Restringing/intonation questions

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I took the stock strings off of my newly-purchased Lanikai 21C and replaced them with Aquila Nylguts. Wow what a difference - the sound really rings! There are two issues that have come up, though:

(1) The E string, during the restringing process, kept popping out of the nut groove. Now that the instrument's had an hour to "settle" it seems to be fine, but I'm concerned that it's going to happen again mid-song at a later date. Is this common? Very weird? Evidence of an error on my part?

(2) The improved sound of the strings has pointed up a glaring problem with the instrument itself. If I tune using a Snark to exactly G-C-E-A, my open G chord (0232) sounds awful. The top G (open) and the 3rd fret/E string G are off by about 1/4 step. I can fix it by tuning up the G string a bit. If I do this, however, the open D chord (2220) has a similar problem: 2nd fret/G string A is out of tune with the open A. Is this simply a consequence of playing a $120 instrument or is there a workaround?

Thanks!

EDIT: Also, I know Aquilas take a while to settle in - I've read up to a week, depending on how much the instrument is played. I've been tugging the strings up (gently!) over the mid-fingerboard and I'm going to leave it tuned up a whole step overnight.
 
If the string 'popped out' of the Nut slot it would suggest
to me that your windings on the capstan (The post bit that
the string is made off to,on the headstock tuner) go UP and
away from the headstock,rather than DOWN towards it,giving
a decent 'break angle' for the string.Rewind your string so that
the windings go DOWN to the headstock and not away from it.
And try never to have more than THREE wraps around the post
as they will carry on stretching for longer,the more wraps you
have there!
 
I had a string pop a few times when my LU21 C was new. I lightly filed the slot and have had not problem since with popping (or intonation, etc) - where's the crossed finger smiley when you need it :cool:
 
(1) The E string, during the restringing process, kept popping out of the nut groove. Now that the instrument's had an hour to "settle" it seems to be fine, but I'm concerned that it's going to happen again mid-song at a later date. Is this common? Very weird? Evidence of an error on my part?

Did you make sure it winds from the inside out? When you have the uke in front of you with the headstock pointing at the roof the E string should go on the left side of the tuner and then around it. (That was the first restringing mistake I made.)
 
(2) The improved sound of the strings has pointed up a glaring problem with the instrument itself. If I tune using a Snark to exactly G-C-E-A, my open G chord (0232) sounds awful. The top G (open) and the 3rd fret/E string G are off by about 1/4 step. I can fix it by tuning up the G string a bit. If I do this, however, the open D chord (2220) has a similar problem: 2nd fret/G string A is out of tune with the open A. Is this simply a consequence of playing a $120 instrument or is there a workaround?

That sounds quite serious. Lanikai instruments aren't the finest out there, but they're usually at least OK for intonation. Intonation problems are usually most pronounced on the C string, which is the thickest. Try these things:

1. Use the tuner to tune all strings accurately to gCEA
2. Fret the A string at the first fret - is it in tune? How far out of tune is it and in what direction (sharp or flat). Your snark should be able to show this easily. How many points out of tune does it show?
3. Fret the A string at the second fret. Is it more or less out of tune?
4. Continue up the fretboard - is there a consistent trend - for example, does it get more in tune as you go up the fretboard?
5. Do the same with the C string (the thickest)
6. How does it compare to the A string? Does it show the same trend up the fretboard?
 
The strings are not seated into the nut slots. If they were, they would never pop out. Not even once. Having a string or multiple strings resting up above the bottum of the slot will severely compromise the intonation. If you prefer the sound of the new strings, I would recommend having a professional file the slots for two reasons. You don't want to file the bottum of the slots, just the sides. The pro will have the proper tools to do this. And you want to file the slots enough to allow the strings to slide, but no more.

Many do this on their own. But, if you do, be careful.
 
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Did you make sure it winds from the inside out? When you have the uke in front of you with the headstock pointing at the roof the E string should go on the left side of the tuner and then around it. (That was the first restringing mistake I made.)

AHA! This was the problem: both my E and A strings were running from the nut to the outside (right side, viewed face-on) of the capstan. I've since restrung them to the inside and the problem seems to be fixed.
 
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