What's the correct height of Ukulele Strings???

amute

amute

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Okay since I'm not sure i thought I'd ask the pro's! :bowdown:


Please anyone, will you tell me what's the height of your strings from the fret board (NOT THE FRET) after your last fret??? What's normal?

The height around the 1st - 9th fret seems cool but around the 15th and higher just seems a little too high???? But I don't really know the norm...

:anyone:

Thank you!
 
Its really all about personal preference. This space between the fretboard and strings is called the "action". You can lower the action by taking the strings off and sanding down the saddle(normally the white piece on the bridge). If the nut (the part at the top of that neck that holds the strings in place) seems too high also, you can pop it off, sand it down a little, and glue it back on. The risk that comes with doing this is not allowing enough room for your string to vibrate freely and this causes a buzzing sound. If you sand the saddle down too far, you can always fix that by wedging a thin piece of cardboard (cereal box) cut with an exacto knife to fit between the wood from the bridge and the saddle.
 
Thanx for the feedback man. I just bought this thing and would HATE to try to learn to do this, though it my be a simple task, I'm not that guy. I would also freak'n HATE to need to pay someone to do right after buying this Uke.
:wallbash:

Here's a few pix of the action, look too high? Anyone???

On the bottom of the page:
www.modestojkd.com
 
Yeah that looks far too high. Its a very simple task to perform. I skateboard, so what I do is take an old broken board and use the grip tape side as a sanding board and just run that saddle up and down the board... If you don't have a skateboard you could probably get away with using concrete like in your driveway if it isn't too coarse.
 
That really doesn't look too drastic to me... I've seen and played on worse.

What matters (to me, at least) is how the uke plays when you bar the first fret. Go ahead and bar the first fret and pluck each string - do they sound clear or do they buzz? Do you have to clamp quite hard to get a good sound out of each string?

Because you do come across a few chords that require barring the first and second frets, having the action right so that these bar chords work easily is very important. I just took my uke to a local luthier yesterday, it took him 10 minutes to fix the action on my uke, and what a difference! It only cost me ten bucks (ten bucks kiwi so.. about 5-6 bucks USD)

I would say play with your uke for a while, let it settle in and see if it feels comfortable for you. If not, a local luthier or music shop should be able to adjust it for you cheaply and quickly, or if you're game you can adjust it yourself.
 
whetu said:
That really doesn't look too drastic to me... I've seen and played on worse.

I would say play with your uke for a while, let it settle in and see if it feels comfortable for you. If not, a local luthier or music shop should be able to adjust it for you cheaply and quickly, or if you're game you can adjust it yourself.
Click to expand...


Thank you for the info bro. :shaka:
 
it depends.. is the uke standing up or laying down?

Cause if it's standing up, the the tenor strings are a bit longer than the concert.. and the concert is a bit longer than the Soprano...

Lying down they are all about the same height...

:)

JT
 
In terms of measurements, .015-.030" at the nut, above the first fret is average. .090-.110" at the 12th fret. That's not to say that you absolutely must obey those tolerances, but most ukulele will fall somewhere in that range. Sorry, I forgot what the metric equivalents were and I'm too lazy to convert them.
 
amute said:
Please anyone, will you tell me what's the height of your strings from the fret board (NOT THE FRET) after your last fret???
Click to expand...

First off, fret height is usually measured from the top of the fret, at the 12th.

amute said:
I would also freak'n HATE to need to pay someone to do right after buying this Uke.
Click to expand...

Not sure why you would hate (strong word) paying someone to set up your instrument. If you're serious about playing, you should have your instrument set up properly. You can either pay for it after, or have your builder set it up the way you want (if you're working with a builder, and this was not a retail purchase).

-Aaron
 
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It depends alittle on your style of play,if you strum it hard then you don't want to lower the action too much or it will buzz.
Measuring from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string,generally about 1mm at the first fret is considered acceptable.
Action at the 12th fret should be about 3mm for a soprano, about 3 to 3.5 for a concert, and 4mm or under for a tenor.
 
You may be able to simply lower the action at the saddle by sanding a verysmall amount from the bottom of it. Assuming the saddle is not glued in place, it's not very difficult or labour intensive. I did it for two of my ukes - and if ol' butterfingers here can do it, anyone can.​
 
ukebrudder said:
If you sand the saddle down too far, you can always fix that by wedging a thin piece of cardboard (cereal box) cut with an exacto knife to fit between the wood from the bridge and the saddle.
Click to expand...
I personally wouldn't put a bit of cardboard under the saddle,correct me if I'm wrong but would this not detract from the resonance of the strings, cardboard is not the best for transmitting vibrations, and that is what the saddle does.
Grab a few of ebay and then if you mess up you can try again, as we say over here, they're as cheap as chips.
 
Kekani said:
First off, fret height is usually measured from the top of the fret, at the 12th.



Not sure why you would hate (strong word) paying someone to set up your instrument. If you're serious about playing, you should have your instrument set up properly. You can either pay for it after, or have your builder set it up the way you want (if you're working with a builder, and this was not a retail purchase).

-Aaron
Click to expand...

Well..."First off" I measured my Uke at the furthest point of the fret board because I wanted to show just how high the strings are...Sorry man I didn't know the rule about the 12th fret was like gravity. :rolleyes:

And second, F*** yea I would HATE (cover your eyes kids) to PAY someone to fix/set-up/mod ANYTHING on a brand NEW Bushman I just spent $300 on... And thought maybe it would come ready to play.
Get my point? Sorry but "serious" Ukulele player or not, I got bills and a life bro. Plus I'm still working on buying a pick-up system for this thing since Bushman doesn't put them in their Uke's anymore.

Cheers
 
amute said:
Well..."First off" I measured my Uke at the furthest point of the fret board because I wanted to show just how high the strings are...Sorry man I didn't know the rule about the 12th fret was like gravity. :rolleyes:

And second, F*** yea I would HATE (cover your eyes kids) to PAY someone to fix/set-up/mod ANYTHING on a brand NEW Bushman I just spent $300 on... And thought maybe it would come ready to play.
Get my point? Sorry but "serious" Ukulele player or not, I got bills and a life bro. Plus I'm still working on buying a pick-up system for this thing since Bushman doesn't put them in their Uke's anymore.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Dude... when you buy a Uke online, they, the people you are buying it from, do not know how you want the ukulele set up. Some people like high action some super low. The send it with it set a bit high so the owner, you, can then set it up the way YOU like it.

That is an advantage from buying form a local shop, where you can try it out, or form an online dealer who talks with you and offers set up service (like MGM), and have it set up how you like before you pay.

Wait... You mean the bike I ordered online didn't have the seat at the right height?, and the computer I got didn't have the desk top configured the way I like it when i first turned it on? Same thing.

So, chill with the f-bombs, take a deep breath, and everything will be ok.
 
More wisdom...

Yea... umm thanx for your wisdom, could of never thought of that. :rolleyes:
For me it's just a shock that an $80 Uke comes better set-up and more comfortable to play than a $300 Bushman. Then add the need to sand down frets and a saddle just to get to a comfortable feel to play it. yea

p.s. Sorry I typed "F***" also... Pray for me in church today bud while I "chill" and breath into this bag. :p please
 
I know you are new here, so I'll forgive your snarky attitude.

UU is a very helpful, friendly and fun community. But jumping in with sarcasm and "eye rolling" when someone gives you an answer to your question, is not the best way to make friends here.

If you have an issue with the way your Ukulele was set up, contact the seller and complain to them. What were you looking for here? If not a way to fix your issue than what? a shoulder to cry on?

Good luck with that.

Bushman makes a very nice ukulele, and I'm sure you will have a ton of fun playing it, once you get it set up the way you want it.

Again, Welcome to UU the Ukin'ist Place on earth.

JT
 
UU has been a really friendly site without a doubt most folks I've spoken with have been really cool and helpful. As for tone, it was you man injecting your "chill" and silly fear of me typing "F***" comment that got you my "snarky" (!?! LOL) reply. I didn't write anything rude about someone or against the rules, I was just expressing my feelings towards my shameful situation with Bushman.

So you chill and don't worry about posting a reply if ya don't have anything positive or helpful to write. What I was asking is simple bro.. Just go to the first post of this thread and reread what ya must have missed. :D

Thanx again!

p.s. Contacting Bushman was the first thing I did... wisdom.
 
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I read the thread before I posted my first, not so funny, answer.

My later reply was in response to your complaining about the way your uke came set up, and my reply was regarding this statement...
And second, F*** yea I would HATE (cover your eyes kids) to PAY someone to fix/set-up/mod ANYTHING on a brand NEW Bushman I just spent $300 on... And thought maybe it would come ready to play.
Click to expand...
about why the uke was set up the way it was, which I thought was a helpful answer. It had nothing to do with the F*** you typed. Hell, you can put as many *** in a post as you'd like, So I don't see where church enters into it.

You hadn't said you had contacted Bushman, they seem to be good folks and hopefully they will help you out.

Sorry if my minimal contribution to this thread has rubbed you the wrong way.

I hope you get things worked out.

wisdom.
 
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amute said:
UU has been a really friendly site without a doubt most folks I've spoken with have been really cool and helpful. As for tone, it was you man injecting your "chill" and silly fear of me typing "F***" comment that got you my "snarky" (!?! LOL) reply. I didn't write anything rude about someone or against the rules, I was just expressing my feelings towards my shameful situation with Bushman.

So you chill and don't worry about posting a reply if ya don't have anything positive or helpful to write. What I was asking is simple bro.. Just go to the first post of this thread and reread what ya must have missed. :D

Thanx again!

p.s. Contacting Bushman was the first thing I did... wisdom.
Click to expand...

Dude, you should take up a different hobby, perhaps chain saw sculping. Your posts are way to aggressive for the uke forum. You would do well to appreciate any feedback you get with an attitude like yours...e.lo..
 
I think Amute was just feeling frustrated about his purchase.

I'm sure ,like most uke players here and elsewhere, he's a nice guy.
 
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