Sound problem

Hi all. I'm a real newbie-and I know little about this. I've had a Makala Dolphin that I got about 2 weeks ago. It has the original strings, and did not have any set up done on it at the store that I know of. It had been sounding good, ever since I got my Snark tuner. But today, out of the blue, it sounds out of tune to me and my hubby. The tuner shows it as being in tune. Maybe we're crazy...but it just doesn't sound good. I've thought of getting better strings put on it. A visit to the music store may be in my near future...

Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

I do want to say that I am having a lot of fun with it. I let my granddaughter strum on it today. She turned one of the tuning knobs, and I retuned it. She wasn't being rough with it or anything. Part of my desire to learn to play is to do it with my grandkids, so I want the to be able to gently play it.

Well, for what it's worth, my advice is to put a new set of Aquilas on it. I have em on my uke, and I love em. I've heard that Dolphins do very well with Aquilas if they are set up right.

Aloha Normagal,
does it sound flat??? if so could be the rainy weather or temperture affecting you uke or strings... try to play it later...welcome to the UU and our humble forums..Happy Strummings..

Hi Normagal

As Nickie suggests - try a set of Aquilla strings on your dolphin. The factory fitted strings are not the best and Aquilla strings suite the dolphin well.

I got martin flourocarbons on mine, sounds very nice with those.

I have been toying with the idea of trying a set of living water strings on a dolphin but have not ordered any yet.

Please make sure all of the screws on the tuners are tight first! It's common that they loosen a little and won't hold tune.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BXUcm_IAmTs

Thank UU member Oldephart for this video.

By the end of it, you'll likely do what all Dolphin with poor intonation owners do: buy a better, setup uke from Hawaiian Music Supply. Lol.

I don't know what to think. I talked to my hubby about if he thought we could restring it...he's willing to give it a go. But I'm thinking I'm gonna call the local music store and see what they charge to do that and to check it over and see if anything needs changing.
Do most people that play one learn all about restringing and fixing them?
Thanks for your advice.
I may someday get a better one for me and let the kids use this one. Kind of wanted to see if we would stay interested before I did that.

Normagal said:

I don't know what to think. I talked to my hubby about if he thought we could restring it...he's willing to give it a go. But I'm thinking I'm gonna call the local music store and see what they charge to do that and to check it over and see if anything needs changing.
Do most people that play one learn all about restringing and fixing them?
Thanks for your advice.
I may someday get a better one for me and let the kids use this one. Kind of wanted to see if we would stay interested before I did that.

Click to expand...

They'll charge you more to do anything to it than the uke is worth.

For six bucks, change the strings. Then give it to the kids and call Hawaiian Music Supply. Tell them your needs and budget, and they'll make sure you're taken care of properly. I'm serious.

http://www.theukulelesite.com/. Look on the lessons part of their website, Aaron has a video where he'll teach you how to restring it.

Is it possible you re-tuned one of the strings to the wrong octave?
That would explain why the tuner was saying it was I in tune, but it doesn't correct.

Normagal said:

Do most people that play one learn all about restringing and fixing them?

Click to expand...

Restringing their uke(s) is something most owners do routinely, and you will want to learn to how. It might seem a little intimidating the first time, but you will do fine.

Paul December said:

Is it possible you re-tuned one of the strings to the wrong octave? That would explain why the tuner was saying it was I in tune, but it doesn't correct.

Click to expand...

Try using an online ukulele tuner like this one to see if that might be the case.

I have a Dolphin, too, and she is currently wearing Ko'olau Golds. I liked the Aquila but I think I like these more, and I'm going to keep trying new strings because... well, because I can!

I've discovered my Dolphin will be in tune, but the C string will be sharp at the second fret. I'm still too scared to fix it, as I don't live anywhere near someone who can help me fix it if I go wrong and I can't buy another 'ukulele here. Is your 'uke in tune on open strings but out of tune up the keyboard? If so, perhaps your music shop can set it up properly. Definitely check out John's video (coolkayaker posted the link) -- actually it's a few videos -- and even if you don't do it yourself it is extremely informative.

I would say, you really need to learn to change strings. If I can do it, so can you. There are a number of videos, and some have been mentioned. Kala has one on their website as well. Watch as many times as you like before you start. I can assure you, the second time is MUCH easier than the first! The first time I changed my strings -- well, there was cursing involved. Just leave yourself plenty of time and accept it as a learning experience, and honestly, it will get better. But it does help you learn your way around the instrument. You might not want to have the grandkids around for the first string changing.

Oh, and Phil has a good point -- make sure the screws on the tuners are tight.

Good luck! Have fun! And welcome!
Lily

Yes...on a Makala you really need to have aquila strings on it. Try that route and see how it sounds, costs about $6 and you can do it yourself! Keep in mind that the aquila strings will need some time to stretch out and the uke will go out of tune quickly, just keep retuning!!

One thing that nobody has mentioned, is your battery in your tuner could be going. I have noticed that tuners will become inaccurate once the beattery is about to go. It's a longshot, but still a possibility. Also, when strings get stretched out too far and/or have become worn out then can sound out of tune. I came to ukulele from the guitar world, where stretching steel strings in normal when changing them to get them to settle faster, but tried this with ukulele strings one and the result were strings that sounded horrible and intonated horribly. a new set of strings make everything all better again.

i'd say buy a few sets of strings and teach yourself how to change them. it's like anything else you've dont for the first time. The first time you do it you'll feel like an idiot, but soon after you'll get the hang of it, and you won't have to rely on someone else doing it for you, plus you will gain more knowledge about your instrument and will help you be a better, more self-sufficient overall player. Plus, the ukulele you have is the best one to mess around with and experiment changing the strings on because it is such a low-end instrument. Better experiment on that one than a higher-end, more expensive instrument! This is your gateway uke!

Here's what I figured out. My G and C strings were tuned to G# and C#. I noticed this when I tried a tuner app- hadn't even noticed the pound sign on my tuner. I ended up talking to a guy we know that plays in a band and I mentioned this- he told me to retune it and make the pound signs go away. I did, and it sounds like my cute little uke again. It was no fun to play when it sounds bad.

I had already ordered Aquila strings. I'm not gonna bother restringing them right now.

I'm pretty excited to have it back to normal. This guy with the band wants to get together with me and show me a few things. I also found a uke club- trouble is its an hour from me. I'm thinking of going at least once to check it out.

Thought you would appreciate what a dumb mistake a beginner could make!

I so appreciate all of your suggestions, and I'm happy to have found this board.

Glad the problem is solved......now you can get back to playing!!!!