kissing
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2009
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I have been neglecting my first ukulele (a Mahalo UK220E) for a long time because I felt it had some severe intonation problems.
But it seemed really strange. I had adjusted the saddle and nut so the instrument has a comfortable action. The open strings do show up as in tune according to the tuner.
However, the open strings and chords sounded weirdly flat to my ears. I was in conflict because the tuner and my ears told me different things.
When I tune the uke up without relying on the tuner and what my ears tell me is right, the chords sound just fine, but the tuner tells me I'm tuned sharp.
This had been confusing the heck outta me and frustrated me because it doesnt sound bad for a cheap first uke.
So in the name of experimentation, I tuned the strings up a full step higher to A D F# B, and what do I find?
The open strings and chords sound perfectly in tune!
(and dang! ukes sound LOVELY tuned higher in D)
So I'm wondering whether the uke sounded flatish in the C tuning because the strings were old and lost their tension (I had the same strings for... longer than I remember... 6 months+ ?). And at a higher tuning, the tension increased, putting it back into "tune" again.
I suppose it may be worth investing a few bucks on some new strings for my first uke and see whether it was the strings afterall..
But it seemed really strange. I had adjusted the saddle and nut so the instrument has a comfortable action. The open strings do show up as in tune according to the tuner.
However, the open strings and chords sounded weirdly flat to my ears. I was in conflict because the tuner and my ears told me different things.
When I tune the uke up without relying on the tuner and what my ears tell me is right, the chords sound just fine, but the tuner tells me I'm tuned sharp.
This had been confusing the heck outta me and frustrated me because it doesnt sound bad for a cheap first uke.
So in the name of experimentation, I tuned the strings up a full step higher to A D F# B, and what do I find?
The open strings and chords sound perfectly in tune!
(and dang! ukes sound LOVELY tuned higher in D)
So I'm wondering whether the uke sounded flatish in the C tuning because the strings were old and lost their tension (I had the same strings for... longer than I remember... 6 months+ ?). And at a higher tuning, the tension increased, putting it back into "tune" again.
I suppose it may be worth investing a few bucks on some new strings for my first uke and see whether it was the strings afterall..
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