Mandolin tuned ukulele strings?

**glauber** · Mar-23-2006, 8:57am

I have a faint memory someone mentioned a Web site where it was possible to acquire uke strings that are useable in mandolin tuning. Did i dream this up? Or could someone point it to me again?

Many thanks,

glauber

**Jim Garber** · Mar-23-2006, 10:35am

Well...until someone who knows what he or she is talking about pipes up...

You may have to experiment. One possibility is to use Nylgut strings, which are among the most preferred of uke strings.

Then other possibility is to go to your local fishing store and buy various gauge of fishing line and see what you can come up with.

I assume that you are stringing a uke to play like a mandolin, not stringing a mandolin with nylon strings?

Jim

**glauber** · Mar-23-2006, 10:45am

Yes, Jim, i'm contemplating a couple of trips with too much child-related luggage to carry, and the horror of not having a mandolin to play for a few days... thinking that i could get a cheap uke and string it as a mandolin, then carry it in my pocket or something. I probably won't do it, but i confess even the Martin Backpacker started looking interesting.

This topic pops up from time to time. I remember once someone said "go to Web site X, they have several selections of uke strings in different tunings, including mandolin tuning."

Or, i could take my "beater" Korean Ovation (it's probably almost unbreakable, even though it doesn't have a hard case), or just take a rest from the mando and play my flutes a little.

**glauber** · Mar-23-2006, 10:53am

I think i found it... "Alternate Tunings". I found this grubbing through the Nilgut site. Thanks!

This probably should be a "FAQ" entry.

**Jim Garber** · Mar-23-2006, 10:54am

I took my Flatiron A5-2 on a cross country flight. I play tennis but took my double tennis bag and fit the mandolin in its hardshell case inon compartment. It served as my carry-on and there was plenty of room for my other in-flight items.

Jim

**arbarnhart** · Mar-23-2006, 10:59am

Thin Man Music will put together a set for you for very little $. Some interesting "cross species" instruments to browse there also.

**glauber** · Mar-23-2006, 11:00am

Yes, i could do that. I'm sure the KOvation would survive, and if it didn't, no big deal - i think i got enough use out of that one already. Hmmm, double tennis bag, good idea. But now i'm intrigued with having a little mandolin-tuned uke. That site has some pretty cheap instruments; i may get one just for the heck of it.

**glauber** · Mar-23-2006, 11:02am

Originally Posted by (arbarnhart @ Mar. 23 2006, 11:59)

Thin Man Music will put together a set for you for very little $. Some interesting "cross species" instruments to browse there also.

Thanks, this was the site i remembered from before. I'll make sure to bookmark it.

**arbarnhart** · Mar-23-2006, 11:13am

BTW, I did get a set and was able to tune that way but I never warmed to the sound. However, I was trying to use it as a beater travel mando and playing tunes that were appropriate (IMO) for the mando and they just didn't sound right. If you were trying to play typical uke songs and just using mando chord forms it would probably sound okay. I don't know if that makes any sense or not, but I am posting it anyway.

#

**mandroid** · Mar-23-2006, 1:26pm

I get GDAE or more tension friendly FCGD tuning with Martin Baritone uke set for 3of4 and an ,o22 from soprano sets for the high string 2 wound,[1 silvered soft bronze, and 1 aluminum] 2 plain.
on'kawlija', the spruce-headed banjo-uke.

**Bill Snyder** · Mar-23-2006, 7:58pm

I purchased a CHEAP uke on ebay about 3 years ago and thought that I would learn how to play a soprano uke. I did not have it very long before I retuned it to GDAE like a mandolin. I use a light gauge wound classical guitar string for the g and two uke strings for the d and a and very light test fishing line for the e. The fishing line has to stretch for a few days before it holds pitch. Tune it then tune it then tune it etc, but it will eventually quit stretching and hold pitch.
Or just buy a set from Thin Man Music.
FWIW my baritone uke is tuned like a tenor guitar which is the same as a mandola and a viola - CGDA, one fifth below the mandolin.

**John Flynn** · Mar-23-2006, 8:41pm

I posted this before, a couple of years ago and as I said then, I cannot vouch for this, I am only reporting it.

According to a post on the Flea Market Music site, which is a bit like the Mando Cafe' for ukuleles, Radim Zenkl supposedly said at a workshop that he sometimes plays a mando-tuned uke. Reportedly the strings he uses are D'Addario Gauged Nylon Strings, with .91mm for the low G, .86mm for the D, .64mm for the A and .53mm for the E. These are rectified nylon strings and can be ordered individually from Elderly.

**mandroid** · Mar-23-2006, 9:20pm

snip of previous direct ?Q: note low 2 are wound.

My gauges are:

nylon string singles D'Addario

NYL021
NYL034
NYL025w
NYL036w

Best wishes,
Radim

my using the martin ones are pretty cheap, set from Elderly is sub $4 + buy the .021/22

wound ones fret-wear the windings , the other 2 dont, appriciably.
CFM set, 3 are actually about the same size,guagewise but the mass is different due to winding material so vibrate at an appropriate frequency.

**Patrick Killeen** · Mar-27-2006, 6:45am

Risa (http://www.risa-music.de) make an electric uke which they also sell with c-g-d’-a’ mandola tuning by using string 1,3,4,5 of a classical Nylon guitar string set with silverwound basses.

One of their faq's is:

"Can the Mando-Solid be tuned in mandolin tuning G-d-a-e'?
It is impossible to reach the high e' with any common Nylon string material. But you can use string 2 to 4 of a classical Nylon guitar set with silverwound basses for string 2 to 4 of the Mando-Solid. Use a high-quality 0.45 mm fishing line for the first string e'."

Patrick

**mandroid** · Mar-29-2006, 12:49pm

that may be true with the 17" scale, a 14" is what my instrument is.
and GDAE is do able, I play a while and then going up to violin pitch works, some breakage has occured, when I tried to wind new strings up there right away. not consistantly but on occasion.
I thought risa had a soprano uke /14: scale instrument too.

**glauber** · Mar-29-2006, 1:22pm

Originally Posted by (mandroid @ Mar. 29 2006, 13:49)

I thought risa had a soprano uke /14: scale instrument too.

They do.

**Patrick Killeen** · Mar-29-2006, 2:31pm

Originally Posted by (mandroid @ Mar. 29 2006, 18:49)

I thought risa had a soprano uke /14: scale instrument too.

I was talking about the Risa mandola-solid which is basically a restrung soprano uke with a 14.2 inch scale. #I'm waiting to get hold of mine so I can't say first hand what it's like. (It should be waiting for me when I get back from holiday in a couple of weeks.)

http://www.risa-music.de/English/Pro...ds/solids.html