Killed my brand new uke

MichaelAngelo

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Oh my... I'm so sad right now! =( =(

My brand new lanikai lsm-t arrived today with an A string buzz. It ONLY buzzed when open!!!

So, following some random advice on the forum I lightly tapped on A string first 3 frets with a roll of tape (soft roll part) to make sure the frets were "set". It didn't fix the problem. Then I guess I got carried away and I tapped a little harder all over all the upper frets, I figured it wouldn't do any harm.

Playing again, there's buzz in SO many places. I'd call the uke unplayable. Plus, there's little cracks in the finish next to where the frets connect to the neck on the sides... did I tap THAT HARD? oh... gosh.... my brand new ukulele

Buzz places:

open E and A buzz
A: 1,2,3
E: no frets
C: 1,2,3,4 (even though open there's no buzz)
G: no problems

So horay, I made it much worse =(.

That's not all!!

This was already there: a hairline crack in the wood down the neck to almost the 5th fret. I used a ruler to see if the neck was in line, the 30cm ruler will pivot at the 15th fret. Holding the ruler down on the higher frets, there's about a 3mm gap above the 1st fret at the top of the neck.


ummmm... advice? =(
 
What did you tap it with?
Who did you buy it from?
Are your strings tuned up?
It may not be dead but just very, very sick.
 
I bought it from Butler Music on eBay. I'm negotiating with them right now for a partial refund due to the A string buzz, crack in the neck and a popped out side that all wasn't in the item description.

I tapped it with a roll of electrical tape... using the roll part to tap.. like the tape is wound... you know =P

Strings are tuned yes.

I can't believe I did so much damage by just tapping the frets... has this happened to anyone? How much am I looking for repairs?

Honestly my first experience with solid wood is going horrible... time for laminate hahaha.
 
Think you got a bad one or it was damaged in shipping.
The crack in the neck and the "popped out side", not sure what that means, should be sufficient for a return.
This was suppose to be a new uke, not used.
It's too bad.
 
My Lanikai came with those same cracks running down the sides of the neck (white binding) too.
Possibly they were already there and you didn't notice.
Why get a partial refund? ... Return it; I did mine.
 
I already paid nearly $70 for shipping/customs that I won't get back anyways, and I'd have to return ship back.
 
I already paid nearly $70 for shipping/customs that I won't get back anyways, and I'd have to return ship back.

The seller of mine covered the return shipping since it was sent damaged. The listing said buyer pays for return shipping, but I think that applies only if you are returning because you didn't like it.
Can't you file for customs refund if you return it? ... just guessing, I'm not Canadian.
 
Alright thanks for the info, I'll talk to the seller about that. I have no idea about customs refunds, but it makes sense.

Otherwise, I guess the bottom line is a new uke isn't worth such troubles!
 
I have had real good experiences with Butler. They have always been just excellent.... Not sure what is going on here. Can't they just ship you a replacement or some other ukulele and pick up your defective one at the same time?? Good luck and keep us informed on how Butler handled the problem.
 
So sorry about the problems. I'm curious ... Can someone point me to the "advice" about the roll of tape? I've never heard of such a thing, and I've been playing fretted stringy things for a looooong time ...

Given the nature of instrument geometry, and the micro-tolerances needed for good action, attacking the fretboard/neck with anything but the right tools seems like a really, really bad idea to me.

But that neck sounds messed up from the get-go, so it's hard to believe the OP should blame himself.
 
Hey guys!

To MTGuru: the advice was with a rubber eraser... but I creatively extended it to a roll of tape.

So update... took it to a repair shop, quoted $150 for set-up of saddle and nut and partial fret dress.

I took it home, and using 2 sticky notes I got rid of almost all the buzz and made it playable =P. So that saves me $150 and I now have a ghetto ukulele.

My strings are at slightly different heights though! But I was surprised how much I could do with 2 sticky notes.

Basically I raised the saddle with paper a bit, and then I shimmed the nut groove at A with more paper and then I shimmed the C string at the saddle with more paper.
 
I already paid nearly $70 for shipping/customs that I won't get back anyways, and I'd have to return ship back.

Just one more reason for Canadians to buy local. I did and not only saved all the shipping costs but have a good tech that I can get little tweeks when needed, usually for free. What part of Canada are you in?
 
To MTGuru: the advice was with a rubber eraser... but I creatively extended it to a roll of tape.
Thanks, MA. I'll search around for the original post.

The paper shim is an old guitar trick, too. Problem is it will kill some of the tone, because you're replacing solid saddle-to-wood contact with soft paper in between. Same at the nut.

For the saddle, a thin wood shim - like a sanded, flat toothpick - might work better. Or a thin sliver cut from an old plastic credit card (around .75 mm thick). Nothing to lose by trying. And if you shim the entire saddle evenly, your strings won't be at different heights.

On the nut end, you could try a tiny folded piece of aluminum foil. Or a few drops of superglue (carefully!) in the nut slot and let it dry/set, to raise the slot.

Honestly, $150 for a setup sounds too high to me, like the guy just didn't want to do the work. I'd expect more like $25 each for making an entirely new nut and saddle, and a few bucks more for knocking down a few high frets. If you shop around, you might be able to find a much better and more sympathetic luthier deal.

On the other board I moderate, I've heard all sorts of horror stories about customs and Canada Post and exorbitant overcharges on foreign orders, even repairs and returns of one's own instruments. Don't know what to say. I know of one instrument maker who has resorted to, in effect, smuggling repairs across the border just to spare his customers the ridiculous and unfair hassle. Good luck!
 
Thanks for all the help so far guys!

theblues: I'm in Toronto. Where did you buy?

MTGuru:

From here: http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...uzzing-on-String-Instruments-Causes-and-Cures

"The brave may attempt to level frets by tapping with a light hammer to ensure they are seated properly, or levelling with a flat file or flat, unworn grinding/sharpening stone. After filing, frets will require rounding and polishing. Best done by the experienced."

Not sure where I read about the eraser though.

***

I'll try the sanded toothpick and aluminum foil idea soon, sounds like a great idea! I'm not really bothered by the slight tonal loss from the paper right now, I'm just happy the buzzing stopped.
 
OK, thanks, got it. He's talking about carefully seating a high fret after you've already identified it as a high fret by the straight-edge method. I didn't think my pal buddhuu would be one to recommend pounding on the fretboard - except maybe out of frustration because your uke won't stop buzzing!

Still, and again ... If the frets are so loose in their slots that they're moving by tapping with a tape roll, then I'd say the basic problem is with the build quality of the uke. And it sounds like you're dealing with it with remarkably good cheer. Hope you get it sorted. From the pix I've seen, the Lanikai LSM-T is a nice-looking instrument.
 
And it sounds like you're dealing with it with remarkably good cheer. Hope you get it sorted.

I second that. You are handling it like a champ. I nearly bawled when I noticed a buzz on mine.

Best of luck!
 
hahah thanks guys, well I'm just taking this one in the face... as a lesson learned. I'm just happy I stopped all the buzzing. I changed the strings today to all black fluorocarbons and it plays beautifully and the strings very close to equal heights.

On the LSM-T itself, the guitar shop I took it to commented on the fact that it doesn't have as much bracing as it should, and they told me it seems to be cheaply built. It is a bargain price for a solid wood instrument from my shopping around.

I've definitely bonded with it now hahahah!

edit: plus I got refunded most of what I paid for it
 
I don't know but I wouldn't go back to the shop you took that uke to. $150 for a set up of a uke is ridiculous. The comment about the bracing is silly as well. Typical guitarists that don't know what they are talking about.

If you already had cracks where the fret tungs go into the neck, it sounds as if the slots were not big enough and the pressure of those frets pressed into them caused the wood or binding to crack. This can also cause them to raise if the wood swells. Those are definitely manufacturing faults.

Hope you didn't need to raise the action too much to get rid of the buzzing.

Another piece of advice from me is to never start fiddling with a new uke you get from elsewhere, because the climatic changes can sometimes cause trouble. Quite often, after a week or so, the uke is settled down and you may find the problems disappeared.

Good to hear you got a refund.
 
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