New strings for Dads 30$ uke???

Blue Skies

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Pop got talked into a 30$ uke:mad: at the senior action group. It's a Rogue? When we were practicing the other day, he was really discouraged about the sound:( coming out of it.

Would putting a different set of strings, like the Aquillas I hear a lot about, make it sound 'any' better???

Thanks, D
 
What nohoval_turrets said.

Plus a bit of expectation management - (cheap soprano) ukes have a specific sound of their own...
And of course all the stuff written here about intonation etc.
 
Usually, Aquilas make cheap laminates sound about as good as thy are going to. check his string height also. If you are up to it, can change saddle to bone. That's about all. If he really gets into uke, he'll want a better one....Christmas coming up.
 
Yeah, thanks all. I will get him a new set of Aquilas. Anybody know the best place? or just look online I reckon? As far as string height goes, I 'had' noticed they were a couple mm's higher than on my uke. I guess that makes it harder to press them down as well and as he is turning 83 the end of the month I should make life easier on him! What a great idea for a Christmas present...a new uke. But then, what would Mom want??? hehehe Thank you all, D
 
Yeah, thanks all. I will get him a new set of Aquilas. Anybody know the best place? or just look online I reckon? As far as string height goes, I 'had' noticed they were a couple mm's higher than on my uke. I guess that makes it harder to press them down as well and as he is turning 83 the end of the month I should make life easier on him! What a great idea for a Christmas present...a new uke. But then, what would Mom want??? hehehe Thank you all, D

It's not just a matter of making them harder to press down - the far greater impact (IMHO) is that if the nut slots are high it pulls the notes sharp (out of tune) when fretted especially at the first fret or two. This makes most open position chords sound horrible. If your dad has a decent musical ear it is probably this that is driving him nuts. While Aquilas will definitely make most cheap ukes louder - they won't usually fix these intonation problems caused by a high nut so they just make a louder terrible sound. :)

A little judicious work on the nut (ideally with the proper nut file but you can get by with a very fine-toothed hacksaw blade and some 600 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper in a pinch) is probably called for.
 
I can understand what you're saying OldPhart, I would never have thought of that being so new to it all...How far down does one take the nut? And what about the other end? Is there a tool to measure it all by? Or maybe a video I can watch? Thanks so much.

Yeah, I reckon Mom's ears would appreciate it!:D
 
I have 2 rogue sopranos and I play them daily.....and are my favorites first to pick up...I have them dropped tuned and they sound much better....if you change the strings, I suggest Martin M600
Happy Strummings.... PS I have many ukes and some 100 or more times expensive...but I enjoy and love my rogue... when you get better, you will then understand what I mean....
 
Yeah, thanks all. I will get him a new set of Aquilas. Anybody know the best place? or just look online I reckon? As far as string height goes, I 'had' noticed they were a couple mm's higher than on my uke. I guess that makes it harder to press them down as well and as he is turning 83 the end of the month I should make life easier on him! What a great idea for a Christmas present...a new uke. But then, what would Mom want??? hehehe Thank you all, D

Earplugs?????? (sorry, I couldn't pass that up) :rofl:
 
I can understand what you're saying OldPhart, I would never have thought of that being so new to it all...How far down does one take the nut? And what about the other end? Is there a tool to measure it all by? Or maybe a video I can watch? Thanks so much.

Yeah, I reckon Mom's ears would appreciate it!:D

There are several online guides - basically you want to take the nut slots down as far as possible without buzzing. Depending on how level the frets are results will vary, but you can usually get the nut low enough that the intonation at the first fret is within a couple of cents which sounds okay to most people.

Don't lower the bridge end until you get the nut as low as needed. A high action at the bridge is not as damaging in terms of play difficulty and intonation as a high action at the nut, and a high action at the bridge will let you get a lower action at the nut even when the frets are not as even as they should be.

I did some videos of setting up a fairly bad sample of a Makala Dolphin...
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0AEA7587C5D93985&feature=view_all

John
 
mm stan...what is 'dropped tuned'? and, will the Martin M600s work with his baritone? How do they differ from Aquilas?

PhilUSAFret...Got a laugh at 'earplugs'...she's already been complaining which is why we are practicing:p...one time at their place one time at mine!
 
OldePhart...Hey, thanks for the videos...I haven't had a chance to look at Pops uke yet, but I'm sure looking at mine in a whole different light. I've found that the frets on my Cordoba are't the evenest either. (who woulda guessed...:eek:). The four closest to the sound hole match each other pretty much, then they angle down and the fourteen of them towards the headstock match pretty much. I reckon for an under 200 c-note uke that's not too bad.
 
mm stan...what is 'dropped tuned'? and, will the Martin M600s work with his baritone? How do they differ from Aquilas?

Aloha Blue Skies,
Dropped tuning is alternate tuning,....most players play in "C" tuning... I go a half step or two half steps below...It slows down the tempo and makes it easier to sing with my bad voice.
also it improves playability and comfort with the strings...with a little sacafrice with the tone...if you can tune by ear this is good... Martin M600 is for concert and sopranos and Martin
M620 is for tenors...and marting M630 is for baritones... they are generally a sweeter tone strings with medium tension....Happy strummings..
here is a link for them mm stan...http://elderly.com/accessories/cat_...r_pgc,artist,title&reverse_str=&instock_only=
 
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