Pineapple Sunday Ukulele

Hello,

I recently purchased a beautiful Pineapple Sunday ukulele, and I had a quick question for anyone else who owns one.

In between the sound hole and the bridge, there is a sort of "dent" or valley in the wood. Its a bit hard to describe, and it's somewhat subtle, but it is definitely there. Sort of like if you imagined that the wood was malleable, and someone put strings on and the tension sort of pulled the bridge down, making a dent in the wood between it and the sound hole.

To put it another way, if you were to put a ruler underneath the strings just above the bridge, it would not be flat against the wood because the wood sinks in there, and then levels back out as it reaches the sides of the ukulele. I took a couple pictures with a pencil across this area so you can see the small gap underneath.

I was writing to see if this is normal for the PS's? I know all the other ukes i've seen have been flat across the top, not indented... The uke sounds good I think (I'm a beginner so who knows), so I was just curious. I want to be sure the uke hasn't warped somehow or something.

Ryan

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?66633-Kanilea-bellying&highlight=Bellying

This is a thread about Kanilea bellying. Pineapple Sundays have a tendency to have dishing, or bellying, too. The above thread has some information about dishing. KoAloha has a lifetime warranty for the original owner (according to their online policy) and most have found that--at least to date--they have honored warranty for any owner, even without receipt. So, if it becomes excessive (as discussed exhaustively in that past thread), or if the soundboard cracks, they'll replace it. If it does not, it won;t affect things.

Ah, thank you so much for that reply! Now I know what it's called at least. I sent them an email, but I think I'm going to go ahead and call Koaloha tomorrow to get some more information.

ryanshanabarger said:

Ah, thank you so much for that reply! Now I know what it's called at least. I sent them an email, but I think I'm going to go ahead and call Koaloha tomorrow to get some more information.

Click to expand...

yes, they will help you. no question. likely will want photos by email.

dishing or bellying.

aloha, ryan.

If you look closely, you will see this effect on many top end ukes. You describe it as "somewhat subtle", and as I understand those words, it is nothing to worry about. The wood is malleable, and the tension of the strings naturally deforms it slightly. Provided the bridge is not visibly leaning towards the soundhole, it should be fine.

I have a 1950s Martin Style 1 soprano with a noticeable degree of bellying. It hasn't got any worse in the six years I've known it, it sounds great, it is long out of guarantee - I'm happy.

Well I might expect it on a 64 year old instrument like that, but on such a new one? And you can see that the bridge leans towards the dip when you look at it from the side. I also noticed that the bottom edge of the bridge doesn't seem to be solidly glued across the bottom anymore either. Particular on one corner it's lifted up a little.

Koaloha answered my email before I could call them, so kudos to them on the speed, but he said it was normal for the Ukes because of the pressed design... Does this sound right to the other pineapple Sunday owners? If it happens to all of them after a couple years, then I won't worry about it. But if its actually abnormal I'd probably want to get it fixed right?

It is a matter of degree (literally). Some amount of bellying is perfectly acceptable, even on a brand new uke. How much is too much? That's the big question.

I have the same "issue" on both a Soprano T1 and my PS Koalohas.

For me, I think it's normal and neither has shown any signs of getting worse in the last two years that I've had them. The only way I can really tell is by the glare from the overhead lights.

For me I don't worry about it, since it's a natural "Settling" of the wood. And I know Full well that "Papa" and the Koaloha family will take care of it should it get worse and become a real issue. They've been known to repair old 2nd or 3rd owned Koalohas under warranty in the Aloha spirit that they are known for.

I guess the only downside is if I were to put them for sale, it would diminish the value in the eyes of a prospective buyer, but I have no plans to ever sell the 3 Koalohas that I have.

So I think it's really a personal decision to pursue this further at this time... in any case you have a very special and unique instrument, and something to be cherished and enjoyed.

Warm Regards,
Ivan

bellying from what ive read is normal, do you get any buzzing when playing? . but I do have a Pineapple Sunday as well, I will check and let you know if mine has that problem.

To answer the question, no buzzing is being caused by it as far as I can tell.

Is it normal for the bottom edge of the bridge to not have a solid line of contact with the wood? As in, the bridge lifting up a bit separating from the body? I can put a piece of paper under one of the corners about 1/4 of an inch under. I mean it seems solid to me, but is it normal for that to happen too? I wouldn't want the bridge to slowly come off.

And for the record it is cased at night with a humidifier in the case, and only has seen worth clear strings.

Ryan

Here are a couple pics so you can judge the lifting of the bridge. It's obviously not extreme, but I don't know what's normal or what constitutes a need for repair.

this obviously bothers you, and it should. it's new and should have been inspected by the maker. wood is a dynamic material and some things just happen even though the maker did every thing right. i would send it back so the maker can fix the problem while you play a new one.

A partially detached or lifting bridge is not acceptable, and the instrument should be returned for repair or preferably relacement.

I must say, I feel strongly that you are being unfair to KoAloha. You know they have a watertight guarantee, so if there is anything wrong with the uke, you should deal directly with them, confidentially. To air the problem on an open forum is unneccessary and unethical.

I know you will say you were just looking for guidance from more experienced enthusiasts. However, there was no need for you to seek the opinions of others in such a public fashion.

I don't think the original poster was singling out Koaloha. it would be an uphill battle to do so as Koaloha is known for excellent service.

This topic has been discussed on various threads here at UU, and different Uke owners have different levels of what the consider normal or not.

A partially detached bridge to me is a problem but slight cosmetic bellying is quite common and acceptable.

UU is a great community to seek advise, and knowledge as long as posters remain civil and friendly which this thread seems to be.

Aloha :shaka:

ukantor said:

A partially detached or lifting bridge is not acceptable, and the instrument should be returned for repair or preferably relacement.

I must say, I feel strongly that you are being unfair to KoAloha. You know they have a watertight guarantee, so if there is anything wrong with the uke, you should deal directly with them, confidentially. To air the problem on an open forum is unneccessary and unethical.

I know you will say you were just looking for guidance from more experienced enthusiasts. However, there was no need for you to seek the opinions of others in such a public fashion.

Click to expand...

Hello,

Original poster: "I recently purchased a beautiful Pineapple Sunday ukulele, and I had a quick question for anyone else who owns one.

(describes dishing)

I was writing to see if this is normal for the PS's? "

Perfectly legitimate, non-judgmental and appropriate question.

The OP IS singling out KoAloha in that a possibly faulty KoAloha is the subject of the post. If he had asked about dishing/bellying and detached bridges without specifying the make and model, I would find his question acceptable for public discussion. As it is, this thread could arouse considerable negativity in the minds of potential customers, when all the OP had to do was direct his query to the manufacturer.

You are, of course, entitled to your own opinions on this.

Okay, let me be clear "ukantor",

I am not singling out Koaloha, I was singling out this particular model of ukulele. I wanted to know if it was normal for Pineapple Sunday ukuleles. It has nothing to do with Koaloha, it has to do with this particular ukulele.

I am new and didn't even know what "bellying" was, so how can you suggest that it's an inappropriate question to ask if this is normal?

So far Koaloha has responded to my email much faster than expected, and not only addressed my question, but offered to seek further help if needed and also mentioned that this would be covered under the warranty if I was unsatisfied. So I have nothing bad to say about Koaloha.

You have a very weirdly defensive standpoint considering nothing at all has been said negatively about this model or Koaloha in general. In fact, many people have pointed out their great customer service, and how beautiful this model is in particular.

So while I appreciate you taking the time to read my posts, I would very much like it if you could do less censoring, and more helping like the rest of the members here. Thanks

P.S. Even if it WAS a negative post (which it was not) it most certainly wouldn't be inappropriate to post about it on a forum like this in a respectful manner. If people are coming here for advice about brands, models etc, they should get an unbiased view not a purely praising view. If the only comments ever posted about any brand were good, then we'd have no way to get information about them to compare. So not only is your particular complaint about this post incorrect because so far I like Koaloha and their service, your logic behind that complaint is suspect as well.

Again, let me be clear to any future customers:

So far the information I've gotten is that this is somewhat normal for a belly to develop eventually, and is mostly cosmetic unless extreme (which this is not).

And as for Koaloha, I have read nothing but good reviews, and the email that they quickly sent me in reply to my questions was well-thought out and addressed my problem, while offering further help and guaranteeing my satisfaction.

So Koaloha = just fine! No worries.

And this forum = great for the free exchange of information about ukuleles

We all need some aloha spirit here.. I suggest we all prepare a nice glass of lemonade, pickup your favorite UKe Be it a PS or a Dolphin, and go outside to sit and play the afternoon away.

And actually the subject of the post is simply "Pineapple Sunday Ukulele" Which was general enough to make me curious enough to check it out. I know I would have freaked out about mine, if I had not read similar threads about bellying in the past. specifically about these wonderful ukes having this unique "personality" trait.


:cheers::music::rock:

"ryanshanabarger" may I ask how I am being weirdly defensive? In my view it is you who are now defending your decision to air this matter in public, and to name KoAloha. All you had to do was take it up with the manufacturer.

I believe my responses to your query were friendly, informative and appropriate. It is a pity you cannot see the logic of my mild rebuke.

BTW I think you mean "censure" not "censor"