4 string guitar with modified baritone ukulele tuning (low D and G, high B and E)?

[ForestMaster]

I'm currently thinking of quitting guitar for a while and focusing on strumming the uke. Thing is, I'm playing with a group and would like to still fill the seat of a guitar player. I got a really weird idea that might be completely bonkers but hear me out:

Guitar with narrower neck to accommodate 4 strings, scale length of a Tele, tuned in baritone ukulele tuning (d g b e). Except unlike bariuke, the first strings would be tuned LOW like a downtuned guitar, so the tuning would be low D, low G, high B, high E. This would keep the shapes of ukulele chords that I'm learning but make the range of the instrument to be greater than that of a baritone uke, matter of fact it would be greater than the range of a standard tuned guitar.

Chords would probably sound....interesting and scales too. But essentially rock n' roll/metal guitar riffs could be played on low strings and solos etc. could be adapted to the two higher strings, while playing chords over all 4 strings.

So, is this idea insane to you or worth trying? I'm also starting to build an instrument at a guitar building course so I could easily steer to the direction of a Fender-style 4-string monster-ukulele-pieceofcrap-thing. I could use electric uke bridge, rail pickups etc so thats not a problem.

 

[mandoloony]

Sounds like you need a plectrum guitar. Four strings, 26-27" scale. A lot less common than a 23" tenor guitar but nothing a good luthier couldn't build.

 

[ForestMaster]

Sounds like you need a plectrum guitar. Four strings, 26-27" scale. A lot less common than a 23" tenor guitar but nothing a good luthier couldn't build.

Wow, I've never heard of such a style of guitar! Thanks for the info, the tuning on a plectrum guitar is not far off from what I had in mind.

Seems that the tenor/plectrum guitar concept was created for banjo players to be able to play guitar in bands after banjo became less popular, my idea would be kinda similar with ukulele = creating an instrument for an ukulele player to fulfill the role of a guitar player more efficiently with the added bass range for the instrument.

 

[thesamhill]

Is your d g b e the bottom 4 strings of a guitar? Or is it closer to the drop d djent tuning?

 

[ForestMaster]

Is your d g b e the bottom 4 strings of a guitar? Or is it closer to the drop d djent tuning?

I was thinking to put the d and the g into exactly that, drop d-djent-style. So basically the d and g would be like a guitar drop tuned and the b and the e would be like a normal guitar plain strings, tuned high. The difference in tuning between the two bottom and two top strings is kinda huge but thats what would provide the huge range of the thing!

 

[thesamhill]

Well, Captain, that idea is so crazy it just might work!

Well actually, I have no idea but I love trying stuff out so it seems like it would be worth a shot.

I think there's a chance that you'll hate it though... so my advice would be to not invest a ton of time or heart into building it up front.

I'd think you might just pick up a 4-string banjo and attach the neck to a solid guitar body. It would prob not be perfect but you could make it work as a prototype to see if you liked it. (Actually, 4-strings are in somewhat short supply, it seems. Maybe try first on a used 5-string and see if you like the cowboy chord position?)



Now I want one...

 

[ForestMaster]

Well, Captain, that idea is so crazy it just might work!

Well actually, I have no idea but I love trying stuff out so it seems like it would be worth a shot.

I think there's a chance that you'll hate it though... so my advice would be to not invest a ton of time or heart into building it up front.

I'd think you might just pick up a 4-string banjo and attach the neck to a solid guitar body. It would prob not be perfect but you could make it work as a prototype to see if you liked it. (Actually, 4-strings are in somewhat short supply, it seems. Maybe try first on a used 5-string and see if you like the cowboy chord position?)

View attachment 1030674

Now I want one...

Damn, that's a really good idea to try and relatively simple to do!

 

[Freeman Keller]

What you are talking about is a four string tenor guitar and they are available in a wide price range. There are lots of vintage ones around. The baritone uke tuning is not uncommon

Tenor guitar - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[mudbelly]

Tenor guitar which is kind of having a new day, tenor banjo or tenor uke.

I have a baritone uke tuned d, g, b, and while it will sound nice in a uke choir it will sound too much like guitar in a group with other guitars because of the tuning.

 

[mandoloony]

A tenor guitar's short scale is not going to sit well with the low tuning. That's why I suggested the plectrum guitar instead.

 

[Mandocaster68]

Sounds like a job for the amazing Fender Alternate Reality Tenor Telecaster!!!

 

[Mandocaster68]

Seriously though, Eastwood has a line of tenor guitars that get strung up in all kinds of alternative tunings.

Tenor Guitars

 

[crazydave911]

I tune my tenors CGDA (fifths). The tuning you are talking about is "Chicago" tuning in old time tenor lore. I prefer fifths myself, WAY more range than fourth tuning plus most chords are only two fingers. Now I come at this from mandolin not guitar so fifths tuning is already natural for me.
My latest

 

[mandoloony]

Chicago tuning is an octave up from what OP is describing.