NUD - Kala Marcy Marxer

pbagley

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My new-to-me Kala Marcy Marxer arrived from Canada yesterday. Technically it is a KA-ASAC-SP-TGE-C-MM. Everything was just fine, exactly as described by the seller. Many thanks to Mr. nickhung.

Sadly I also had a band rehearsal last night. These guys must really like my garage since they never want to go home... at least not until the beer runs out.

This means that I had time for a very cursory examination. I hope to have time to do more tonight.

My initial impression is that this uke sounds a little "tight". The E string seems to go a little sharp on fretted notes, but the strings may be old and stiff and causing intonation issues. It plays well, decent set-up, and the tuner works. The general attention to detail is better than my KA-ACP-CTG : inside the tuner slots is finished better, the neck carve is more consistent with no dips or lumps on the back of the neck. Love the herringbone.

Odd thing - the keys for the case were inside the ukulele when it arrived. Weird. No marks found on the outside of the ukulele so all is well. Note to sellers - please wrap the case keys in bubble wrap.
 
My new-to-me Kala Marcy Marxer arrived from Canada yesterday. Technically it is a KA-ASAC-SP-TGE-C-MM. Everything was just fine, exactly as described by the seller. Many thanks to Mr. nickhung.

Sadly I also had a band rehearsal last night. These guys must really like my garage since they never want to go home... at least not until the beer runs out.

This means that I had time for a very cursory examination. I hope to have time to do more tonight.

My initial impression is that this uke sounds a little "tight". The E string seems to go a little sharp on fretted notes, but the strings may be old and stiff and causing intonation issues. It plays well, decent set-up, and the tuner works. The general attention to detail is better than my KA-ACP-CTG : inside the tuner slots is finished better, the neck carve is more consistent with no dips or lumps on the back of the neck. Love the herringbone.

Odd thing - the keys for the case were inside the ukulele when it arrived. Weird. No marks found on the outside of the ukulele so all is well. Note to sellers - please wrap the case keys in bubble wrap.

Sharp intonation on fretted notes may be solved by lowering that nut slot for that string, about 0.5mm *i.e. a human hair's width at a time, re-slotting the string into the nut, and retuning it and checking the pitches open, and up to the fifth fret while fretted, until you no longer see any sharp notes. Checking NOT by ear, but with an electronic tuner.

Be warned - if you cut the slot too deep your string will buzz against the frets and you are looking at getting a new nut and starting all over again.
 
Nice. I've always liked this model Kala but sadly never ran across one in the wild.
Good luck with it and don't forget to post pics :)
 
Nice score. If it was a cedar top.. I probably would have tried to get it too.
 
Also.. If the string change doesn't help, I'd compensate at the saddle.. cuz they're easier to replace than nuts.
 
Sharp intonation on fretted notes may be solved by lowering that nut slot for that string, about 0.5mm *i.e. a human hair's width at a time, re-slotting the string into the nut, and retuning it and checking the pitches open, and up to the fifth fret while fretted, until you no longer see any sharp notes. Checking NOT by ear, but with an electronic tuner.

Be warned - if you cut the slot too deep your string will buzz against the frets and you are looking at getting a new nut and starting all over again.

Thank you Mr.Booli. I have a similar situation with a little no-name (Regal?) soprano. The nut files arrived a few weeks ago. I know, I should have been fixing the soprano's nut instead of shopping... The good news is that I have a nut to practice on before I do anything stupid on the MM. And I have a couple of very well set-up ukes to use for base measurements.
 
Also.. If the string change doesn't help, I'd compensate at the saddle.. cuz they're easier to replace than nuts.

Agree. String change comes first, then any minor adjustments to the nut or saddle if needed.
 
Sharp intonation on fretted notes may be solved by lowering that nut slot for that string, about 0.5mm *i.e. a human hair's width at a time, re-slotting the string into the nut, and retuning it and checking the pitches open, and up to the fifth fret while fretted, until you no longer see any sharp notes. Checking NOT by ear, but with an electronic tuner.

Be warned - if you cut the slot too deep your string will buzz against the frets and you are looking at getting a new nut and starting all over again.

Excellent advice! I would add, however, that uke strings are flexible enough that you can lift them out of their slots without detuning, and each one will pull out of the way once you do. Do just one string at a time to stay focused on the slot you're filing, and file in tiny bits, especially if you're filing plastic, tusq, or some other synthetic material. It's tedious, but you'll get there.

Also, be sure to move the file parallel to the plane of the headstock. This will ensure that the break point is at the leading (fretboard) edge of the nut.

I almost forgot: Congratulations on a great find!
 
A tip I got from my local shop is that if you do file a nut slot too deep, it can be fixed. just put a little baking soda in the slot and add a drop of thin super glue (CA) on it. Then start over.
 
Thank you Mr.Booli. I have a similar situation with a little no-name (Regal?) soprano. The nut files arrived a few weeks ago. I know, I should have been fixing the soprano's nut instead of shopping... The good news is that I have a nut to practice on before I do anything stupid on the MM. And I have a couple of very well set-up ukes to use for base measurements.


You're welcome - BTW Booli is my first name :).

Also, using a different uke, even the same model, for baseline measurements is going to land in disappointment due to the minute differences in the tolerances during assembly from one uke to the next.

Even if you have 2 identical models of uke, with the same exact strings of the same age, and the vibrating string length is equal on both as precise as 0.5mm, taking 'measurements' from one uke (hopefully the one with 'perfect' intonation) and applying them to the 'other' uke is not likely to correct the intonation on the 'other' uke.

Variances in neck bow, saddle height, string action height, and bellying or dishing of the uke's soundboard, even if not visible to the naked eye, will throw any baseline measurements out the window.

The best way to measure if you've cut the nut slots enought to fix the intonation, is by using an electronic tuner to LISTEN to both the open string AND fretted notes after you file down a human hair's worth of material from the nut slot, and if the fretted notes are still sharp, rinse and repeat, maybe 50 times if needed.

I have done this myself on over a dozen ukes and never had to replace the nut, or fill the slot with baking soda and harden with superglue, from going too far. The key is to go SLOW and be PATIENT. <--failing this, will fail the adjustments, remember these are FINE adjustments, not those that require a jackhammer, but instead require some gentle finesse, as in only one or two strokes with the file, before you replace the string into the slot, and then verify with the tuner, and then go again, only one or two strokes with the nut file, and repeat as necessary...

Hope this helps! :) :music:
 
Thank you again. "Mr." was a title to convey respect for the individual, used even when I do not know if the name is a given, family, of just a handle chosen by the user. I've read many of your posts and appreciate your knowledge and willingness to share with those of us who are trailing you on this path.

Baseline measurements... I seem to have failed to communicate. Not the first time. No need to boil any eggs (let's see who gets that reference). What I meant was that the well set-up uke would provide a baseline measurement for string height at the first and 12th fret, allowing me to know when stop lowering the string height at the nut before it was too late. I think the bridge is pretty close to correct height for the action I want - low enough while allowing me to play louder without buzzing. There is a lot of personal preference that can be applied to a set-up. I've scratch built a couple of instruments, and I cut my own nuts on the two basses that are currently in progress, so I have a grasp of the basic concept while admittedly being far from an expert.

As for vibrating string length, I would never depend on a ruler. I've adjusted too many electric guitar and bass bridges to make that mistake.

So in conclusion, I think I am on the same page as you, Mr. Booli. I really appreciate and respect your advice. In my younger days I may have been too "enthusiastic" at times. Not with instrument set-up, but in other areas of life. Same result - you get to fix your mistakes. Re-work is always more expensive in the end. Can I get an Amen?

And now a progress update: Nothing accomplished.

OK, that isn't fair. I actually did look in the string drawer and found I have no tenor strings on hand. I do have a couple of sets of Worth I could use, and a couple of half packages of Oasis I could try, including a Bright Low G set. I'm not sure if this uke has the voice for a low G, but I want to give it a try to be sure. In the end I'll probably end up with Reds on this one too. I really like these strings on my other ukes, though I may go to a warmer string on the Traveler.

And I did play the MM for a bit last night. I seem to have the E string tuned to a sweet spot - in tune well enough to sound good both open and fretted. I find I still do not like the strings it is wearing, but it was OK enough to not take time to make a change in the limited time I had last night.

Still to come: Photos and observations after a string change and set-up.


You're welcome - BTW Booli is my first name :).

Also, using a different uke, even the same model, for baseline measurements is going to land in disappointment due to the minute differences in the tolerances during assembly from one uke to the next.

Even if you have 2 identical models of uke, with the same exact strings of the same age, and the vibrating string length is equal on both as precise as 0.5mm, taking 'measurements' from one uke (hopefully the one with 'perfect' intonation) and applying them to the 'other' uke is not likely to correct the intonation on the 'other' uke.

Variances in neck bow, saddle height, string action height, and bellying or dishing of the uke's soundboard, even if not visible to the naked eye, will throw any baseline measurements out the window.

The best way to measure if you've cut the nut slots enought to fix the intonation, is by using an electronic tuner to LISTEN to both the open string AND fretted notes after you file down a human hair's worth of material from the nut slot, and if the fretted notes are still sharp, rinse and repeat, maybe 50 times if needed.

I have done this myself on over a dozen ukes and never had to replace the nut, or fill the slot with baking soda and harden with superglue, from going too far. The key is to go SLOW and be PATIENT. <--failing this, will fail the adjustments, remember these are FINE adjustments, not those that require a jackhammer, but instead require some gentle finesse, as in only one or two strokes with the file, before you replace the string into the slot, and then verify with the tuner, and then go again, only one or two strokes with the nut file, and repeat as necessary...

Hope this helps! :) :music:
 
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Pictures! Taken of the uke as received last Saturday.
 

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First String Change - Oasis Bright Low G

One more photo: Kala_MM_head.jpg


Once photos were taken I decided to try the other half set of Oasis Bright Low G on this ukulele.

First you have take the old strings off.

From the photos you can see three things:
- the headstock is very well done. 20160507_161535.jpg

- the saddle is quite loose in the bridge. Kala_MM_bridge.jpg

- there is some kind of white residue on the fretboard. 20160507_161605.jpg
The seller did disclose this before the sale. I tried a coat of pure lemongrass oil on both the fretboard and bridge - it all felt very dry.

While I was installing the new strings, sitting on the deck, a pheasant came up to feed on the corn under the bird feeder, just on the other side of the fence from me. I was certainly not being quiet or still. I guess the pheasants are getting pretty tame around here.

The new strings sound pretty much like the other half of the set did on the KA-ACP-CTG. This means I will be ordering a set of Reds in low G, and probably in high G as well. I really like the Reds on the KA_ACP_CTG, so I expect they will bring out the best (my opinion only) from the Marcy Marxer too.

I like ukuleles with throatier voices to have a low G. This ukulele seems to have a pretty balanced voice, more guitar like than anything I think. I am not complaining, it is a good voice for a cut-away electrified ukulele.

I have not changed anything with the set up just yet. The nut may need to come down just a touch. The bridge slot may need to be shimmed with something. I've sued paper before and that seemed to do OK. Once the strings stop stretching I can decide which side of the saddle needs the shim.
 
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Let's see if I can get the photos right side up.
Front: Kala_MM_Full.jpg

Back: Kala_MM_back.jpg

Face: Kala_MM_front.jpg

Top: Kala_MM_top.jpg

Bottom: Kala_MM_bottom.jpg
 
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Looks great! Enjoy it.

The new strings sound pretty much like the other half of the set did on the KA-ACP-CTG.


I have the cedar top tenor and always thought the MM model would make a good partner for it.
 
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