wickedwahine11
Well-known member
So yesterday I decided to change the strings on my beloved tenor HF3 and while they were off, I gave her a good bath (lemon oil on the dry fretboard, a bit of Fender Instrument Care kit treatment). I put on the new strings and she sounds and looks great.
This morning I went to re-tune the strings while they settle in and I noticed that I can feel the seam on the top where they bookmatched the left and right top. The top of the face (near the soundhole and above the bridge) is fine, you can't feel anything. But the bottom half under the bridge has a slighly more visible seam and I can actually feel the seam. It doesn't seem to be a crack, but it is definitely a seam. To be honest I have no idea how long it has been like that, I guess I'm not as devoted to my uke as I thought I was since I didn't discover it sooner.
I sent an email to Kamaka asking about it, and I told them I will be in Oahu the week of 4th of July in case they need to see it to diagnose it. But to be honest, I think I'd rather be without my car or my left arm than without my Kamaka for a year if they need to repair it.
In the event that the seam is separating, I saw this video online when searching the UU archives. This guy used hot glue to repair his uke. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i4wjJv5nkw
I'm not sure I would do it that way myself, but would you guys try to take it to a luthier or would you do the 1 year Kamaka wait for a repair? Or is a seam you can feel not that big of a deal and I should stop worrying -- if it turns into a crack deal with it, and if not, quit being a worrywart?
This morning I went to re-tune the strings while they settle in and I noticed that I can feel the seam on the top where they bookmatched the left and right top. The top of the face (near the soundhole and above the bridge) is fine, you can't feel anything. But the bottom half under the bridge has a slighly more visible seam and I can actually feel the seam. It doesn't seem to be a crack, but it is definitely a seam. To be honest I have no idea how long it has been like that, I guess I'm not as devoted to my uke as I thought I was since I didn't discover it sooner.
I sent an email to Kamaka asking about it, and I told them I will be in Oahu the week of 4th of July in case they need to see it to diagnose it. But to be honest, I think I'd rather be without my car or my left arm than without my Kamaka for a year if they need to repair it.
In the event that the seam is separating, I saw this video online when searching the UU archives. This guy used hot glue to repair his uke. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i4wjJv5nkw
I'm not sure I would do it that way myself, but would you guys try to take it to a luthier or would you do the 1 year Kamaka wait for a repair? Or is a seam you can feel not that big of a deal and I should stop worrying -- if it turns into a crack deal with it, and if not, quit being a worrywart?