String Problems - Harmonic???

Thinker

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OK - This is weird.

I confess - I have trouble restringing my Uke. I'm not that great at it. I went from the original strings on my KoAloha tenor to some Aquillas. After a while, I didn't like that....so I just put some Worth Clears.

But the A string is weird. When I pluck it open (only open) - it actually has a second sound in it. It's almost as if I'm playing two strings at once separated by a half-step.

Anybody ever have this?
 
Could it be that another string is acting as a drone? Other instruments (like a strumstick) work that way.
 
If you could record the string and post, that would help a lot.

Is the other note clear? Or is it buzzy?

How many turns are on the string at the post on the head? (Sometimes if you don't have a few turns there you don't get enough of an angle over the nut and you can get extra buzzy notes).

Have you cut off the excess string at the head?

Look along the length of the string to see if it's contacting a fret at some point.

Make sure you haven't displaced the saddle while you were replacing the strings.

Make sure the tail of the string at the bridge isn't touching the soundboard.

These are some of the things that can cause unclear notes, buzzing and extra notes.
 
When I tune my Ukes, I start by tuning each string individually with a Snark, then I fine tune by comparing various fretted notes with open strings-for example, open G/3rd fret on the D. The main reason is that it's a good way to compensate for minor intonation issues (and by "minor" I really do mean minor). One thing I have to do when tuning though, is dampen the other 2 strings so as to eliminate any sympathetic vibrations which can give the inharmonic "throbbing".
 
the A string is weird. When I pluck it open (only open) - it actually has a second sound in it.

Hi Thinker

My guess is that the A string is sitting a little too low and as it vibrates, it touches the first fretwire thus creates the open A sound plus a buzz at the 1st fret pitch.

To verify, you hold the A string at 3rd fret and look at the spacing betweem the top of 1st fret and the bottom of the string. Normally you should see a very small space. In your case, the string is probably touching the fretwire?

Assuming this is the case, it happened because the diameter of the new string is smaller than the old ones. Any chance you have work done to lower the nut (slots)? A competent repairperson will squeeze in a drop of super glue with some power and fill the slot and then recut the slot. It's a delicate repair, best left to someone who knows what he/she is doing. Or, you can switch to some other string. Or, get a new nut.

Cheers
Chief
 
Well....I just took the string off and re-did it. Now it's fine. Actually, the string was perhaps too high on the post. Now it sounds great. It was VERY odd.
 
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