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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
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| Bari-Tenor? | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Mon May 7th, 2007 02:24 pm |
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1st Post |
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70sSanO Approved
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I'm fairly new at playing ukulele, although at 55 I have a good number of years on guitar and bass. I have a Koaloha soprano and recently picked up an ASD tenor or maybe I should say a baritone. I like the upper GCEA tuning but most of the tenor ukes lack high end sustain. I happened upon a unique ASD tenor ukulele on that big auction site. Decided to go for it. For anyone who cares, here is a picture from the website... http://photos.imageevent.com/70ssano/guitarstuff/ASD%20Kinohi%20Tenor%20Uke.jpg It has the high end sustain that other ukes lack, but with an 18.25" scale the string tension is way up there. I messed up my left index finger a couple of years ago surfing and now some arthritis has set in. I can play open chords, but it really flares up playing barre chords. One of the reasons playing a uke is good for me is the low tension and open chords. After an evening of pain, I decided to tune down to re-entrant baritone, DGBE. Not only did the sound open up even more, but playing barre chords is pain free. The uke seems to be able to handle the lower registers. So is it commmon to be able to tune down a normal tenor to DGBE, or do I just have a really odd duck, in more ways than one? By the way, the ASD woodworking is quite nice, although the frets are not finshed very well and will need to be dressed out one of these days. John Last edited on Mon May 7th, 2007 02:26 pm by 70sSanO |
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| Posted: Mon May 7th, 2007 04:02 pm |
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2nd Post |
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sandman Approved 
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What auction site are you referring to? I saw the ASD and checked out their website but, aside from beautiful pictures, I couldn't get anything on price or availability. I asked on the Taropatch site if anyone knew anything about ASD and got only one reply. (He indicated an intense case of UAS on seeing the pictures.) So, aside from your question about tuning (or maybe with it), you are the first person I know who has one and how do you like it? (Run on sentence but I'm not in my classroom right now.  )Sandy
____________________ Leap into the boundless and make it your own. Zhuang-zi |
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| Posted: Mon May 7th, 2007 08:04 pm |
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3rd Post |
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70sSanO Approved
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Sandy, Here is what I can give you. My ukulele is an ASD Kinohi model. The person, Keith, who makes ASD ukuleles does not make them as his primary living, as his webiste states, it is more of a hobby and can take 2 months to build one. From his website, he basically takes an order and then builds the ukulele. He listed 2 ukuleles on ebay that he considered to have cosmetic blemishes. I ended up paying $510.00 for a solid koa ukulele. Maybe a little high for a hobby, but definitely low for a 2 month effort at any manufacturing rate. I consider it a very good deal. The ukulele is definitely well built and I have no doubts that it will stand the test of time. The seams are tight, the top and back are book-matched nicely. It is unique and there are places where you can tell it is not a perfectly massed produced ukulele, but that is not a bad thing either. The woodworking is very nice and the neck shape is perfect. The only area that could be improved are the frets. While the intonation is good, maybe not perfect, the setting and crowning of the frets in some areas could be better. I'll probably have them dressed one of these days. Biggest complaint is that the maple binding has a very sharp edge. Keith said the new ones are being rounded for comfort. With only 2 days of playing the sound it a little hard to describe, it is unique and more on the mellow side than harsh, but very sweet. Nice balance. I am using Aquilla Nylgut Tenors tuned to DGBE. Good sustain on the higher notes, even when tuned to GCEA. The volume is actually pretty good, but not as loud as some other ukuleles. I think it will lend itself well to adding a pickup. Let's just say that it is hard to put it down. I was looking for a tenor to add to my soprano, and found it tough to get one that had good sustain and balance up the neck. Buying the Kinohi was UAS to some extent. It was just so unique, I couldn't pass it up. Didn't know if I would even get another chance. I'm not sure about the baritone tuning, but the more I play it the more I am getting used to the full rich lower sound. Interesting enough it will capo at the 5th fret and you get a 13-1/2" soprano scale. I plan to do a few tweaks here and there, but overall I am very pleased with the ukulele. John Last edited on Mon May 7th, 2007 08:05 pm by 70sSanO |
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| Posted: Tue May 8th, 2007 02:48 pm |
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4th Post |
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Will Approved 
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70sSanO wrote: So is it commmon to be able to tune down a normal tenor to DGBE, or do I just have a really odd duck, in more ways than one? There are tenors that are tuned to DGBE, but I believe the string gauge used is different than regular baritone or tenor strings. Using baritone strings on a shorter scale tenor will usually result in less than optimum string tension and tone.
____________________ 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: Tue May 8th, 2007 02:59 pm |
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5th Post |
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70sSanO Approved
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Will, Because my particular "Tenor" scale is 18.25" in stead of 17" I have merely de-tuned the tenor gauge strings to DGBE, using re-entrant tuning with a high D. I have thought about going to concert gauge strings, but the tension seems to be working out with the tenor gauge. I guess if the scale were 17" I'd have to use concert gauge. John Last edited on Tue May 8th, 2007 03:00 pm by 70sSanO |
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| Posted: Tue May 8th, 2007 03:20 pm |
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6th Post |
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Will Approved
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70sSanO wrote: Will, John, At 18.25," the long scale on your tenor uke is only about 0.75" shorter than a baritone, so the DGBE tuning you chose makes perfect sense. Last edited on Tue May 8th, 2007 03:20 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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