Anyone ever see this problem? The first fret on my A string on my tenor sounds really ugly, like it's hitting something (I suspect it's hitting the 2nd fret).
Kinda sounds like you need a fret level. That's a comparatively easy operation on a uke, if that's what it is. Do you have a luthier nearby whom you could show that to?
hold down the first fret on the A string and look at it from the side of fret board.
Now pick the string. Try and locate the point where the string is either touching another fret or "seems to be" muffled at. Then try and think about how you can prevent this obstacle from affecting the A string i.e Sandpaper.
Get a leveler, and try to see what is going on with your frets. Take it to a music shop and see whether they'll take a look at it. Most musicians are friendly and not "profit-driven" I'm sure they'll help you out there, free of charge. But most likely, it's either a fret buzzing on the string when you strum it, or there might be an issue with the headstock.
Thanks for the replies, everyone. I think the bridge seems to be worn down a little (although the uke is only about 2 months old). I have some epoxy set on it to raise it up a little.
To me it does seem likely that you either have a high 2nd fret or a low 1st. If the bridge were the problem I'd expect that dead sound on more than one fret and string. Seems more likely that one end of one fret is either high or low.
Another possibility, if the uke has been played long and hard is that the first fret may have worn a groove where the string gets pressed against it - but I'd expect to see that more often on steel-strung instruments.
Lay a straight edge along the frets. That should rock a little if there's a high fret.
Personally I usually leave fret adjustments to professionals. Might be best to take it to a shop and ask them to check it out.
What type of uke is it? What is the fingerboard made of? Check the nut placement, if the nut is a little off to one side or another that could cause a buzz on the outside strings, also imperfections in the fingerboard (these should only be issues with inexpensive instruments)
