Error in Stew Mac Premium Ukulele Kit Instructions

sequoia

sequoia

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Just to let everyone know, I found a serious error in the instructions for the premium ukulele kit. Even though I've built many ukuleles from scratch, I bought one of these kits just for the hell of it to see how it looked and went together. I finally got around to reading the instruction booklet. The instructions are well illustrated, detailed and clear for the most part. However... When I got to the part about determining the bridge location there was an error:

Measure carefully along this centerline to locate the bridge. Start from the end of the fingerboard where it will contact the nut, and measure 16-31/32". This is the distance from the nut to the center of the saddle.

You will notice that there is no compensation for the bridge/saddle scale length measurement. This measurement is absolutely critical to the intonation and how the uke is going to sound. It will tend to play somewhat sharp with no compensation. I measured the fretboard and the scale length is actually 16-15/16" (1/32" less than stated). Using a "rule of thumb" compensation distance of 3/32" (on a 17" scale), the correct distance from the nut to the center of the saddle should be 17-1/32" distance.

This is actually pretty serious as the home builder takes many hours to build a beautiful ukulele that might not sound that great. I contacted Stew Mac about the issue and they were prompt and detailed in their answer (Stew Mac has great customer service). They admitted that this was an error in the instructions but that the uke would still sound... good. Um...yeah. I think a revision in the instructions is in order.
 
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other error is their tenor and baritone ukulele fretting templates- they added the compensation to the entire scale template, so their scale is now 17 3/32 and 20 1/8", (instead of the usual 17" and 20" scale + about 2mm-3mm compensation added on with bridge placement).

I did tell them about that and they seems unconcerned.
 
Sequoia said, "I measured the fretboard and the scale length is actually 16-7/16"

Really?!

John Colter
(just wanted to show that I am paying attention)
 
I looked at the StewMac catalog (on-line) and they list the fret templates as "Ukulele 17-3/32" tenor and 20-1/8" baritone scales" so they are really selling a template for a slightly longer scale length instrument. Why? Who knows but at least they tell you the scale length up-front.

Beau Hannam Ukuleles said:
other error is their tenor and baritone ukulele fretting templates- they added the compensation to the entire scale template, so their scale is now 17 3/32 and 20 1/8", (instead of the usual 17" and 20" scale + about 2mm-3mm compensation added on with bridge placement).

I did tell them about that and they seems unconcerned.
Click to expand...
 
ukantor said:
Sequoia said, "I measured the fretboard and the scale length is actually 16-7/16"

Really?!

John Colter
(just wanted to show that I am paying attention)
Click to expand...

Oops! So right John. That should have read 16 15/16". I hate imperial! Original post edited and corrected. Thank you for paying attention John. Doa! :rolleyes:
 
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Beau Hannam Ukuleles said:
other error is their tenor and baritone ukulele fretting templates- they added the compensation to the entire scale template, so their scale is now 17 3/32 and 20 1/8", (instead of the usual 17" and 20" scale + about 2mm-3mm compensation added on with bridge placement).

I did tell them about that and they seems unconcerned.
Click to expand...

Beau, I also contacted them about this. The reply was that they were using a guitar fretting template to cut the slots and there was no option for a 17 inch scale. OK I get that. In the end analysis, the extra 3/32 isn't that big a deal. You just have to remember to add a 3/32 onto the 17 3/32 making the final measurement 17 3/16. However I was in a hurry one day, grabbed a fretboard off the pile and forgot that it wasn't a true 17 inch scale and glued down the bridge at 17 3/32. The uke played sharp and sounded like s--t. Live and learn. Ya gotta pay attention. These fretboards on the kits are not being cut at SMD and are not the same as the uke fretboards they sell. Third party vender using a different template.
 
Why don't we all go back to using the "Rule of Eighteen"? Then we wouldn't have these problems.

John Colter (Radical 'Rule of Eighteen' fundamentalist)
 
sequoia said:
Measure carefully along this centerline to locate the bridge. Start from the end of the fingerboard where it will contact the nut, and measure 16-31/32". This is the distance from the nut to the center of the saddle.

You will notice that there is no compensation for the bridge/saddle scale length measurement. This measurement is absolutely critical to the intonation and how the uke is going to sound. It will tend to play somewhat sharp with no compensation. I measured the fretboard and the scale length is actually 16-15/16" (1/32" less than stated). Using a "rule of thumb" compensation distance of 3/32" (on a 17" scale), the correct distance from the nut to the center of the saddle should be 17-1/32" distance.
Click to expand...
Can you explain what you mean by compensation? I don't build ukuleles, but I do a lot of woodworking and I'm always interested in it.
 
Yes, that link gives a very satisfactory explanation. Theoretically, the twelfth fret should be placed exactly half way between the face of the nut and the crown of the saddle. However, strings stretch when pressed down to the fret board, and as a result they would play slightly sharp. So it is customary to move the bridge/saddle about 1/8"further away from the twelfth fret to compensate. So if you started by working on the basis of a scale length of, say, 17" - your actual scale length will be 17 1/8", with 8 1/2" from the nut to the twelfth, and 8 5/8" from the twelfth to the saddle.

The subject of compensation can become more complicated, but that is not required for the purposes of this discussion.

John Colter.
 
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jupiteruke said:
I looked at the StewMac catalog (on-line) and they list the fret templates as "Ukulele 17-3/32" tenor and 20-1/8" baritone scales" so they are really selling a template for a slightly longer scale length instrument. Why? Who knows but at least they tell you the scale length up-front.
Click to expand...

Yes- they do list the templates are 172/32nd and 20 1/8"- They seem to have been manufactured with the "extra" 2/32nd and 1/8" to the industry standard scales of 17" and 20" due to a miscommunication/mi understanding (i presume)
 
Crickey! I didn't know that was still out there, Sequoia! That was a few years back. The uke is a little thing I call "The Wonkylele" - slightly smaller than the usual soprano size but still tuned gCEA. The body is box-like but asymmetrical with no parallel surfaces - a real head scratcher to make. The peg head is at right angles to the fret board.

Yes, it's wonky alright!

Thanks for posting that. It is a sad song, but brings back happy memories.

John Colter.
 
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I probably shouldn't even be allowed to participate in this thread. I'm never going to build my own ukulele, although I did once. I built a cigar box ukulele and it ended up a wall hanger. Not because of intonation though. I read the article, very interesting and I understand it from the perspective that a string is being pressed down will be sharp. I understand scale length as well. But it seems to me that no matter where you tweak that saddle, the strings are going to go a bit sharp when you press it down if you tune an open string. The tension changes with the pressure. Not only can I bend a note by pushing a string sideways, I have strong fingers, I can bend it just by pushing it down hard. So I understand that concept. It also seems to me that if you want the note not to be sharp, that would require tuning a fretted string at a consistent pressure, and then the open string would be flat, the amount depending on how hard it was pressed down, and frankly, where it was on the neck. I just feel like there are a lot of variables involved to be cured my moving the saddle back a tid bit. Something is going to be sharp, or something is going to be flat. What am I missing, because I know you are right? I'm not questioning your skill and expertise.
 
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You are over thinking this, Rllink - I think! If you were to place the twelfth fret where math theory states that it should be (exactly half way between nut and saddle) then it would not play the octave at the twelfth fret, it would play sharp, for the reasons already discussed. So you move the bridge/saddle away from the twelfth fret by a little bit. Ask yourself, what effect this will have? It has that effect on all the frets.

John Colter
 
I wonder if they aren't a guitar fretboard cut down to the nearest fret.
 
ukantor said:
You are over thinking this, Rllink - I think! If you were to place the twelfth fret where math theory states that it should be (exactly half way between nut and saddle) then it would not play the octave at the twelfth fret, it would play sharp, for the reasons already discussed. So you move the bridge/saddle away from the twelfth fret by a little bit. Ask yourself, what effect this will have? It has that effect on all the frets.

John Colter
Click to expand...

I think that you are right, I'm over thinking it. In fact, I don't know why I'm thinking about it at all. Thanks all for your patience. Carry on.
 
What was your nut to 12th fret measurement that you multiplied by two in order to get your scale length of 16 and 15/16” ?
 
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