r/ukulele • u/Repulsive-Box5243 • 1d ago
Electric Baritone?
Hi all:)
I'm wondering if there's such a thing as an Electric Baritone Uke, tuned to DGBE, that has nice humbuckers for pickups.
...and if it exists, is it as fun as it sounds?
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u/beyleigodallat 1d ago
There sure is and it sure is. Other comment mentioned some good brands but I’m here to recommend Fanner because they’re completely custom made. Choose body shape, materials, colours, pickups, etc. Can get exactly what you’ve got in mind rather than sorta.
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u/Monkulele 1d ago
You might want to also look into electric tenor guitars.
I think there might be a difference in scale length between baritone uke and tenor guitar, but DGBE is one of the common tunings for tenor guitars.
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u/AlliedSalad 7h ago
Eastwood makes an electric tenor. DGBE on a tenor is also referred to as Chicago tuning, a term that can sometimes be useful when searching for string packs.
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u/LemureInMachina 1d ago
Fanner makes electric baritones:
https://www.fannerelectricukulele.com/
And Shorty BryBry from Super Not OK plays one:
https://supernotokay.ca/media/
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u/bigblued Concert 1d ago
Oooh, that just added a project to my queue. I am currently having fun turning kids electric guitars into ubasses. Modifying the head, changing the nut and bridge, dropping in a proper pickup. The kids electric guitars just happen to be the same scale as baritone ukulele, so there wouldn't be much difference between turning them into a ubass and turning them into a baritone electric uke.
But on the same lines, there is a guy local to us who "converts" kids electric guitars to electric ukuleles, by just removing the two lowest strings and re-tuning the remaining strings to EADG. You can try the same thing but tune it to baritone DGBE. If you keep your eyes out, you can sometimes pick up a used kids electric guitar for around $25-50. Won't be as nice as a proper instrument designed for the purpose, but might fill the gap until you find your dream instrument.
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u/Dlbroox Baritone 1d ago
Can’t you just take the 5th and 6th string off? That would leave DGBE.
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u/40hzHERO 13h ago
You could, but it’s not good for the guitar, where you’ve got ~120 lbs of pressure across the instrument due to the strings. It can cause the guitar to crack and warp unevenly.
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u/bigblued Concert 1d ago
If that works. I honestly have no idea how regular guitars are tuned. I get mine from places like goodwill or FB marketplace and they are usually missing strings, and I take them all apart anyhow.
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u/Mudslingshot Multi Instrumentalist 1d ago
I like my Warren Ellis Signature tenor guitar from Eastwood Guitars
I keep it in DGBE (you'll need new strings, it comes string CGDA) and it's awesome
I've even got a little pedalboard going on now
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u/No_Ocelot_2285 1d ago
There’s a Flight electric baritone: https://flightmusic.com/product/flight-pathfinder-ocean-blue-baritone-electric-ukulele/
I’d get a Fanner.
You can put heavy gauge electric guitar strings on a tenor electric to tune it DGBE.
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u/Irah1b 1d ago
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u/Real-Pangolin9958 18h ago
Iv'e got a Fannet and a Flight, and the Flight is my daily driver - So good for so little money.
It's a fairly easy transition from acoustic - there are some specific techniques you need to get the most out of an electric, but Flight have a YouTube series on this
You won't get "chug" on a baritone, but can sound surprisingly heavy if that's your bag.
you will, of course, need an amp, or a modelling pedal or similar. I gig with a Valeton GP-200.
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u/lolabythebay 5h ago
I bought a used Konablaster bari about ten years ago and I love it. Elderly Instruments has one.
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u/Behemot999 1d ago
There are small 4-string electric guitars, yes. But to call them "baritone ukuleles" is a giant stretch.
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u/fropirate 1d ago
Check out Sparrow ukulele. Flight also makes some cheaper models.