Do you become more critical of your uke's sound?

I've had my uke since christmas, but in the past week or so I've found myself becoming very critical of the sound.

Up until now I've been happily banging out chords. But now I've suddenly become very aware of fret buzz and muted strings. So much so that I've started playing around with the bridge height, my fingering technique, and getting flustered with how I'm holding the uke (something I didn't pay much attention to before)

I've also... started googling for other 'better' ukes.

I know exactly where this is going. And I'm starting to understand where UAS comes from....

What Uke have you got. If you buy a solid one it is supposed to get better in time. Or as some people say you get to know it better and play it to sound better.
Unfortunately if you bought a very cheap one you will always want a better one. If you have not already you can change the strings and it makes a huge improvement on some really cheap ukes. But this may not work if the set up is not correct.The buzzing may be where you are not fretting properly and the muted strings is definitely not down to the uke.Let us know which model you have and people will tell you if there is any hope for the poor little uke. If not you will have a great search for your next proper uke and there are thousands to choose from. Let us know your budget.

I'm getting more critical of the sound I make, I don't blame it on the uke .

It was part of a christmas present. I don't think the person giving it to me thought I'd get as addicted to it as I have! - The uke is fairly cheap afaik - brand name is 'clifton', there's very little on the web about it.

I've put aquilas on it which made a big improvement. The muted strings is on certain chords because of my fingering, for example F7. But I'll get over that with practise. Also, it's in tune up the fretboard (well, as far up as I'll be using anyway, which is about the first five frets lol) - And it also stays in tune very well.

The fret buzz is on the second fret on the G. It's caused by third fret wire being slightly higher than the second fret wire so you only hear it at that specific position (e.g. D7). I've raised the bridge to compensate which has lessened the buzz considerably, unless I start plucking that string.

I thought I was going mad when I noticed the buzzing, but it was probably there all along. I'm happy with the overall sound tbh, it's just I've started listening a bit more closely to it.

Also, I went along to a uke session on Saturday, and started noticing the quality of the sound from the other ukes... which got me thinking.

ETA: Budget - It's not so much about how much I want to spend on a uke, but the fact I don't want to spend €400 and then start getting over-protective of it so I don't bring it anywhere! So probably €100 on a 'bring anywhere' uke. And perhaps €300 on a 'keep at home, admire, and polish occasionally' uke.

My first ukulele was the worst uke I've ever seen, but the greatest gift I've ever received. It was very much as you describe. Maybe worse. It was untunable. I tried new strings. Useless! But, it taught me to enjoy. It wasn't long before I got my Hawaiian-made koa uke. And at first, I didn't want to take it out. But now it goes with me everywhere. I play it for everybody. I even let others try it out.

I hated that first uke, but I love it beyond words. It's put me on a wonderful journey.

ukuhippo said:

I'm getting more critical of the sound I make, I don't blame it on the uke .

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Well said. I agree absolutely. Tone (the sound it makes) has got very little to do with the uke or the strings. It has got a lot to do with the player: how they play it, whether the action is too low, where they pluck the strings, their nails, etc.

Noticing muted strings and how crappy your uke sounds and such is you getting better as a player, and might not ever go away. Some people seem to be content with where they're at, which I don't really understand, but don't let yourself go crazy.
I think there's a certain point where the quality of the instrument starts to hinder the player's abilities -- As if ukuleles have an undetermined inbuilt limit until the player exceeds the instrument, not impossible to keep learning, but harder every step further. Playing higher quality instruments automatically elevates your playing and enjoyment.
My first uke was a souvenir from the phillippines that sat in a cupboard for 15 years. I played that for about three months and loved it until i couldn't stand how awful it was.
I bought a $150 Mahalo and that worked out for a year, then the solid Ohana soprano I have now. There might be one more ukulele (I'm thinking resonator) in between my Ohana and my dream ukulele; a kiwaya kts7 with all the trimmings. A ukulele I may never outgrow (skillwise).

Ken Middleton said:

It has got a lot to do with the player: how they play it, whether the action is too low, where they pluck the strings, their nails, etc.

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And I've been changing all of these. Including my nails, believe it or not!

frofrofro said:

Some people seem to be content with where they're at, which I don't really understand, but don't let yourself go crazy.

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That concerns me. I'm over-analytical and obsessive at the best of times. I don't want to go down the route of getting obsessed with getting the 'perfect sound' and taking the uke apart to fix a buzzing fret. But when I've got a ruler out measuring the action to the nearest mm, then I start getting worried...

I just want to play it, relax, and be happy.

Heh, heh. I've had instruments I couldn't stand that "grew" on me, and I've had just the opposite, where some little thing just seem to grow and grow in my mind until I had to do something about it.

In a way though, what you describe is a good thing. As you play more your ear will become better trained and things like poor intonation that you might not have noticed, or muffled notes, or buzzing, will begin to bother you. It's not something to be worried about so much as a sign that you are improving as a musician.

Just remember that very few instrument "ills" can or need to be solved by throwing money at the problem. While a setup often does wonders, and strings do wear out and need to be replaced (I can burn through a set of Aquilas in a few weeks) often the real answer to improving tone is simply practicing more, and more thoughtfully, so your technique improves.

While it's certainly lovely to own Hawaiian made or luthier built ukes they are not at all essential to playing well. Truly accomplished players can take a reasonably set-up Dolphin and do wonders with it, while many people carrying around $1k+ ukes still sound terrible, or at least not very good...

John

bongolele said:

...started noticing the quality of the sound from the other ukes...I don't want to spend €400 and then start getting over-protective of it so I don't bring it anywhere!

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I was certain I would go down the road you (and many others) have taken, so I bought the best uke I could afford right off the bat. I know that any dissatisfaction I have with the sound produced is squarely on my shoulders. There are online videos of great musicians playing a version of my uke, so I know what it can sound like.

The over-protective aspect is a very personal choice. You weigh the risks & rewards and decide. After researching the climate tolerances of ukes, I've decided that where I live and most frequently travel, there are very few instances where I would not be willing to bring my uke. I would take the proper precautions and not be careless. It's the same with taking an expensive smartphone or camera into "danger zones".

That said, a go-anywhere uke is probably a good idea. Maybe get it setup for low G so you have a different tuning available. But if your budget is constrained, I'd focus on the primary uke first before spending money on the beater uke. You actually already have a beater uke.

bongolele said:

I've had my uke since christmas, but in the past week or so I've found myself becoming very critical of the sound.

Up until now I've been happily banging out chords. But now I've suddenly become very aware of fret buzz and muted strings. So much so that I've started playing around with the bridge height, my fingering technique, and getting flustered with how I'm holding the uke (something I didn't pay much attention to before)

I've also... started googling for other 'better' ukes.

I know exactly where this is going. And I'm starting to understand where UAS comes from....

Click to expand...

Yes!! For me, As I began to play better, I started to hear more of the shortcomings of the uke that were not attributed to my playing. Also, the more I became one with each uke, it was easier to see the limitations.

Then-- yes- the attitude is "If you can't fix it- replace it." An ukulele is not something one "has to live with".

For me personally, I tend to get more critical of my playing rather than my ukes sound. The better I get the worse I feel because the more I become aware about how bad I am and how much I've still got to go lol.. :'(

Hello bongolele,
In post #4 of your thread you wrote the following......
""The fret buzz is on the second fret on the G. It's caused by third fret wire being slightly higher than the second fret wire so you only hear it at that specific position (e.g. D7). I've raised the bridge to compensate which has lessened the buzz considerably, unless I start plucking that string.""
Here is your fix for the buzz. No need to drink Bushmills Whiskey because you will get a buzz just because you fixed it yourself.
Step 1) Slacken off all strings 'til you can fold them back off the nut to the treble and bass sides.
Step 2) Put masking tape vertically along each side of the fretboard for about 3" to 4" to keep the filings under control.
Step 3) With your ruler which you mentioned set on it's edge observe the height of the offending fret in relation to the 1st, 2nd and 4th frets.
Step 4) With your 6 inch flat file (without the handle of course) gently and carefully remove the imperfection on the 3rd fret.
Step 5) Turn instrument upside down to let the filings fall into suitable container, remove masking tape and use to clean up any unwanted filings.
String her up and observe your handiwork. Doesn't it feel good to be on the road to becoming a ukulele fixer upper.
PS: All of the steps above assume you tried tapping the 3rd fret to make certain it was properly seated in the fretboard beforehand.
Regards
1931jim

1931jim said:

Step 4) With your 6 inch flat file (without the handle of course) gently and carefully remove the imperfection on the 3rd fret.

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I think I will need that bushmills to give me the nerve to take a file to my uke...

Thanks for the advice, it had crossed my mind whether it was possible to file down fret wires. One thing I'm not sure about is how important it is to keep the shape of the fret wire, or does it matter? - i.e. the wire is round but by filing it will I not flatten the top part where the string contacts it? - Does this actually make any difference?

bongolele said:

I think I will need that bushmills to give me the nerve to take a file to my uke...

Thanks for the advice, it had crossed my mind whether it was possible to file down fret wires. One thing I'm not sure about is how important it is to keep the shape of the fret wire, or does it matter? - i.e. the wire is round but by filing it will I not flatten the top part where the string contacts it? - Does this actually make any difference?

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Yes theoretically you are right. You can buy files designed to dress the frets with the curve again but I have found that the odd fret with a flat top is barely noticeable, the elimination of the buzz is more apparent.
Regards........1931jim

Just my opinion: Don't do it. A professional will do a MUCH better job, and you won't be spending a bunch of money. I try never to trade one problem for another, even if I think the new problem won't be a big deal.

This is certainly an interesting thread. I always marvel at the helpfulness and knowledge of our members. Way to go guys. I outgrew my old uke, after I had been convinced by Mim of Mim's Ukes, and a luthier, that the buzzing strings were not the fault of my technique. After about a year, I knew it was time for a change, and I believed that I deserved a better uke, because I faithfully practice every day, always trying to improve my technique and skill. I could have beat my head against the music room wall and spent more money trying to fix the old uke, but it didn't seem cost effective, and I had a BAD case of UAS. Now that I am playing a uke that I really, really love, the UAS has subsided quite a bit. (I could be wrong, but at least in my case, UAS seems to stem from unhappiness... or am I being too philosophical...)

Personally, I never try to fix a single fret - too often that will only reveal the next problem, etc. When the frets aren't even I prefer to use a good straight, long sanding block with 400 grit wet'or'dry paper to level all the frets. What you can do is darken the top of all the frets with a sharpie, then you I can tell when all the frets are level because all of the tops will be shiny.

Go to frets.com - that guy's a pro and has put up some excellent photo instructions showing the whole process.

John

Actually, I think the second fret looks a lot lower than the others, which might result in a lot of sanding, and end up with me sanding down all the other frets to get them level with the lowest one!

I was playing it again last night and since I raised the bridge I'm happy enough - the buzzing is negligible in comparison with my rubbish fingering causing muted strings. I only get the buzzing when I really hammer a D7 or pluck the G. So I think that one fret isn't worth fretting over (har har)

One more thing - You're talking to a guy who dismantled and almost destroyed his brand new $1k bike to get rid of a tiny squeak. Yes, I'm that obsessive.