Venneman
Well-known member
I know, WTH am I doing buying a starter ukulele at Guitar Center for, and why am I complaining?
I bought the uke starter pack for my 13-year-old son. It arrived last night, we picked it up, and as soon as we got home we opened up the boxes and got right to tuning the uke. Out of the box, not even five minutes in, as my son is tightening the G string, SNAP! Already down a string! Bummed but determined to get him playing, I tuned the other three strings. Almost instantly, I saw the pegs spinning, unwinding. WTH, I mutter as I tighten once more, only to have them unwind again. I flip the unit over and find small screws at the tops of the pegs. I call for a screwdriver and tighten the screws, realizing they added friction to hold the pegs in place. Now tuned and down a string, I hand my ukulele over to my son, vowing to let him practice on mine while we get his instrument fixed.
Lesson learned: DO NOT buy a starter kit from Guitar Center without having them set it up first, if they even offer to do that for ukuleles. Better decision, go back to the Denver Folklore Center where I bought my instrument, put down the extra cash, and buy an instrument that is set up, ready to play, better quality, and helps support local businesses.
For the folks at the Denver Folklore Center, I will come by this weekend for face slaps and mocking, as I hope you are willing to fix the string.
I do have to say, the gig bag is actually decent, and I could have fun just playing the pitch pipe. Ukulele is by Rogue, and at this price I suppose I don't care if it gets trashed. Good thing I bought the warranty to cover everything from broken strings to having the youngest kid sit on it.
I bought the uke starter pack for my 13-year-old son. It arrived last night, we picked it up, and as soon as we got home we opened up the boxes and got right to tuning the uke. Out of the box, not even five minutes in, as my son is tightening the G string, SNAP! Already down a string! Bummed but determined to get him playing, I tuned the other three strings. Almost instantly, I saw the pegs spinning, unwinding. WTH, I mutter as I tighten once more, only to have them unwind again. I flip the unit over and find small screws at the tops of the pegs. I call for a screwdriver and tighten the screws, realizing they added friction to hold the pegs in place. Now tuned and down a string, I hand my ukulele over to my son, vowing to let him practice on mine while we get his instrument fixed.
Lesson learned: DO NOT buy a starter kit from Guitar Center without having them set it up first, if they even offer to do that for ukuleles. Better decision, go back to the Denver Folklore Center where I bought my instrument, put down the extra cash, and buy an instrument that is set up, ready to play, better quality, and helps support local businesses.
For the folks at the Denver Folklore Center, I will come by this weekend for face slaps and mocking, as I hope you are willing to fix the string.
I do have to say, the gig bag is actually decent, and I could have fun just playing the pitch pipe. Ukulele is by Rogue, and at this price I suppose I don't care if it gets trashed. Good thing I bought the warranty to cover everything from broken strings to having the youngest kid sit on it.