Something is wrong with my uke

AMaxx00

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I picked up a New Hilo Soprano 2652 a few weeks ago...bought a tuner and learned and play on it wonderfully

after 3 days..I could see cracks in the clear strings and my uke sounded horrible and couldn't be tuned properly

So I bought some aquila soprano nylgut strings and installed them


I was able to tune my uke...stretch and retune

but my ukulele still resonants too much...whenever I strum all strings...it has like an after resonance sound that makes the uke sound horrible...every song I do sounds horrible..even when im playing the chords right and strings are tuned properly

it sounds like the uke is giving off a high volume random chord with the normal chord that's played

im pretty sure its not the strings...cause they are tuned and they stay in tune....and there is no physical damage to the uke that I can see
 
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you had me at hilo. i thinks its just the uke man. those are low quality ukes and they dont come with good tuners. i may be wrong but could you post a pic of the uke?
 
also make sure that you put your fingers in between the metal frets. make sure they are just on the wood not the little metal bar dividers. that might be your problem idk.
 
Hilo uses low quality tuners... low quality everything. The neck probably bent backward from humidity changes making the frets to go out of place and causing your uke to buzz.

That high volume random chord might be a harmonic. Do the strings touch any of the frets?

Never buy a Hilo again unless you plan to smash it.
 
ya dude get an ohana or a flea/fluke. those are both some great ukes that are pretty affordable and sound pretty good.
 
also make sure that you put your fingers in between the metal frets. make sure they are just on the wood not the little metal bar dividers. that might be your problem idk.

lol...thats definitely not the problem


it sounds like crap even playing it open...with no fingers down on any frets
 
Hilo uses low quality tuners... low quality everything. The neck probably bent backward from humidity changes making the frets to go out of place and causing your uke to buzz.

That high volume random chord might be a harmonic. Do the strings touch any of the frets?

Never buy a Hilo again unless you plan to smash it.


strings are fine...not touching anything


i wanna save up and get a concert fluke like how nikolo reccommended


...sopranos dont feel comfortable and hard to tap without killing the sound on the initial finger tap...made it really tough for me to play 311-"Love song" solo picking parts

i think imma just hang up this Hilo on my wall as my first uke for memories...lol...and move onto a new, better uke

thanks guys
 
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you might consider looking into tenors too, depending on the degree of difficulty you have with the soprano (A little? A lot?). My first was a concert, and I recently got a tenor, and I find that I like the tenor better. They're not THAT different, but the fret size and body size really makes me more comfortable. (It feels better to hold, and I like that I can move my long fingers further apart) But it's all preference, if you move from soprano to tenor however, you will notice the difference quite a bit. I've held a soprano twice, never owned one, so don't tanke my word.
 
you might consider looking into tenors too, depending on the degree of difficulty you have with the soprano (A little? A lot?). My first was a concert, and I recently got a tenor, and I find that I like the tenor better. They're not THAT different, but the fret size and body size really makes me more comfortable. (It feels better to hold, and I like that I can move my long fingers further apart) But it's all preference, if you move from soprano to tenor however, you will notice the difference quite a bit. I've held a soprano twice, never owned one, so don't tanke my word.

im still kinda debating...

im thinkin about goin to the guitar store this weekend and try some different ukes out..just try...to see what feels comfortable...cause I cant stand a soprano anymore

I just wanted my HILO now to work...so I can still play and practice my chords while saving up for my new uke...but I cant even do that since it sounds horrible and the volume/resonance kills my ears
 
My daughter has had two Ashburys that do the same thing. We've been trying to figure out what the problem is. It sounds like extra notes ringing off the strings that are really annoying and spoil the music. We returned the first as it chattered and buzzed on all strings all the way up the neck and got the second as a replacement.

The little $40 Kala sounds better.
 
My daughter has had two Ashburys that do the same thing. We've been trying to figure out what the problem is. It sounds like extra notes ringing off the strings that are really annoying and spoil the music. We returned the first as it chattered and buzzed on all strings all the way up the neck and got the second as a replacement.

The little $40 Kala sounds better.

im glad i wasnt hearing things

when I strum...I look at the strings vibration....it vibrates hard...then smooths out to almost a still string..then develops like a slight after vibration that causes that awful after resonance sound

it just confuses me because before and after the strum..strings are in tune too
 
stuff a rag/t-shirt into the sound hole and see what happens...It may allow you to practice with that Uke until you can afford to purchase a higher quality one.

Let us know how it works for you.
 
maybe the strings just don't work well with that uke...I have some martin strings on my Hilo and it sounds actually decent.
 
I had that exact same ukulele and I absolutely hated it! The funny thing is that it is Hilo's "Deluxe" model. Mine kept going out of tune, the bridge looked funny... like... you have to tie a knot in the end of the string and thread it through instead of tying the string like a classical guitar, and it didn't have a pretty sound. It just sounded like a toy. I purchased a Lanikai U21, and it sounds and feels so much better! I have tried Kala ukuleles too and sound just as good. I would also try Ohana or Flea ukuleles. Good luck!
 
you might consider looking into tenors too, depending on the degree of difficulty you have with the soprano (A little? A lot?). My first was a concert, and I recently got a tenor, and I find that I like the tenor better. They're not THAT different, but the fret size and body size really makes me more comfortable. (It feels better to hold, and I like that I can move my long fingers further apart) But it's all preference, if you move from soprano to tenor however, you will notice the difference quite a bit. I've held a soprano twice, never owned one, so don't tanke my word.

First ukes I held after decades of guitar were sopranos. I found them impossibly crowded to play. First uke I owned was a concert scale which felt more workable. I've since gotten a couple sopranos and have found that with some practice and acclimation they are quite wonderful to play. It's just a matter of taking the time to get used to the shorter scale. The mechanics are the same, the finger placement is just less or more depending on which scale you're moving to.
I'm pretty sure that if you had a sweet soprano to play you'd adjust to it pretty readily after a while. (and just think of the amount of frets you'd be able to reach after playing tenor.)
 
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