Equipment Needed For Setting Up a Uke?

I watched a video a while back of an HMS employee setting up a Luna I believe it was. Anyways, that got me interested in trying my hand at it, since there doesn't seem to be anyone on this island that provides this service. Can you guys give me a list of equipment that is needed to set up a uke properly? Thanks a bunch!

Fret file
Blue tape
Steel Wool 0000?
Wet/Dry Sandpaper Grit?
Nut file
Lemon oil

What else am I missing?

You've got more guts than I've got for sure. I'll leave mine to the pros.

Yeah, well I have about 30 students playing crappy ukes and I figure I can get in my practice there, before I really get brave.

Be careful

Lowering a saddle is easy enough but do it very gradually. Flat piece of fine sandpaper and sand check sand check.

Filing nut slots is more demanding as far easier to mess up. Rather than expensive nut files I use welders nozzle cleaners. Again though, be very very careful.

Aside from that though, anything more serious is something I'd leave to a luthier

You forgot your old tooth brushes. A very essential item for removing peanut butter and marmalade jam. I think a couple of old credit cards cut into 1/2" x the length of the card. Usually about 3 1/4" are also handy. A business card and a piece of paper which is about 3to4 thou.

I'm guessing I'll probably mess up quite a bit, so I was planning on buying a bunch of replacement nuts and saddles.

If StewMac is on your horizon then get the files for tweaking the action. They are a little better than the welder torch tips. I like to use the torch tips for my slot gauges. They are from.009 to .037 thou.
PS: Just in case, I will clarify the welder torch cleaning tips. The ones I have are called...
GWD G-Well Tip Cleaners. At any oxy-acet. welding supply store. About $3.25 Canadian. Comes in a blue plastic little container. 4"x1"x1/2" with 12 tip cleaners and a broader nail file looking thingy. Gotta love my techtalking.

kirbo said:

. . . Can you guys give me a list of equipment that is needed to set up a uke properly? Thanks a bunch!

Fret file
Blue tape
Steel Wool 0000?
Wet/Dry Sandpaper Grit?
Nut file
Lemon oil

What else am I missing?

Click to expand...

I would start at Frank Ford's site and go from there. If you are interested in anything that has do with stringed instruments, you will eventually run across him. The way to properly do a setup is to learn how to do it properly. Short of having someone teach you, the internet is your friend, and there are better forums, or sub forums, to learn from than Uke Talk.

As it stands, you are missing key components, IMO, but you got a good start for dressing frets if that's what you want to do. Oh, and you'll need a bit more than a nut FILE to do it correctly.

As already stated, StewMac has a starter kit for nuts; saddles you're on your own.
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/S...nd_saddles/Essential_Nut_Making_Tool_Kit.html

Aaron

For most ukulele work you can get away with just one double-sided nut file from Stew Mac. The one that is .026 and .032 will do the slots on anything save maybe an unwound low G string.

You can make a straight sanding block for those rare occasions when you have to level frets from a plastic "I Beam" level from Lowes. Just use spray trim adhesive to attach 400 grit paper to one side and 600 grit to the other ("wet or dry" paper). If you never have to do more than lightly touch up frets leveling them then you can live without a fret crowning file but if you ever have to really take them down you'll flatten them and need a crowning file to restore the rounded top of the fret(s).

If you're only going to do a couple of ukes you can get by without the nut file but it's a highly recommended expenditure if you anticipate doing more than one or two inexpensive ukes.

John