STRING & SET-UP CHAT with BUENO CHEN

I have two older baritone ukuleles from the 1960's and both are made of mahogany. One is a Maxwell which was made in the US in the 1950's and 1960's according to Tiki King's website. The other one is a beautiful Harmony with extremely high action that cannot be corrected economically. So "Max" is my everyday barrie for now and my Harmony I'll save for some bottleneck slide work in the future. I really like Aquila strings and have them on "Max" and my Ohana concert ukulele. I have bought some other string sets for some experimentation to find other strings and hear the different sounds that they make.

I have been watching Bueno Chen do his finger gymnastics on the baritone ukulele for a couple of years now and started to think about asking him about his string ideas since he has such a dynamic approach to playing. He responded quite quickly and offered some interesting ideas,

"Aloha Jeff, This my set-up: before I even buy the instrument, make sure the neck is straight. On my Kala, performance uke, I tune to 435 (1/2 step down). My Lanikai is tuned about a whole step down. I have sanded the bridge down on the Lanikai, because the neck was a little warped -- I don't want it to get more warped so I lowered the tuning. The Kala remains stock. It's a little harder to play, but I just deal with it. I prefer to use Aquila strings on the high strings (B & E) and I use cheap strings on my bass strings (D & G). I noticed the cheaper the strings, the easier they are to bend. Aquilas last longer AND they're expensive. The key is to find a straight neck and (then there are) possibilities of sanding down the bridge. Be careful if it's an electric, you don't want make the bridge uneven or the pickup won't catch all the strings evenly. A cheap set of strings will allow you to bend the high notes easier and press the strings easier.

NOTE: My technical playing does not really come from the instrument set-up (although it helps). It comes from practicing scales and knowing what kind of sound you're trying to create. Knowing your music theory is also a big help. Feel free to post this info if you want. Always Aloha. Bueno :)"

I think he has some interesting ideas. I am not quite sure about the tuning adjustments unless it to get the perfect pitch throughout the length of the fretboard? I have not yet purchased a set of Worth bari strings but I know they have a Low D set of (4) nylon strings (none are wound). I had a chance to try these out on Bob "Duh-Dawg's" Arthur Godfrey Vega baritone ukulele and they are definitely easier to press. I have also attempted to ask Nipper questions on strings, based on a comment he left on a post, but he hasn't seen my inquiry on his site yet. His Bicycle & Ukulele site hasn't had any postings for about 3 months. Anybody know Nipper? Anyone care to share their String-Theory?

Jeff / Humble Uker