Just re-strung my first uke and didn't like it! ( my 1st bad uke experience)

Leodhas · Jul 30, 2011

I just re-strung my first uke (put some aquila strings on my dolphin) and didn't really like it, far too fiddly for my navvy hands. I love changing guitar strings, the whole process but uke strings are slippery little beggars! I used the guitar loop technique on the pegs but would love any tips people can offer. It's my first bad uke experience.

joeybug · Jul 30, 2011

My first Uke to restring was Astrid, I didn't know how to keep the string end from slipping out when I was trying to turn the gears, in the end I worked it out, but it was very frustrating for me and B, who also tried, now I double loop them and it's easy..I'm guessing that's the same process for guitar strings so I have no real advice, just saying I've been there and after a while, it does get better!

joejeweler · Jul 30, 2011

Leodhas said:
I just re-strung my first uke (put some aquila strings on my dolphin) and didn't really like it, far too fiddly for my navvy hands. I love changing guitar strings, the whole process but uke strings are slippery little beggars! I used the guitar loop technique on the pegs but would love any tips people can offer. It's my first bad uke experience.

On youtube there are a lot of instructional videos available,.....just type in "Stringing a ukulele" and you'll
pick up some tips to lower your frustration level next time you change strings.

Here is one such video,....and a pretty good one at that! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWXzUTXx80s

(from Colly Norman of Blue Maui Ukuleles)

Kem · Jul 31, 2011

The Corktown Ukulele Jam site has a useful PowerPoint presentation; it can be found halfway down this page under "Resources."

painterbob · Jul 31, 2011

First time I changed strings the little knot at the bottom was driving me nuts. I watched a couple videos but couldn't see the knot close up enough. Then I found this webpage and downloaded the illustration to my harddrive. It totally helped me out.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.get-tuned.com/images/tie-bar-bridge.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.get-tuned.com/restring_ukulele.php&usg=__BiTEzusNgRelm1LtFGDHr6bRbXI=&h=220&w=254&sz=8&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=jp2zWHdeG-pQcM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=111&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dtie-bar-bridge.jpg%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DX%26rls%3Den%26tbm%3Disch%26prmd%3Divns&ei=OZE0TtvhB8rj0QHN-pSUDA

kissing · Jul 31, 2011

After 2 years, I still manage to cut the string at the tuners too soon, when I wind up, turns out that the string I left over was too short.

Mim · Jul 31, 2011

I am a pro now... but it took me a bit! It will come, eventually! But yes, it is a process and is not a lot of fun to learn to do!!!

One day I will do a demo on it on youtube. It is somewhere on my list of good intentions!

cantsing · Jul 31, 2011

painterbob said:
First time I changed strings the little knot at the bottom was driving me nuts. I watched a couple videos but couldn't see the knot close up enough.

I had the same problem with most videos--it's really hard to see exactly what they're doing with the bridge knot--until I found this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyv7uOiXsbM

It's a fairly good closeup, and then for good measure (at time interval 1:10) they show a "blow up" of the demo using a 2x4 as a bridge mock-up!

(I'm quite pleased with myself today--last night, I changed my strings for the first time!)

rainberry · Jul 31, 2011

cantsing said:
I had the same problem with most videos--it's really hard to see exactly what they're doing with the bridge knot--until I found this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyv7uOiXsbM

It's a fairly good closeup, and then for good measure (at time interval 1:10) they show a "blow up" of the demo using a 2x4 as a bridge mock-up!

(I'm quite pleased with myself today--last night, I changed my strings for the first time!)

I changed my strings for the first time a few days ago and that video was a huge help to me too.

TCK · Jul 31, 2011

Admission of guilt- I got on here right after getting my ukes about a year ago and read how Aquila's would make their laminate tops pop...so I restrung. The two ukes I did sounded like crap afterwards and I was cursing the Underground for steering me so wrong, until it occurred to me after two weeks that I had them tuned an octave low.
Now I can do them in about ten minutes and tune them up by ear- just takes some time

Just re-strung my first uke and didn't like it! ( my 1st bad uke experience)

Leodhas

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joeybug

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joejeweler

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Kem

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painterbob

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kissing

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Mim

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cantsing

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rainberry

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TCK

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