NukeDOC
Retired Mod
i was just checking out some of the comments left on the site that i sometimes use to tune my uke at. people keep complaining about their ukes going out of tune so quickly. and to make it worse, they blame it on their uke hahaha.
ok so here's my little tip of the day... nylon has a tendency to stretch.
so if you just put some new strings on, it may take a while for your strings to settle in.
if you had to loosen your strings for some reason like changing the 9v battery on your active pickup, it make take some settling in.
if you have a new uke that wasnt tuned correctly and had the strings pre-stretched, you might need to get them to settle in.
my quick remedy to this...
1. tune your uke 3-4 steps higher than normal. the strings are wrapped around your tuning posts and may need a little more tension to tighten them around the posts. also, this extra tension gives a little stretch to the strings so chances are after about an hour, the tuning will be pretty close to what you are looking for.
2. keep doing this until it seems like the strings stop stretching out and they start to hold their tune. then tune down. when you get there, go over each string a few times over. when tuning down from string already stretched out, they have at tendency to tighten up, raising the tone. stay on top of this till they seem to be holding their tune. for the next few days you will still need to check the tuning everytime you play your uke. but it will not be 5 or 6 notes off, and you just saved yourself about 1-2 weeks of stretching time if you just kept trying to tune it regularly right off the bat.
3. if you are installing new strings, as you are winding them onto the tuners by turning the tuning keys, put a good amount of tension on the strings so they wrap tightly around the tuning posts. safety issue: do not do this with wet hands. the thinner strings can slice you. ive done this while fishing. it feels like a papercut.
so yeah, anyway, im sure most of you already know all this, but if one person benefits from this then im satisfied.
ok so here's my little tip of the day... nylon has a tendency to stretch.
so if you just put some new strings on, it may take a while for your strings to settle in.
if you had to loosen your strings for some reason like changing the 9v battery on your active pickup, it make take some settling in.
if you have a new uke that wasnt tuned correctly and had the strings pre-stretched, you might need to get them to settle in.
my quick remedy to this...
1. tune your uke 3-4 steps higher than normal. the strings are wrapped around your tuning posts and may need a little more tension to tighten them around the posts. also, this extra tension gives a little stretch to the strings so chances are after about an hour, the tuning will be pretty close to what you are looking for.
2. keep doing this until it seems like the strings stop stretching out and they start to hold their tune. then tune down. when you get there, go over each string a few times over. when tuning down from string already stretched out, they have at tendency to tighten up, raising the tone. stay on top of this till they seem to be holding their tune. for the next few days you will still need to check the tuning everytime you play your uke. but it will not be 5 or 6 notes off, and you just saved yourself about 1-2 weeks of stretching time if you just kept trying to tune it regularly right off the bat.
3. if you are installing new strings, as you are winding them onto the tuners by turning the tuning keys, put a good amount of tension on the strings so they wrap tightly around the tuning posts. safety issue: do not do this with wet hands. the thinner strings can slice you. ive done this while fishing. it feels like a papercut.
so yeah, anyway, im sure most of you already know all this, but if one person benefits from this then im satisfied.