I need advice re: boosting my new ukulele's volume

[bellgamin]

NOTE: I intentionally posted this request in UU's uke talk forum.
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I have a new Kanilea tenor uke that lacks volume. It uses bridge pins. Its nut & saddles are Tusq. Present string height at 12th fret is 2.55mm.
Q1- Increasing string height will increase volume -- right?

If replies to Q1 are mostly "Yes" then I need to do the fix myself. Why? Because I'm 92 in November & leery of driving more than just a few miles. The uke fixers are located ~30 miles distant.

I plan to raise the saddle by using thin strips from a business card. I will raise the saddle a bit then test-play it. I will repeat that process until either (a) I get enough volume OR (b) intonation up the fretboard degrades.
Q2- Raising string height at 12th fret to around 2-8mm-2.9mm should be about right for a good balance between decent volume & intonation -- right?
Q3- Any idea as to how many business card shims will be needed per mm of increased height at 12th fret?
Q4- Will using business card shims under a Tusq saddle cause an easily discernible degradation of tonality? (Keep in mind -- this uke uses bridge pins -- just in case that has any bearing on the situation.)

Any & all comments will be muchly appreciated. Aloha to all.

 

[LorenFL]

I'm no expert, but I'd assume that putting paper shims under your saddle would tend to muffle vibration and likely reduce volume. If you're going to shim, it needs to be with something that is equally as hard as your saddle. The better answer is probably to fit a new saddle.

Are you trying to make the uke louder to YOU, or louder for other listeners? If you just want it to be louder for yourself, a side sound port might be the solution.

Happy early birthday!

 

[bellgamin]

@LorenFL - Louder for other listeners. As for a new saddle, I lack the tools & expertise (& courage) to change string height by that method.

@ everyone who cares to offer advice -- If most of you consider shims are a bad idea, I will have my daughter take this uke to a shop on North Shore and ask them to install a new saddle then set height at whatever they judge to be a good balance between volume, intonation, & playability. That shop usually has a backlog and gives precedence to regular customers, so I might be in for a bit of a wait. (sigh)

 

[LorenFL]

Given that you're in HI, and you have a "locally made" instrument, you might try contacting Kanilea and see if they'll send you a replacement saddle. (odds are you could order a generic saddle from anybody who sells them, and it would probably work, anyway) They might also have some advice as to whether or not it will make a difference in volume.

If you can get a replacement saddle, then all you need is a file or some sandpaper and a little patience and you can set the action wherever you want it.

 

[Ziret]

I don’t think it’s a bad idea and trying it out is free and simple. I’d recommend, though, instead of business cards, an expired credit or gift card. Thicker and harder. I’ve done it and it was fine. So fine that I don’t even remember which uke it was. Good luck.

 

[LorenFL]

Q3- Any idea as to how many business card shims will be needed per mm of increased height at 12th fret?

If you're going to experiment with this, shim height at the saddle will need to be about 2x the amount of change you want at the 12th fret. The 12th fret should be the center of the string.

 

[man0a]

A standard credit card is 0.76mm thick and pretty easy to cut into slices that will fit under your saddle.

 

[rainbow21]

A standard credit card is 0.76mm thick and pretty easy to cut into slices that will fit under your saddle.

So taking 1/2 of .76, the height of the string will rise by .38 mm. Adding that to 2.55 gives 2.93. Great start. Then if just a tad high, you can sand the saddle down by the amount you desire.

But do contact Kanile'a and ask if they would do the adjustment for you. Then maybe someone going to Kaneohe can drop take it there for you.

 

[Poul Hansen]

Have you tried other strings?. I have found a big difference between strings,especially when still usinf factory installed strings and stiffer/thicker picks. I find that thin picks give more pick noise.

Have you tested with other people listening. I'm 75 and have some hearing loss.

You could also try a microphone/pickup and an amplifier

 

[bellgamin]

I sent an email to Kanilea's email address per their website -- 5 days ago & no reply. I called the phone number listed on their website but got an answering machine that was too faint to hear by me or my daughter or granddaughter. Tried 2X -- same problem. Their website still has Covid caveats about their availability. Hmmm.....
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@man0a & @rainbow21 -- credit card is a grrreat idea!!! Shall give it a go.

 

[badhabits]

Good ideas...wonder if calling the store at windward mall might also be another option?

 

[Kenn2018]

It's a lot easier to change your strings than it is to make and fit the right thickness shim. (An old credit card or section of plastic packaging will work well if you go that route. The card stock paper fibers from a business card will compress under the pressure of the saddle.

Did your uke come with Nylgut strings? Kanile'a was shipping ukes with those for a while.

I didn't like them, so I put Living Waters fluorocarbons on mine. But have also used Worth Clears and Uke Logic Pinks on them. Easier to play and nicer sound. Improved the volume a bit as well.

I recommend Pepe Romero Low-G or High-g strings. I put them on my somewhat quiet Kamaka HF-3 and they improved the volume substantially.

Oasis Bright fluorocarbons might work too.

Or call or email either of these sellers and explain the problem. They were both very helpful when I taked to them.
Strings by Mail: 1-800-513-8271; www.stringsbymail.com/ukulele-strings-684/tenor-ukulele-strings-3215/
Strings and Beyond: 1-877-830-0722; www.stringsandbeyond.com/ukelele.html

Have your daughter sit across the room and strum a C-chord on your Kanile'a. To get an idea of how loud your uke really is.

Happy Birthday in advance.

 

[LorenFL]

I sent an email to Kanilea's email address per their website -- 5 days ago & no reply. I called the phone number listed on their website but got an answering machine that was too faint to hear by me or my daughter or granddaughter. Tried 2X -- same problem. Their website still has Covid caveats about their availability. Hmmm.....

That's too bad, but relatable. Funny how we (especially those of us who live far away from HI) think of these uke names that we've heard of and think that they must be a big factory or something... when in reality, they're usually a very small business.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

@LorenFL - Here's a bit of a time lapse on the slot-style player port I finally cut this past weekend. So far, I'm very pleased with the outcome. I have substantial hearing loss in my right ear and am able to hear the uke far better now, with no discernable negative impact such as boom. As you mentioned when modding your Romero ST, I really don't care if I've lessened the front-facing volume. The only goal was to make it sound better to me while playing.

BTW, I searched old thread titles just now, and the earliest UU post I found on the subject of side sound ports was over a decade ago (2011). Someone even posted 2014 guidance on how to bind the edges to match the original sound hole, which I'm planning to watch shortly just for the sake of seeing how it's done. I see no reason (on this specific el cheapo uke) to allocate any more time to gussying-up the player port, LOL.
Cheers!

 

[Papa John]

strings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!change the strings. raising the saddle should be a last resort but if you must...get a taller saddle or have a taller saddle made. A multiple piece saddle will have the reverse effect. Kanilea's are not overly loud to begin with...sorry.
any of the strings Kenn2018 recommended would be a huge improvement over nylgut, if that's what's on it.

 

[RafterGirl]

Another vote for trying different strings first. Call the folks at Hawaiian Music Store and ask them for string recommendations to increase volume. I've owned a couple Kanilea ukuleles over the years, and they weren't as loud as some of my others.