Compensated Nut thingy

Isn’t this the idea behind a 0 fret?
 
Pretty interesting stuff. Compensated nuts are pretty fiercely debated on some guitar forums. My take from those who seem to know is that string tension/stretch has a lot to do with how a nut has to be compensated.

My issue with the video is how poorly the ukulele plays and sounds before the SOS is used. There are a lot of instruments that sound great and already have very good intonation. The easy no brainer test is a poorly setup ukulele with the strings too high at the nut. A good setup will go a long way. I have also read reviews on the SOS and to use it the nut slots have to be cut pretty deep to hold the SOS in place. I can see where cutting nut slots too deep to have the strings ride on the SOS shortens the scale but reduces stretch. Does that offset each other so the shorter nut to first fret is in tune? I have no idea.

I imagine that it can help, but I often wonder about real life playing where no one frets perfectly straight down. I know that if I play the intonation on a tuner is off slightly just by how I fret a note on the 5th or 7th fret, but if I check the same note while not actually playing a song it is right on.

Interesting product with some merit, but not convinced one compensation fits all.

John
 
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You can SEE he's playing quite out of tune the moment he frets the first note. If I had to choose, I'd take technique over perfect intonation all day long. So far there have been a lot of excellent players and makers that have made do without. Just sayin'...

A comparison that's played better would go further towards having me convinced.
 
It's the .. ask a shoe salesman for advice , he will tell you , you need a new pair of shoes
 
You can SEE he's playing quite out of tune the moment he frets the first note. If I had to choose, I'd take technique over perfect intonation all day long. So far there have been a lot of excellent players and makers that have made do without. Just sayin'...

A comparison that's played better would go further towards having me convinced.

I'm with Brad on this one. Especially since the video has jump cuts in editing in the before and after, you cannot see if other modifications were made to the instrument to correct the intonation.

Yes, it would have been a longer video if they left it all uncut and showed the first playing part, and then the installation, and then the demo with this thing installed (all as one segment), but without that, I am suspect as to the effectiveness of this thing.

I have personally compensated the nut and saddle on most my ukes that needed it, such that intonation is no more than 2 cents sharp all the way to the 12th fret, so for me, something like this seems unnecessary.

I guess this is for folks that want to avoid learning how to do so and trust that such a thing like this will work.

Going by the video, I do not trust it and would rather spend that money on having a handful of saddle blanks, and nut blanks to use if/when needed, and trust my own hands and ears more than something like this.
 
Yeah, he's fairly obviously bending the notes for the "before" bit so I'll be reserving judgement until someone does a fair test. I'd be pretty alarmed at a uke that was that far out on intonation without this bit of plastic - none of mine are.
 
It's the .. ask a shoe salesman for advice , he will tell you , you need a new pair of shoes

Came here to post this.
Sell a new gizmo and you get rich.
Tell people they need lessons and practice and you become a pariah.
 
Because as we all know it is the equipment that makes a player great. :rolleyes:
 
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I have personally compensated the nut and saddle on most my ukes that needed it, such that intonation is no more than 2 cents sharp all the way to the 12th fret, so for me, something like this seems unnecessary.

I have compensated saddles, have one uke where bridge is off by 1/8" and made an angle saddle, but I have not done a compensated nut. I've made standard nuts.

Is it based on the first 4 or 5 frets? I would think that at some point on the fretboard the influence of the nut to saddle would occur and vice versa.

John
 
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