180.00 instrument is tuned like a 4-string guitar. It has a small body and short neck, uses thin steel banjo strings, and is loud when played with a pick, but has little bass. (Regular strumsticks have irregularly spaced frets like a mountain dulcimer and are designed to play only in one key, either G or D). http://strumstick.com/html_pages/Chromatic%20Strumstick4Str.htm The Carlo Robelli Mini-Guitar - this $30.00 (yes, thirty bucks) "uke shaped" mini-guitar sold by Sam Ash is about the size of a baritone uke, has 6 steel strings, and its shorter 19" scale is designed to be tuned to a higher pitch, ADGCEa, so the effect is like playing a regular guitar with a capo on the 5th fret. This instrument is also loud when played with a pick. The small body and relatively low string tension makes it easy to play. http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?itemid=26987&sourcetype=singleitemsearch  Last edited on Fri Dec 15th, 2006 02:55 pm by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 15th, 2006 03:49 pm |
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9th Post |
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Will Approved
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boruike wrote: ... Does anybody own any of the Bushman Baritone Ukes? If so, how do they compare to others? Most stores seems to carry only one brand -- so hard to make a comparison. I think Dean (1four5) owned a Bushman Jenny baritone. I agree that most local music stores carry a much larger line of guitars, and just a few ukes.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17th, 2006 03:17 am |
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10th Post |
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boruike Approved
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Hey Will, Since I plan on using my new string instrument to strum along as background chords for singing -- does the baritone uke make sense? or am I trying to make it something it isn't? I keep looking at my guitar chord book -- and saying to my self -- it sure would be easier if this thing only had four strings! I have friends who are hard core guitar players and they aren't being very helpful  because I'm just trying to look at this in a rational way.THanks.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17th, 2006 03:02 pm |
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11th Post |
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Will Approved
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boruike wrote:Hey Will, Boruike: I think you should do exactly that. Start out with a 4-string baritone uke that you'll feel comfortable playing in a short time. I did exactly the same thing 4 years ago. A few months later, I played my Amigo baritone in jams with two other guitar players. For extra volume,I played my baritone with a pick. Good luck.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Mon Dec 18th, 2006 11:21 am |
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12th Post |
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boruike Approved
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Will Thanks for your guidance (and patience). I think I'm ready to dive in knowing what I getting into (sort of, right?) -- and who knows -- I may develop UAS. I'll let you know what I purchase -- my inkling right now is the Bushman Jenny. See ya.
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| Posted: Mon Dec 18th, 2006 03:23 pm |
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13th Post |
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HowlinHobbit Approved 
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If you decide on a baritone uke and want to play around with those "sandwiched" felt picks, I have a how-to on my main web site teaching you to make your own. You can find it by going to the "Ukulele" section of the site. Howlin' Hobbit Got Uke? Howlin's MySpace site, ezFolk site, UkeLand site and blog Snake Suspenderz Hot Jass, Hokum and Novelty Music... with a bite!
____________________ Howlin' Hobbit Got Uke? MySpace ezFolk UkeLand |
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