My Boat Paddle, which doesn't have a gloss finish, has got to the point where it's not just scratched; it's stained from my pinky, and it's slightly splintered from the strumming. This rather upsets me, but I have no idea what to do about it.
Do you know what kind of finish is on it?
How do you prevent your uke top wood/painting from nails strumming scratch?
If you dont't play it then there wont be any scratches on it! only solution i have>> Lol
I had been wondering about this myself. Hope this thread gets more opinions. I have strum scratches on mine. No big deal. I did however notice in an Aldrine uke minutes video. He had a clear strum protector. I don't know if he still uses them. Also, wonder if it would effect tone. Seems it could effect tone. I know some people use screen protector material, but don't know if that is the only option. Even wondered if any luthiers ever layed the gloss a little thicker where strumming scratches will be. Seems that could effect tone too. I certainly have no useful information just observations. I have I nice custom on the way. I intend to play the heck out of it, but never hurts to get opinions on how to treat it right.
Strumming scratches show that the uke has been played!
Dont do it>>don't put a clear pickgaurd on that beautiful CR..if you do>> dont tell Rick ha ha..I am not an expert but i like the idea of Rick's decal instead of a wood/abalone rosette and his cantilivered neck..i think the more the uke top can vibrate the better it sounds..so if you put clear pickgaurd on it i think it would not vibrate as much..and the sound would be affected>> and Rick's polyester finish super strong..u got to have nails of steel if you are going to scratch through it
A lot of people play their uke a lot, but have no scratches. The way you strum can be changed if you want to change it. Learn a few of the thousand strums that are available, the simplest being down with your thumb and up with your forefinger. Some take a few weeks of practice. I just checked out a video of Jake Shimabukuro and his uke does not appear to have any scratches or a pick guard. Check out some other great players, the ones who only ever play a uke, for yourself, start with more experienced guys like Herb Ohta and work along to Brittni Paiva. How many of then have damaged tops on their ukes? You can get felt picks which wont damage the top. Aim your strum for where the neck joins the body, not over the body. If you need to strum over the body, learn some fingerstyle. There are lots of ways to play a uke without damaging the top.
If you have a style that involves a strumming technique that damages the top of your uke. You have a choice, keep damaging the uke or do something about it. As you can read there are those who think it is cool to keep damaging the uke and there are others who don't. Most ukes will last a long time before the damage is fatal, but it may be harder to sell a badly scratched uke. I suppose it depends on what you decide for yourself.
My personal view is that ukes get scratched enough just by using them a lot and having some accidents, you don't need to be hammering them with your claw like fingernails every day to get some interesting "battle scars". I think it is best to take the time to learn how to play the uke without damaging the top, enjoy every minute of your time with the uke, and when your lease on the uke is up, the next person to get it has a nice instrument.
I have noticed at lot of players strumming over the neck.
the sweet spot over the neck on alot of ukes..
12th fret is generally the midpoint for length of the strings, the sweet spot to strum. I've been told you should pick over the sound hole though.
2nd hand info. I'm not that knowledgeable or talented to confirm.