My Kanile'a

Skitzic

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So I bought the 8 string Kanile'a that was sitting on the marketplace for awhile. I named it Bacon. There's a long story behind the name. Anyway, here are some photos.

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Anyway, the action was crazy, crazy high. So I sanded it down a bunch. Now it is much easier to play. I couldn't barre at all on it when I first got it...now it's a cake walk.

Pre Sand
Post Sand

I've been told I have a steel pair for sanding a K brand, and maybe if it had been glued in I would have freaked out more...but it popped right out and I just went to town. I figured if I screwed up I could just buy a new one from Kanile'a and try again.

Anyway, that is all. Just felt like sharing.
 
Quite Nice!
 
Aloha Sista Tammy,
Glad to hear it worked out fine for you....what an awesome deal...Have Fun and Enjoy!! Happy Strummings and Happy Holidays to you and your family!!!! MM Stan..
 
Way to go at that saddle, Skitzic. And remember, everything is better with bacon.:)
 
Nicely done! Is there a Junior Luthier merit badge?
I admire your sanding courage.
 
Wow! Those are impressive pre and post pictures. That was quite a bit taken off. I agree - give this man a Junior Luthier Merit Badge.
 
Quick question Skitzic, I just got a Kanilea Concert and have the same issue (crazy high action)....what exactly did you use for the sanding process? Thanks much for your help!
 
tell us about the bacon thing.
 
Quick question Skitzic, I just got a Kanilea Concert and have the same issue (crazy high action)....what exactly did you use for the sanding process? Thanks much for your help!

The saddle was tough to wiggle out at first, but it eventually loosened up. I started off with fine grit sand paper, but it was taking way too long so I used medium for awhile, then finished it off with fine. Just go slow and make sure apply even pressure. I didn't completely unstring it, I just loosened them up a lot so I kept sliding it back in to check the height. Start off with fine grit and see how you feel...but I was at it an hour with very little progress so I jumped to the medium. Make sure to wipe the dust off the saddle before you slip it back in. I just used my shirt, but by the end I was covered in dust so maybe you could use some kind of fancy cloth.

As for the name Bacon...when I first got the uke I was on vacation. I actually drove back home (it was only about an hour) to pick it up then I went back to the resort. When I was playing it, for some reason I was thinking about bacon. The next night I went to a jam, and the entire night I was thinking about Kevin Bacon. When I got back to the resort and started playing again, I thought I smelled bacon. So I was telling my peeps that I was thinking about naming it Bacon, and one of them sees a banner on the top of a webpage they were on...two slices of bacon fell down and landed in the shape of a T (my first name is Tammy). I took that as a sign and named it Bacon.

Also, the grain on the sides looks like bacon.

It must have been fate...because believe it or not I don't think about bacon that much.
 
That's got to be the best Bacon story I've ever heard. Glad you understood what the universe was telling you. Thanks for sharing.

My sister had a Vietnamese Pot Belly Pig whose name was Madonna Bacon, but most of the time they just called her Bacon except when she was being naughty. She sat up and begged for food just like their Dachshund mix (they were about the same size when I got picture of this). Every time my sister or her son got up to go to the bathroom at night, Bacon would run to the frig where they had to give her a few peas before she would go back to bed. She loved to eat.
 
Awesome, just awesome Skitzic...you are now my favorite person on UU. Thanks so much for sharing...those tips will help me tons!
 
Fantastic story! It was meant to be!
That is some great looking wood on the back, btw.
 
Glad to hear that you are having good luck with the Uke and that it got to you in one piece.

FYI I had a custom bridge made for that one that had significantly lower action but did not send it along as I thought it would be too low for anybody to use without some major strumming adjustment.
 
Glad to hear that you are having good luck with the Uke and that it got to you in one piece.

FYI I had a custom bridge made for that one that had significantly lower action but did not send it along as I thought it would be too low for anybody to use without some major strumming adjustment.

I figured there was another saddle somewhere, or you just had magic fingers. It's cool, I always expect to have to do a little set up. I'm picky like that. :)
 
Good job on the saddle. Uke looks beautiful - much better in person, pics just do not do it justice.
 
thats a nice ukulele you got there. And good work you did on the saddle to.
 
I figured there was another saddle somewhere, or you just had magic fingers. It's cool, I always expect to have to do a little set up. I'm picky like that. :)

I can actually bar chord that uke pretty easy with the stock saddle but I have the hand strength of a gorilla
 
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