Matte ukulele finishes

Bluejay188

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I have a mainland mango concert ukulele, and I got it with a matte finish. I was wondering what I should do to take care of the uke with the matte finish.
 
Keep a humidifier inside the case. There are several companies that sell humidifiers. Here's a Google link:

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp...pw.r_qf.&fp=fe6f8da2d5e72e38&biw=1280&bih=627

You can make your own a whole lot cheaper by putting a sponge inside a plastic container such as a used snuff container with some holes in it. Soak the sponge, put it in there and let it do its job. Check the sponge out for dryness every week or so. Keep the sponge moist but not overly wet.
 
Like satin, not so crazy about matte (some manufacturers advertise a satin finish, deliver a matte finished one).....developing a great, low gloss, satin sheen on mine with high quality auto scratch and haze remover. If you like the matte, please disregard the reply.
 
I like to use Nu finish for a high gloss too and it seems to fill the pores of cheap matte finishes and to me makes my ukes sound better...
 
I regret not getting a gloss ukulele, is there anything I can do to make it glossed?
 
Hi bluejay. My monkey pod is matte and looks great in my eyes. It all depends on the wood. some look better gloss, others look great satin

As far as humidity, get a hygrometer to see if you have a problem like this one http://elderly.com/accessories/items/OGH2.htm . Cigar stores have lots of them too. When the humidity goes below 40% use a humidifier. You can make them easily:

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...mer-moisture-crystals&highlight=Water+crystal

Hope it helps


Does your ukulele ever feel kind of wet? I left my hydrometer in my ukulele for a few days, and when I took it out it felt kind of damp just on the outside. And my Uke has some cracks just on the outside, and I have no clue what they are.
 
You'll notice that your matte finish will start to become glossy in the areas you touch and rub it over time, generally on the neck where you fret the instrument and in the areas where your hand and arm contacts the top. Like Stan says, you can buff out the matte finish to make it glossy if you want to do that. It's your choice as to whether you want a matte or glossy finish all over the instrument.
 
I don't do anything to my ukes except wipe them down with a soft cloth now and then. I also wipe the strings down when I'm done playing to remove any perspiration or dirt. Needless to say, don't eat Cheetos while you're playing! :D I actually prefer matte/satin finishes, as they don't show fingerprints like gloss.

As far as humidifying goes, it depends on where you live. 40-60% is considered safe. Running AC in the summer or heater in the winter can dry the air and affect your interior humidity. I don't leave my ukes out in the open when not being played, they go back in their cases.

Also, I'd recommend getting a hygrometer to monitor your interior humidity, as it can vary greatly compared to what you'll see at weather.com or on your local weather report, which generally measure outdoor humidity only at certain points. Little things like boiling water in the kitchen or taking a shower with the bathroom door open can affect it.

I bought a cheap Acu Rite from Amazon and keep it by my practice area. I don't know how accurate it really is, but at least it gives me a relative reading. The temp reading is usually no more than +/- 1 degree from what the thermostat reads on the other side of the room (most of the time it's the same). It also gives you the high/low temp and humidity over the last 24 hours. Mine says it's varied from 47-62%, currently 54%.

Honestly, I think a lot of people here obsess needlessly over humidity. Too much can be as damaging as too little.
 
You'll notice that your matte finish will start to become glossy in the areas you touch and rub it over time, generally on the neck where you fret the instrument and in the areas where your hand and arm contacts the top. Like Stan says, you can buff out the matte finish to make it glossy if you want to do that. It's your choice as to whether you want a matte or glossy finish all over the instrument.

If I wanted to how would I make it glossy?
 
Honestly, I think a lot of people here obsess needlessly over humidity. Too much can be as damaging as too little.

I partially agree in that too much can be bad - I don't think I'd agree it is as bad as too little, though. Too much humidity causes the wood to swell and typically tops will tend to bow up a little, raising the action at the bridge end some. I've seen guitars that were severely bowed. Soprano and concert sized ukes are so small I don't think they can bow enough to make a huge difference in the action. Tenors can and I've seen at least one cedar-topped uke that was pretty bad in that respect.

The big difference though is that wood that is too dry cracks and has to be repaired. Instruments that have gotten too damp will often fix themselves if they are carefully dried out to normal humidity. It takes time - weeks or months at the proper humidity - but a crack never fixes itself!

John
 
I have a mainland mango concert ukulele, and I got it with a matte finish. I was wondering what I should do to take care of the uke with the matte finish.

I use Renaissance wax on mine. I've used that on everything that can't move fast enough to get out of my way for years (wood, metal, etc. - guitars, flutes, ukes, guns). It works great. Protects without building up a heavy film and makes only a fractional difference in the appearance of the wood (i.e. applied to my Mainland matte mango soprano the only visible change was a slight deepending of the appearance of the curl).

BTW, I own several Mainlands and evidence so far seems to indicate that the matte finished ones really are a little "livelier" than the gloss finished ones. I suppose it could be coincidental but my two matte finished sopranos and the matte finished baritone are all louder than any of the three gloss finished tenors I own or have owned (gave one to a son-in-law).

My Mainland gloss mango tenor looks stunning - but I kind of wish it were matte finished after getting the matte sopranos and seeing how they kick butt.

John
 
I regret not getting a gloss ukulele, is there anything I can do to make it glossed?

Here is My Collings concert with a satin finish after 4 coats and hand rubbed with elbow grease....a high gloss shine...ha ha had to do a search history for this one..
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newaquisitiions3712005.jpg
 
Does your ukulele ever feel kind of wet? I left my hydrometer in my ukulele for a few days, and when I took it out it felt kind of damp just on the outside. And my Uke has some cracks just on the outside, and I have no clue what they are.

Hi I don't have an answer for you. Sounds like you over humifed your uke. I recommend you do a new post with this question otherwise it is buried in this subject and won't be seen by the right people
 
mm stan... what exactly did you use on that uke? nu finish? theres many sub-genres of nu finish on amazon, i want to make sure i use what you use.
 
I've got a collings just like that also Stan minus the shine that yours has. I would like mine to shine like that too and I have some Nu finish car polish. I'll wait for your reply before I try it tho. Thanks.
mm stan... what exactly did you use on that uke? nu finish? theres many sub-genres of nu finish on amazon, i want to make sure i use what you use.
 
Go for it Mark....it will be a great project for you....it made my dull flat finish just gleam...you know the polish fills the pores, and I'd swear it sounds better afterwards..ha ha try it and let me know
 
Thanks Stan, I would love for mine to look like that. I'm going for it.
Go for it Mark....it will be a great project for you....it made my dull flat finish just gleam...you know the polish fills the pores, and I'd swear it sounds better afterwards..ha ha try it and let me know
 
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