Where do I shim?

I had my soprano set up great in C tuning. I just dropped it to Bb tuning and I'm getting some buzzing.
Do I put a paper shim under the nut or under the bridge?
Thanks!

Under the saddle in the bridge.

Some people use cardboard. I would think very thin plastic might work better.

John

70sSanO said:

Under the saddle in the bridge.

Some people use cardboard. I would think very thin plastic might work better.

John

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Yes, you can cut one from a business card, or plastic milk jug

Does a bear shim in the woods?

It would be under the nut, just a sheet of typing paper might do it. Not a whole sheet, just a piece to fit under the nut...;-D

UkerDanno said:

It would be under the nut, just a sheet of typing paper might do it. Not a whole sheet, just a piece to fit under the nut...;-D

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I respectfully disagree ... the nut is out of play when the instrument is fretted. If it is buzzing when playing open strings, then "maybe". I've never had to shim the nut ... I always shim the bridge. Without having the instrument in front of me, hard to say.

whistleman123 said:

I had my soprano set up great in C tuning. I just dropped it to Bb tuning and I'm getting some buzzing.
Do I put a paper shim under the nut or under the bridge?
Thanks!

Click to expand...

Detuning down to Bb also has less tension on the neck, and if the neck is allowed to slack enough and not made well, it may in fact be bowed back, and thus a hump somewhere in the middle of the string length can cause those frets to be HIGHER such that when fretting below the 5th fret or so, the vibrating arc of the string is hitting the higher frets. Also if the neck is bowed badly enough, this will happen too with OPEN STRINGS.

If your uke has a truss rod, you might need to adjust it and see if that will fix the buzzing issues before making any other modifications.

deschutestrout said:

I respectfully disagree ... the nut is out of play when the instrument is fretted. If it is buzzing when playing open strings, then "maybe". I've never had to shim the nut ... I always shim the bridge. Without having the instrument in front of me, hard to say.

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The only reason I can think of to shim the nut is if ALL 4 strings are equally FLAT when fretted in the first 3 frets, otherwise you are going to make them sharp compared to the open pitches of the strings. Otherwise I agree with what you've said here.

whistleman123 said:

I had my soprano set up great in C tuning. I just dropped it to Bb tuning and I'm getting some buzzing.
Do I put a paper shim under the nut or under the bridge?
Thanks!

Click to expand...

Consider buying a new saddle. If you use a shim, make it out of something very hard if possible, a cut up credit card works. Bob colosi makes shim kits with good material and instructions for doing this, and also sells very god material for a new saddle. Google bob colosi guitar saddle and you'll find his online home.

Isn't Bb awfully low for a soprano? The body is very small for that tuning, and I imagine the strings are very floppy.

Mivo said:

Isn't Bb awfully low for a soprano? The body is very small for that tuning, and I imagine the strings are very floppy.

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That's what I was thinking. It is great on a tenor and sometimes a concert but the tension on the strings in Bb on a soprano is very low. Would explain the buzzing.

As an alternative - what about some higher tension strings? Fremont do a high tension soprano/concert set.

I can understand why you liking Bb, i do also on some ukes for playability and able to let the strings resonate
At a lower tension. Also it is easier to sing in.
Id check the neck to see where the buzzing of the issues are occuring. Fix the root of problem not the
Symptom before a quick shim or string change. Which string at with what fret or frets.
Good luck, happy strummings

If it buzzes open, it is a nut problem, if it buzzed fretted it is a saddle problem.

BUT... it could also be because of a high fret.

Shimming will help, but could effect intonation.

But, you know... in my opinion... it never hurts to try If you like Bb, rock that Bb tuning... you just gotta figure out how to do it on your uke without a buzz!

deschutestrout said:

I respectfully disagree ... the nut is out of play when the instrument is fretted. If it is buzzing when playing open strings, then "maybe". I've never had to shim the nut ... I always shim the bridge. Without having the instrument in front of me, hard to say.

Click to expand...

If the buzz is on the first couple of frets, it will take a much smaller shim at the nut to take out any buzz than it would at the saddle. You could even slip a small piece of paper under the string and see if that helps. It's all about geometry...law of sines, I believe. :shaka:

A card under the saddle will deaden the sound, use something hard, like a sliver off of a credit card or something, if you go that way.

This is what I would do:

1. Strings
First thing to do is try higher tension strings. It is OK to use Tenor ukulele strings on a Soprano if you are going to tune down to B-flat tuning.
This should be the easiest fix requiring minimum modification to the ukulele, and the higher tension will improve the sound of your B-flat tuned Soprano anyway. You may go through several different brands before finding the one that works best for you. Personally I think Fremont Fluorocarbon or Worths should work.

2. NEW Saddle, NOT Shim!
Shimming is absolute last resort. In fact, I don't think it's good practice at all in general.
Others may disagree, but over the years, I have found that it is much more practical to just buy new saddles (I prefer bone saddles) on eBay and sand them down to size based on the current saddle. I usually order a few saddle in case I mess up with one, or want to experiment with different saddle heights.

Negative experiences I have had with shims:

-They should be a dense material like brass or hard plastic. I used to use old credit cards, thin plastic, etc - but it is darn difficult to cut a shim into the narrow shape needed!

-They may affect your tone. Personally I think paper/cardboard is a poor choice of material, as they are not very dense.

-Harder to fine-tune your saddle height compared to being able to sand one down to the precise height you want.



If 1 and 2 fail, then it starts getting more complicated.
Nut problems are a bit harder to fix, as you need to punch the current nut out safely and install a new one that isn't filed down as far. You also need nut files and some experience with nuts in general. Sanding a saddle down is relatively easier since you're just adjusting height on one surface.

Some people advocate using superglue as a nut-slot filler. I haven't found this method to be very elegant, as dried glue is not as hard as the nut material and wears down after time. It is difficult to fine tune the shape of your nut-slot with glue. Furthermore, it is not a very "permanent" feeling fix on a good uke.

By this stage, I would consider trying this tuning on a new ukulele, perhaps a tenor.