A guitarlele, sometimes spelled guitalele or guilele, is also called by brand names like ukitar or kīkū. It is a mix of a guitar and a ukulele, with the body size of a tenor or baritone ukulele. It combines the small size and portability of a ukulele with the six single strings and chord options of a classical guitar. Some guitarleles have a built-in pickup and equalizer that let them be played acoustically or connected to an amplifier. They are often sold as travel guitars or children’s guitars. Yamaha introduced the guitarlele in 1997, making it the first commercially produced instrument of its kind. Some people incorrectly say it is based on older instruments like the requinto or Quint guitars, but these are different in size and sound. The requinto has a larger body and does not sound like a guitarlele. The same is true for 18th-century “quint” guitars. A guitalele is the size of a ukulele and is usually played like a guitar with its tuning shifted up to “A” (a fourth higher, like a guitar with a capo on the fifth fret). This gives it a tuning of ADGCEA, with the top four strings tuned like a low G ukulele. This tuning is the same as the requinto guitar, though the requinto is typically larger. It is also the same as the most common tuning for the guitarrón mexicano, but at a higher pitch. Many guitar and ukulele makers sell guitaleles. Yamaha’s GL-1 Guitalele was the first available, followed by other brands with similar names, such as Cordoba’s Guilele and Mini, Koaloha’s D-VI 6-string tenor ukulele, Mele’s Guitarlele, Kanilea’s GL6 Guitarlele, Islander GL6, Luna’s 6-string baritone ukulele, Yudelele, Lichty Kīkū, Kinnard Kīkū, and Gretsch’s guitar-ukulele. Some companies, like Luna, use the term “6-string ukulele” to describe their six-string, six-course guitarleles. This can confuse people because it is different from common six-string, four-course ukuleles, which are usually called by the same name. These four-course “6-string ukuleles” have a single G string, two closely spaced C strings (often octave-tuned), a single E string, and two closely spaced A strings (often unison-tuned). This setup makes chord formation more like a traditional four-string ukulele, while the guitarlele’s setup is more like a six-string guitar.

Terminology

In Latin America, Brazil, Portugal, and Spain, another instrument known as a Requinto is used. The English word "Guitarlele" is a made-up term used by companies to market a type of guitar that is not commonly found in those areas. Although the word "Kiku'" comes from Hawaii, it is not connected to the origin of the Guitarlele, which was created for commercial purposes.

Some sellers choose not to use the name "Guitarlele" because Yamaha first made this instrument in 1997. Other companies avoid using the name to prevent legal problems and instead use terms like "6-string ukulele" or "Guitar-Ukulele" to describe the instrument. In English, another term called "Ukitar" has also been used, but it is not commonly used by instrument sellers.