Paying a luthier

Hey all. I have a new Anueue (say that three times fast!) concert uke that has a buzz. I won it in a contest so paid nothing for it.

Now, usually I like a good buzz, but not this one. I've tried changing strings and diagnosing the problem myself, but to no avail.

So, I dropped it off this a.m. at a local luthier:
http://www.guitarhouseworkshop.com/

I am not any expert but it sure seems like he does good work. Walking in there is everything that Guitar Center, Sam Ash, etc. are not. It smells nice and even though it is very small, it's a lovely place to be.

So, I'm spending money on an otherwise free uke. We talked for a moment about how he is working to educate people that you might expect to pay more than $75 for a real live musical instrument.

I am doing my part to overcome the myth that the ukulele should be a cheap instrument.

You'll be glad to have a relationship with a luthier because you'll have other work later.
I know a luthier who charges a $25 surcharge to work on very cheap instruments because they're more likely to break under repair. I guess the luthier decides what merits that rating.

I found a uke on FMM that I liked at a very good price, so good that it was worth it to change out the tuners for PegHeds. Very happy now!

Way to to Pootsie. Hopefully he'll find the problem and hopefully after working on the Anueue he'll carry something other that Lanikai!

vanflynn said:

Way to to Pootsie. Hopefully he'll find the problem and hopefully after working on the Anueue he'll carry something other that Lanikai!

Click to expand...

He did express some interest in learning about the brand. Although the website doesn't show it, I did spy several new ukes under construction in his workshop.

He builds them himself and I think he carries the Lanakai because customers demand entry-level quality. That was part of the gist of our conversation.

the poor guy who walked in behind me had a shiny electric solid-body guitar ... in two pieces

Cool, tell him to post some pictures of his handy work.

The guy with the guitar wasn't Pete Townshend, was it?

So I picked up my uke yesterday and I am very happy. They do a good job there.

He made a new saddle a bit taller and in a slightly different configuration. I can still get the uke to buzz if I strum as hard as possible (what uke wouldn't--he told me as any pro does that nothing is 100% buzz-free) but as far as I am concerned it is fixed and most definitely to my satisfaction.

He also re-strung it with D'Addario J92 strings (Jake-approved) and I like the sound and feel of them very much. Some complain that they are too thick but I like that feel.

I am quite pleased to give this business some money--especially since it was all birthday cash woohoo thanks, family. It came in a tad under the original estimate (smart business!) and slightly under the birthday haul so still zero cost for a now-super uke.

Hey, everyone, go give money to a pro!

What model aNueNue is it? I have a Khaya III Mahogany.

That's great that your new uke is set up to your satisfaction! Nothing worse than a uke you don't want to play because of an issue like fret buzz.

Pay a luthier
...I usually drop-off my ukes under a fake name, and run out without paying when it's repaired!

Rubio MHS said:

What model aNueNue is it? I have a Khaya III Mahogany.

Click to expand...

Khaya II (concert). Light as a feather and sweet sound, all around joy to play.

dkpianoman21 said:

That's great that your new uke is set up to your satisfaction! Nothing worse than a uke you don't want to play because of an issue like fret buzz.

Click to expand...

I had a big sad keeping it in its case for so long
Now is have a happy all over

Paul December said:

Pay a luthier
...I usually drop-off my ukes under a fake name, and run out without paying when it's repaired!

Click to expand...

They know that yours are the ones with zero scuffs, dings or scratches.

I am a big proponent of using luthiers for our ukuleles. Not only do we get very good results, but we help keep their doors open, and they get the opportunity to develop a respect for us and our instruments.

Same topic – about ukulele repair – but not with a local luthier.

A few years ago I went to play my Santa Cruz mahogany concert and found a small crack in the center of the lower bout on the back. Colorado can be a hard place to keep good acoustic instruments alive and properly humidified (and fortunately, this is the only one of 8 instruments to suffer that fate).

And, I felt absolutely terrible.

My first thought for repair was to take it to a local luthier in Boulder that I’ve used before (with good success), but the thought occurred to me to call the Santa Cruz Guitar Company and ask their advice – who would they recommend?

So I called California early one morning, and I cannot tell you how surprised I was when Richard Hoover answered the phone! (If you are not familiar with Santa Cruz Guitars or Richard Hoover, he is one of the country’s true early pioneers of the guitar’s current golden age. Santa Cruz produces somewhere between 500 and 700 guitars each year, and their instruments are known for being some of the world’s finest steel-string guitars. And of course, they make ukuleles also.)

What a great guy – we spoke for 5 or 10 minutes before I got around to asking about getting the crack repaired. When I described what had happened he asked which ukulele I owned and where I had purchased it. After telling him, he immediately knew my instrument and began to tell me about it. (Many of us feel pretty connected to our special instruments and it was so cool to have the man who made it remember it and talk to me about it.)

To make this long story short, (I’ve already gone on longer than I should have), he suggested that I send the instrument back to them and let them fix the crack. Which I did, happily. While the uke was “visiting” California I received two phone calls from Santa Cruz to give me updates about how things were progressing (and that was especially nice – they called me, rather than me having to hound them!)

It took more than 4 weeks (as I remember) but the repair is so good it doesn’t look like there was ever a problem, except when held at one certain angle to the light – but that’s it, the crack is otherwise invisible. And, they did it for free! I’m not saying all makers will do this for free, but I was so upset when it happened and they just really took all of the pain away.

As a side, I’m not sure if Santa Cruz is still making ukuleles as part of their regular production, but I do know custom orders are still being taken. And trust me, their wood selection is second to none in the guitar industry (even Collings or Goodall) as is the quality of their build.

Not sure why I wanted to add my story to this thread, but maybe just to second the notion that a good repair is possible when the hands of the right luthier is doing the wonderful voodoo that they do.