New player, old uke. Lots of questions!

Hey folks!

New player from MN here. I've been playing guitar and bass for years, and have been on the lookout for a ukulele for quite some time. I didn't want to invest in something that I wouldn't want to take on stage with me to perform, so I've been watching for something high end, but wouldn't break the bank. At auction last week, I had my chance and for this banged up, well loved, Mele ukulele with signature for $140.

I tuned it up, and learned a song, and can already tell that I'm in for the long haul. These things are so easy to get addicted to. It was a breeze to learn on, and came very naturally to me, so I'm now.

But before we go any further here, I have some questions.
First, I appear to have a Mele curly Koa soprano with abalone inlay, but mine has a two piece back, unlike the one on their website
http://meleukulele.com/product/mele-curly-koa-soprano-with-abalone-shell-inlay/
Can anyone confirm?

Also, there is a crack along the front. It seems stable, but I'd like to have it looked at by a Luthier. And while I've got it in, I'd like to have the binding fixed as well. The binding is separating above the signature and below the crack. Can anyone suggest a luthier? Perhaps local? Or a good way for me to find one?

Also, the last bit is an odd discrepancy. The signature says
"Curtis Cabral me ke aloha o na mele!
<3 Paul '76"
That lead me to believe this Uke is about 40 years old (which would explain the wear and damages) but the tag inside says copyright 1999. Any idea what's going on? Was the tag made afterwards? Was the signature not naming a date, but something else? Anybody know who Paul is?

I'm really liking this little guy, and don't think I'll be letting him go any time soon. But I'm really invested in making sure he lasts the coming years (and possible heavy playing)

Please look over the pics and let me know if you have any answers to my questions, or information I might not have inquired over. Any discourse is welcome. Thank you!

Did someone sit on this uke? That looks like a bending crack in the top.
Could you post some more photos of the crack with different angles? Or tell me more about what is going on with the soundboard?
Thanks.

The worst of the crack seems to be about .5 mm depressed, at worst. It's barely noticeable from some angles, and looks pretty bad from others, but overall it isn't as bad as I feared from the auction description

It sounds nice, though I have no frame of reference, but it went pretty far out of two in a two hour span.

I have no repair advice, but I like the look of your uke. You could leave it like it is, (Willie Nelson style), and create an aura around it, but it sounds like you want to return it to health.

Calmb4tehpwn said:

The worst of the crack seems to be about .5 mm depressed, at worst. It's barely noticeable from some angles, and looks pretty bad from others, but overall it isn't as b]ad as I feared from the auction description

It sounds nice, though I have no frame of reference, but it went pretty far out of two in a two hour span.

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Here is a link to a list of luthiers in MN, perhaps one is close to you:
http://www.4allmusic.com/selection-...iers-minnesota/295-guitars-luthiers-minnesota

This place has very good reviews on guitar forums, in Minneapolis:
http://www.hoffmanguitars.com/

Johnson, thank you for the link! I'll look through them.

Doug, I actually quite like it the way it is, and I would love to leave it as it is, so long as it's not going to get worse. I'll probably take it to a luthier have it checked, make sure everything is stable, maybe fix the stuff that isn't.

Thanks guys, the more I play it, the more I fall in love with it. I am concerned that it goes out to tune so easily. I think I'll need to replace the tuning machines

Calmb4tehpwn said:

.... I am concerned that it goes out to tune so easily. I think I'll need to replace the tuning machines

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did you put new strings on? they can take some time to settle in

Calmb4tehpwn said:

Thanks guys, the more I play it, the more I fall in love with it. I am concerned that it goes out to tune so easily. I think I'll need to replace the tuning machines

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The new string question is a great one. The other adjustment that comes to mind is for the tuning pegs themselves. Friction tuners, which you have on your Mele, can be adjusted by tightening the screw. You want them tight enough to hold, but tightening them too much will make them hard to turn/tune. I would try that before replacing.

They are not new strings, and one of the strings was replaced (and that one doesn't go out of tune). Two of the three older strings go out of tune crazy fast.

The tuning machines are rusted over pretty well, and the paddles are plastic, so I wouldn't mind replacing them anyways.

A concern may be that you are stressing the soundboard at the crack; depressing it as you tune up to key. Have you tried a lower key like Bb to see if it still goes out so fast.

Calmb4tehpwn said:

They are not new strings, and one of the strings was replaced (and that one doesn't go out of tune). Two of the three older strings go out of tune crazy fast.

The tuning machines are rusted over pretty well, and the paddles are plastic, so I wouldn't mind replacing them anyways.

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Are you in the USA?
I think I might have some brand new soprano size friction tuners I can send you. Never installed. Let me check when I go home for lunch.

I don't think it's stressing the crack. When they go out of tune, they're noticeably floppy, going out of tune by a whole note. The amount the bridge would have to move would be noticeable, right? The bridge seems solid, in relation to the crack, so I think it's an issue with the heavily oxidized tuners.

I am in the US, Johnson, and would sincerely appreciate a new set! Let me know what you find when you get home. I'll get you my address and some cash. You have to let me at least cover shipping.

Cheers!

Great buy, even with the crack. I'd make sure the luthier that repaired it was a good one. Have you run this past Mele? They are usually very helpful with inquiries of this sort.

Calmb4tehpwn said:

I don't think it's stressing the crack. When they go out of tune, they're noticeably floppy, going out of tune by a whole note. The amount the bridge would have to move would be noticeable, right? The bridge seems solid, in relation to the crack, so I think it's an issue with the heavily oxidized tuners.

I am in the US, Johnson, and would sincerely appreciate a new set! Let me know what you find when you get home. I'll get you my address and some cash. You have to let me at least cover shipping.

Cheers!

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I found the tuners,send me a PM with your address. Don't worry about the shipping. Just pay it forward to someone else.

Okay, the Uke is off with a very nice local Luther that seems to get rave reviews and looks to know what he's about.

The crack is about six inches, and seems pretty straight forward.
The binding issue isn't exactly what we thought it was, though. The binding isn't coming off the body, or off the soundboard, the soundboard went in, from the binding. The binding is still attached to the sides of the body, and isn't separating at all.
This, plus the crack, and the fact that there was some give around the soundboard near the crack, made him think that there may be a loose or broken brace inside, but when he took a mirror inside he couldn't find anything that was loose.

So he's fixing the crack, and stabilizing the binding, all for about $80, which is a lot less than I had feared.

And I don't care if it looks beat up, so long as it sounds like a gem and doesn't get worse.

I can't argue with a stable, top end Mele Uke for a total of $230

Great news.
FYI, I didn't get the tuners mailed off yet. I will send them on Tuesday.
Glad to hear you can get it fixed for a reasonable price too. This should turn into a great little player.

Yeah, it really sounds like I lucked out.

No rush on the tuners. When you get to it, I'll get them installed, but I'll get by until then.

Thanks again!

May want to wait on the tuners so the luthier can do the repair and setup after they are installed.

Calmb4tehpwn said:

Yeah, it really sounds like I lucked out.

No rush on the tuners. When you get to it, I'll get them installed, but I'll get by until then.

Thanks again!

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