Doing upgrades to standard ukes?

amandadverse · Jun 6, 2012

I'm sorry if this is the wrong section, I wasn't sure where this belonged!

I have a Makala MK-S. Nothing fancy. But since it's my first uke, it's special to me. And since I'm broke(ish), I'd like to use it for as long as possible. I used to tinker with my guitars all of the time (changing pickups, pick guards, tuners, knobs, everything), and I was wondering if this was an option for ukes as well?

I've seen tuners for sale, but I was also wondering if changing the saddle was an option. Or....well, anything else!

I'm also considering making some aesthetic changes. Like using a wood burning tool or ink/paint to create some traditional Hawaiian/Samoan designs. But the idea of using a wood burner on an instrument scares the heck outta me. :uhoh:

Rick Turner · Jun 6, 2012

Hardly a collectible instrument, but...

Do the current tuners work well? If not, change them. If they do, then it's a uke jewelry decision, but...will changing leave a "footprint" of the old tuners? Would you care?

Is the saddle (and/or nut) plastic? If so, change it (them).

Woodburning...now you're entering the realm of making the uke highly personal. If you don't think you'll ever sell it, then go for it; see comment #1 above...

PhilUSAFRet · Jun 6, 2012

I've heard so many good things about them, I'd just put in some grover tuners (less than $20 for decent ones) when I installed a bone nut and saddle.

Freeda · Jun 6, 2012

amandadverse said:
I'm sorry if this is the wrong section, I wasn't sure where this belonged!

I have a Makala MK-S. Nothing fancy. But since it's my first uke, it's special to me. And since I'm broke(ish), I'd like to use it for as long as possible. I used to tinker with my guitars all of the time (changing pickups, pick guards, tuners, knobs, everything), and I was wondering if this was an option for ukes as well?

I've seen tuners for sale, but I was also wondering if changing the saddle was an option. Or....well, anything else!

I'm also considering making some aesthetic changes. Like using a wood burning tool or ink/paint to create some traditional Hawaiian/Samoan designs. But the idea of using a wood burner on an instrument scares the heck outta me. :uhoh:

I'm looking for a cool design to woodburn onto my Peanut.

No guts, no glory!

Moore Bettah Ukuleles · Jun 6, 2012

Freeda said:
I'm looking for a cool design to woodburn onto my Peanut. No guts, no glory!

Just make sure you don't compromise the top by doing so.

Freeda · Jun 6, 2012

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
Just make sure you don't compromise the top by doing so.

With a solid body uke is that an issue? I had no idea! I was going to diddle around on the back first, just to see if it looked stupid. Which it may.

Rick Turner · Jun 6, 2012

With a solid body, it's not an issue. Careful with lacquer/poly burning fumes though. That can be nasty.

Freeda · Jun 6, 2012

Rick Turner said:
With a solid body, it's not an issue. Careful with lacquer/poly burning fumes though. That can be nasty.

I appreciate the warning. I'll do it on the porch and wear a mask just in case.

Moore Bettah Ukuleles · Jun 6, 2012

Freeda said:
With a solid body uke is that an issue? I had no idea! I was going to diddle around on the back first, just to see if it looked stupid. Which it may.

Sorry, since this is primarily an acoustic board, I was think acoustic. I have no idea what a peanut is. Outside of the obvious of course.

Rick Turner · Jun 7, 2012

Made from particle board composed of crushed peanut shells? What do they do with those things, anyway?

Pondoro · Jun 7, 2012

You can fiddle with action height and intonation until the uke sounds "perfect", unless you already love the way it sounds. As stated you can upgrade the saddle and nut to bone.

amandadverse · Jun 7, 2012

Rick Turner said:
Hardly a collectible instrument, but...

Do the current tuners work well? If not, change them. If they do, then it's a uke jewelry decision, but...will changing leave a "footprint" of the old tuners? Would you care?

Is the saddle (and/or nut) plastic? If so, change it (them).

Woodburning...now you're entering the realm of making the uke highly personal. If you don't think you'll ever sell it, then go for it; see comment #1 above...

I am well aware that it's not a "collectible" instrument. If it were collectible, I certainly wouldn't be considering marring it with permanent artistic designs. I like to tinker, and I can't afford a really nice instrument. I am looking for options to improve the overall sound and playability. Perhaps I was not specific enough in my initial post.

PhilUSAFRet said:
I've heard so many good things about them, I'd just put in some grover tuners (less than $20 for decent ones) when I installed a bone nut and saddle.

I was trying to find new tuners, without much luck. What I did find was pretty basic no-name equipment, so thanks for a specific name I can hunt for!

Freeda said:
I'm looking for a cool design to woodburn onto my Peanut. No guts, no glory!

Glad I'm not the only one thinking of going crazy with a wood burner!

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
Just make sure you don't compromise the top by doing so.

This is what I'm afraid of. My uke is certainly made of some sort of composite or plywood, and I am not sure what kind of effect wood burning would have on this. Perhaps I'll stick with making a stencil and using a high-quality paint that won't wick.

Doing upgrades to standard ukes?

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