Uke & Guitar & 3 Matched String Pairs

Subject: Uke & Guitar & 3 Matched String Pairs
From: saulgoldie
Date: 13 Jan 20 - 06:30 PM

OK, so maybe this is too much for one thread. Anyway...

I want to set up a spare travel guitar as a ukulele. I plan to install four nylon strings where the D, G, B, and E strings would be. It is for a friend who wants to investigate the uke. So having them on the high (bottom) side of the neck would keep them from having to stretch their fingers alltheway up top on the fretboard. Sounds good? Should there be any problems with this?

AND...once they are done and finally hooked and buy their own uke, I was thinking of turning this little guitar into a six stringer but with three pairs of strings. Sort of mandolin/balalaika/lute kinda thing. Yeah, I'd have to change the slots in the nut. But since I don't play way up on the neck, I could leave the ball end of the strings in place (??). I'm not sure how I would tune it, or what kind of style I would play. But it sounds like fun, eh?

Any thoughts on all this?

Subject: RE: Uke & Guitar & 3 Matched String Pairs
From: Jack Campin
Date: 13 Jan 20 - 07:12 PM

Trichordo bouzouki maybe?

Subject: RE: Uke & Guitar & 3 Matched String Pairs
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 14 Jan 20 - 08:19 PM

Temporarily converting a spare guitar to a faux ukulele is exactly what I did to become comfortable with uke chords before purchasing my first uke. Just remove the two lowest strings from a guitar, capo at the 5th fret, and you have something close enough to a uke that, if you play around with it for a few hours, you can walk into the music store knowing how to play a uke well enough to be able to devote your attention to how the instruments for sale feel and sound instead of stumbling around trying to play an instrument you've never played before.

Subject: RE: Uke & Guitar & 3 Matched String Pairs
From: Donuel
Date: 17 Jan 20 - 07:12 PM

Thats clever BWL. I have experimented with various string combinations from all metal to partial metal and nylon with suprising results on 4 different baritone ukes. I'm also accustomed tuning to fifths.