Ohana Soprano is too sharp!

I have an Ohana soprano. I haven't had alot of time to mess with this uke since I got it, but recently restrung it with some D'Addarios and planned to take it around the block a few times.

The action on this uke is not bad. At the 12th fret I have 1/8th inch between the top of the fret and the string.

My problem is, every fretted note is sharp. Notes on the 1st fret are WAY sharp.

So is it the height of the saddle that causes this or is it maybe the position of the saddle (scale length?)?

Any easy fixes for this?

Thanks

Wagster said:

My problem is, every fretted note is sharp. Notes on the 1st fret are WAY sharp.

So is it the height of the saddle that causes this or is it maybe the position of the saddle (scale length?)?

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IANAL (I am not a luthier), but... if the intonation goes a lot sharper at the first fret than at the twelfth, then the problem is probably that your nut is too high.

JJ

Try the luthier section. Sounds to me like your bridge/saddle is too close.

Ukulele JJ is spot on for the first thing you should check. A high nut causes the strings to stretch when you fret them, raising the pitch. Strings should be VERY close to the first fret when open. If they're more than 3/32", you got a high nut problem and need to take care of that before you even think about the rest of the intonation issues. If they're less than 3/32",
or 1/16 to 1/32" if you're looking for tolerances in the good to excellent range, then...

If your neck is NOT laser straight and frets are NOT level, then take it back. Period.

If your neck is laser straight and frets are level, then this:

1. If the first fret is sharp and the sharpness decreases as you move up the neck, then it's a high nut.
2. If all the fretted strings are sharp everywhere on the neck, then it's a misplaced or misshapen nut. (Too far toward the head or the grooves in the nut are vertically curved making the contact point too far back.)
3. If the sharpness increases up the neck then there MAY be a position or height problem with the saddle, but I doubt it as you said you had a 1/8 string travel at the 12th which sounds acceptable, maybe just a smidge too high for my liking, but not enough to cause the problems you're describing, and a quality maker like Ohana will rarely make a mistake like a misplaced bridge.

At any rate, the simple answer is take it back, clip on a tuner and show them the problem. I would NOT recommend starting to knock parts off to shorten, reshape, etc.

I do only because I had the opportunity to work on MANY ukes which were destined for the trash, so my diagnostic and repair skills improved rapidly as I was not afraid to experiment and take chances. Most people don't have that luxury. I am grateful I had it.

Good luck!

I agree with the previous posters - it is likely to be the string height at the nut that needs to be adjusted. My Ohana SK35 plays very well indeed. The distance from the face of the nut to the crown of the first fret is 13/32". If yours is the same Wagster, then that will rule out the (unlikely) possibility of a misplaced nut.

Ukantor.

Yup. Sounds like high action at the nut. Not much to add to the fine info and advice already given.

That's not a fault per se: it's a set up issue. It's common on new ukes - especially inexpensive ones. I think I recall Ken Middleton commenting about high action on one of his earlier Ohana reviews.

I'd say that's not a warranty issue, but a trip to the store could probably get it adjusted for you at low cost.

eleuke's description of how experience instills diagnostic and repair skills is worth taking on board. I found the same thing. Clearly it is a good idea to make sure there are no neck/fret etc problems, but the chances are very high that your problem is simply high action at the nut. If you felt inclined to try to remedy it yourself, tweaking the nut is one of the easiest tasks to tackle if you're careful.

Disclaimer: not necessarily recommending that you do it - just saying that it's a good skill to learn, and it can save time and pennies.

If you decide to tackle a the repair yourself, it might be a good idea to get a blank and carve yourself a new nut. That way you always have the factory part to go back to if the situation doesn't improve or you somehow bugger up the repair.

A good rule for amateur repair efforts is to never do anything that can't be undone. You can't always follow this rule but it's worth a try.

Sigmund said:

If you decide to tackle a the repair yourself, it might be a good idea to get a blank and carve yourself a new nut. That way you always have the factory part to go back to if the situation doesn't improve or you somehow bugger up the repair.

A good rule for amateur repair efforts is to never do anything that can't be undone. You can't always follow this rule but it's worth a try.

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:agree: Wise words Sigmund.

I do thank you all for your sage advice.

One thing I need to point out here is that I didn't BUY the uke. It was a prize I won while attending a S.E. Ukers "uka-palooza". So returning it is not an option.

eleuke said:

1. If the first fret is sharp and the sharpness decreases as you move up the neck, then it's a high nut.

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It definitely was "more sharper" (can I say that on the internet?) at the first fret and decreased as you go up. So I will assume for now that it is the nut causing the problem.

I didn't bring the uke to work with me tonight, so I can't check everything right now that has been suggested, but again I thank you all for pointing me in the right direction. Will let you all know what happens after the dust from my dremel tool settles!

Wagster said:

[...] So returning it is not an option. [...]

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And wouldn't really be appropriate anyway. It's not a fault, just an adjustment that needs to be made to your preference.

Hope you get it how you like it.

Thanks

I finally got a chance to work on that nut tonight. It did the trick.

The uke is sounding much better up and down the neck. I also sanded the saddle down about a hairs' width too...while I was at it.

Thanks again to you all for teaching me yet another ukulele trick!

Well done Wagster, and thanks for the update. It's good to hear that your uke is now satisfactory.

My Ohana SK35 needed the action taking down, just a smidge. I did that and it was fine - my ears were fully satisfied. However, I decided to try to satisfy my chromatic tuner also. I went on to spend a couple of hours making minute alterations at the nut, until I was sure it was spot on. BIG MISTAKE! A few days later, tiny intonation discrepancies had crept in. It still sounded fine, but my tuner frowned slightly.

Absolutely perfect intonation on a soprano uke is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Just when you think you are close, it moves.

Ukantor.

ukantor said:

My Ohana SK35 needed the action taking down, just a smidge. I did that and it was fine - my ears were fully satisfied. However, I decided to try to satisfy my chromatic tuner also. I went on to spend a couple of hours making minute alterations at the nut, until I was sure it was spot on. BIG MISTAKE! A few days later, tiny intonation discrepancies had crept in. It still sounded fine, but my tuner frowned slightly.
Ukantor.

Click to expand...

That's too funny that you mentioned that. At the time I was doing this I kept wondering if I should work each string till it was "spot on". In the end I decided that for now I was in the ballpark and to leave it be for awhile. Let it settle. I'm glad I did!

Way cool Wagster! Good job. Glad you fixed it up. That's the second most good thing in the world besides playin. Enjoy!