MEGATASK: the baritone ukulele

Our megatask today involves an instrument known as the baritone ukulele.  While most of us know about ukuleles, I, for one, was uninformed about the mighty baritone ukulele until fairly recently.

I suppose a good place to start would be by addressing the question likely burning in your mind, which is, 'WTF is a baritone ukulele?'  Good question.  Here's the answer:  it's a ukulele 3/4 the size of a typical acoustic guitar, using the same tuning as a regular guitar (minus the two fat strings, leaving you with DGBE).

So, from here, one has to wonder what advantage one gets from playing a baritone ukulele instead of a 3/4-size guitar.  I mean, you're giving up two entire strings of usable bass sound and one third of your rocking power, so there'd have to be some kind of benefit, right?

Well, there are some benefits.  The first one is easier chords and switches.  G and Em on a baritone ukulele are ridiculously easy.  Most chords only require one or two finger placements, which is nice, especially if you're just starting out.  Me, I'd already been playing for seven or eight years when I discovered the baritone ukulele, so this didn't help me out a whole lot, but if I had to start over, I'd start by learning on a baritone uke.  Let's have some lists.

Advantages of Baritone Uke vs. Standard Uke
-with no capo, can get most guitar notes (still missing E and A strings)
-with capo 5, can play regular-ukulele style
-it's bigger, so you don't look like a tool holding one
-uses guitar tuning, so it's a very easy switch for people who already can play guitar

Advantages of Baritone Uke vs. Travel-size (3/4-size) guitar
-easier chords and transitions (because there are fewer strings)
-'plucky' ukulele sound
-few people have them, so you'll be unique
-often cheaper than guitars
-more space between strings!

Disadvantages of a Baritone Ukulele
-most guitar shops don't stock them
-strings must be specially ordered (more on this later...)
-don't usually have plug-ins (ukes usually don't, but many acoustic guitars do)
-if you know how to play a regular ukulele, but not a guitar, the tuning could be confusing for you
-because there are only 4 strings, some chords which are differentiated on a guitar won't be on a uke (ex. C can use the same formation as Am7 on a baritone uke)
-the aforementioned extra space between strings might take a little getting used to for a guitar player