Ukulele Setup? Necessary?

How necessary is ukulele setup? I have a uke that buzzes on the open A string, and a number of frets on the G, C, and E strings. I also plan on changing the strings from Aquila to Worth browns before I do anything else. But if changing the strings doesn't help, would getting this uke setup fix the problem? I called a local guitar/string shop here in the Bay Area and they said it would cost $75 to get the uke setup. Is it me or does that seem extremely high? Does anyone from the Bay Area know a reliable quality place that does setups for less than $75?

Thanks in advance!

I think $75 is rather expensive.
If you read the eBay descriptions on musicguymic's pages, a setup should be $25 (?)

Kind of a long drive for you, but here's the place to get it done.

DaSilva Ukulele Co.
www.ukemaker.com
2547 8th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 649-1548

kissing said:

I think $75 is rather expensive.

Click to expand...

Me, too.

I could understand $75 on an expensive guitar, but not on a uke where the setup might cost more than the instrument.

Unfortunately, on lower-priced, factory made instruments, the default setup is often a crapshoot. One might be really good and another might be really bad, both from the same batch.

The fact that MGM does this on every uke they sell is a real plus and gives you some assurance that when you buy a factory made instrument it will still be decently playable.

Set up is very important. A friend bought a Pono concert in solid mahogany, and a Mele soprano, also solid mahog. Not cheap ukes. She has had them for some time, and mentioned to me that they both had poor intonation, so I offered to check them out. After a basic setting up (no fret levelling was required), and a new set of strings for the Pono, they are now both playing as they should have done straight out of the shop. My friend has promised me a bottle of Jack Daniels, so I guess that's my going rate.

John Colter.