Typical Newb Questions: Which Uke & problem with fret buzz

Hiya from the land of Oz, or Australia, the land down under! I am a total newb re ukuleles, though been playing instruments most of my life. Here are my total noob questions:

Currently I have a Lanikai CK-T Tenor. I switched it to Low G tuning cos I couldn't handle the idea of the bottom string not being lowest Over the past 3 days a buzzing on that string has gotten worse - is this because the wire-wound G is biting into the nut too far? I should say these are Aquilla Nylgut strings.

And the good ol' "Which ukulele should I buy" question:
Luna Orchid solid Koa Concert, a Kala Golden Acacia (with eq) or Luna Dolphin concert? I love the blue of the Dolphin, and I'd like an electric (do not ask me why, there is no logic to this)
I am new to ukulele and don't expect to ever be much good at it.

Your experienced & considered responses are humbly invited.

The buzzing string could be a lot of things. The first thing I would try is putting a bit of paper under the string at the nut - if this eliminates the problem you are looking at the string being too low and buzzing against the frets. However, since it's a wound string it could be fraying somewhere along its length. Examine it closely along the entire length.

Of the ukes you list none is going to necessarily be "best" or "worst" (assuming you really mean Luna Dolphin and not Makala Dolphin - LOL). In this price range there is a lot of variability so one sample of one of them could wipe the floor with the others, take a different set of samples and the situation could be completely reversed. Also, buying ukes in this range it is very important to order from a dedicated uke retailer who will set them up (unless you have the tools and know-how to adjust the depth of nut slots, sand saddles, and in rare cases even level the frets).

John

Thanks John. Lol, yes I meant the Luna Dolphin, not the Makala. I'll check for fraying - I noticed there are marks where the string touches the frets, is that an issue? If the string looks okay I'll try the paper tip - if it works, do I leave the paper there or is there a more permanent solution?

OldePhart said:

Also, buying ukes in this range it is very important to order from a dedicated uke retailer who will set them up (unless you have the tools and know-how to adjust the depth of nut slots, sand saddles, and in rare cases even level the frets).

Click to expand...

Because of my location I'll be buying online, probably on ebay. As far as I know, there isn't anyone locally who would set one up prior to sale.

I have experience with adjusting cello bits & pieces. I converted my DH's cheap soprano to left-handed ( the plastic bridge was oddly moulded to take the C string, so I had to reverse & sand it). I'm not afraid to have a go, but not frets!

Katz-in-Boots said:

Thanks John. Lol, yes I meant the Luna Dolphin, not the Makala. I'll check for fraying - I noticed there are marks where the string touches the frets, is that an issue? If the string looks okay I'll try the paper tip - if it works, do I leave the paper there or is there a more permanent solution?



Because of my location I'll be buying online, probably on ebay. As far as I know, there isn't anyone locally who would set one up prior to sale.

I have experience with adjusting cello bits & pieces. I converted my DH's cheap soprano to left-handed ( the plastic bridge was oddly moulded to take the C string, so I had to reverse & sand it). I'm not afraid to have a go, but not frets!

Click to expand...

If the marks are fairly deep then it is probably time to change your strings anyway. It's sort of a judgement thing so hard to define. I recommend that you try new strings first off - that is the easiest thing to try. When you put the new strings on get in the habit of examining them closely every few days for a while - that way you'll get a feel for how fast those "dimples" appear in the strings and how rapidly they deepen - and how the strings look when they begin to go "off."

John

The strings are new - I put the wound low G on myself as soon as I got it, only a few weeks ago. Only the G has the marks.

Katz-in-Boots said:

The strings are new - I put the wound low G on myself as soon as I got it, only a few weeks ago. Only the G has the marks.

Click to expand...

Oh...those marks show up very quickly on wound strings. Wound strings do wear much faster than unwound strings, though. Sometimes the winding even breaks and begins to unravel and it's definitely time to change it then.

A lot of people buy a set of strings and then single wound strings. Even with Aquilas I've found that about a 3:1 ratio seems to apply (i.e. going through about 3 wound strings during the life of the rest of the set). With Fluorcarbon strings the ratio is much higher.

John

These are Aquilla Nylguts. Are there any low G strings that are not wound but are stable? I'm finding the Nylguts very hard on my fingers, have to build some callouses so I can play longer.