New Uke wood splitting in multiple places

Dwave

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:mad:

This uke is new! Within the last 7-8 days I have had this name brand Hawaiian solid mahogany ukulele from a well known dealer. 4 splits have appeared in the wood today and this thing is falling apart. I do not want to mention the brand but is well known as well as the dealer. Can’t reach them today as they are closed, but I have reviewed there return policy and it is very limited.

Any thoughts?
 
Certainly follow up with the dealer soon as you can. Sounds like you may have a humidification problem. I would get a humidifier in the case with the uke right away. A damp sponge in a ziplock bag with some holes in it would work too. Best of luck with it.
 
Wait till mOnday, usually the good dealers DO NOT want negative reviews of their wares. Good luck. If you do not get satisfaction I would be interested in knowing what part of the country you live, (climate) & the name of dealer
 
Certainly follow up with the dealer soon as you can. Sounds like you may have a humidification problem. I would get a humidifier in the case with the uke right away. A damp sponge in a ziplock bag with some holes in it would work too. Best of luck with it.

I have a Kamaka tenor and an Ohana tenor in the same room and I looked them over real close because that was my first thought but they are fine. If this would have happened to my Kamaka I think I would have jumped out the window.
 
I don't know about your particular situation and where you are living, but a humidity problem at this time of the year seems very unlikely.

I have had two tenor mahogany ukes crack, one clearly not a humidity problem and one where humidity might, might, have been a problem. Both were built in very high humidity areas of the world. I have had three other mahogany ukes w/o any problems and all are lightly built.

My guess, not a problem at your end.
 
Unusual for only having it a week and having so many cracks. Played it this morning around 10 am no issues; at 2 in the afternoon went to play it and discovered the cracks/splits. 4 so far in total, two on the top at the butt under bridge that follow the grain lines, two on the back and on at least 10 inches long. It is very lightly made compared to others I have owned. I really liked it real Hawaiian traditional sound and simple very vintage looking. Hope I can get this resolved with the dealer.
 
Anxiously waiting to find out the brand of the " name brand Hawaiian solid mahogany ukulele "
 
Yeah, I can't believe it. I have owned other lesser mahogany ukes and this never happened with them. I understand that cracks and splits can happen but this happened so quickly and so extensive. I just want it resolved fairly.
 
Yeah, I can't believe it. I have owned other lesser mahogany ukes and this never happened with them. I understand that cracks and splits can happen but this happened so quickly and so extensive. I just want it resolved fairly.

I have never heard of a new uke self-destruct like yours. Wow! In only a week too. I'm assuming it wasn't made in Hawaii.
 
I remember you living in Socal, somewhere in San Diego as you were looking for a luthier. It's been windy the last couple of days so very dry. For instance, I'm checking out San Diego and it's 5% humidity right now and 26% in Cerritos, where I live. There has been a red flag warning since Friday in San Diego as it will be 5 - 15% humidity most of the day and only rising up to 25% some hours in the night. That's horrible for any wooden instrument.

I think if you haven't kept it in your case with a humidifier, that could be the reason. When you say in the same room, that doesn't sound like it's been in the case but I could be over reading your comment.
 
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All have been cased and I checked them all out this is the only one with any issues. We have had many Santa Ana type red flag days this year and I don't have humidifiers for my Kamaka, Ohana, two guitars all the other ukes I've owned and no issues. Anyway, I would agree that it is dry and that most likely is the culprit but there is more to it than that. There are 6 splits now, one at least 7 inches and now the center back seem appears to be spliting.

Yes this uke was built in Hawaii.
 
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Maybe the West Coast uke shop didn't store it properly. Could be a combination of factors. Sounds like you have a new uke coming to you
 
Is it possible that your other ukes have acclimated to the dry weather slowly and that the new one cracked because it came from very high humidity to very low humidity suddenly?
 
I remember you living in Socal, somewhere in San Diego as you were looking for a luthier. It's been windy the last couple of days so very dry. For instance, I'm checking out San Diego and it's 5% humidity right now and 26% in Cerritos, where I live. There has been a red flag warning since Friday in San Diego as it will be 5 - 15% humidity most of the day and only rising up to 25% some hours in the night. That's horrible for any wooden instrument.

I think if you haven't kept it in your case with a humidifier, that could be the reason. When you say in the same room, that doesn't sound like it's been in the case but I could be over reading your comment.

5% RH explains a lot. Nominal RH limits without humidifying or dehumidifying are ~40% to ~60% RH, IMHO.

Some fairly recent, well known, mahogany ukes (made in a non-controlled environment in Thailand) developed cracks when not living in acceptable RH locations. So, with 5% RH, I would expect cracks. Kudos to Kamaka and Ohana for surviving. Heck, even my fingers can get a little dry and cracked in that low of RH.
 
Man, dampen a sponge and throw it in a ziplock bag with a few holes in it. Slip it in the case and stop the bleeding! You should be humidifying wooden instruments of any kind in RH like that.
 
This stuff shouldn't happen. And when it does happen, it should happen over a much longer period of time.
Proper RH or not.

I have no idea but that's like saying nothing will happen if you keep your uke in the trunk on a hot day since it's only a couple of hours.
 
I have no idea but that's like saying nothing will happen if you keep your uke in the trunk on a hot day since it's only a couple of hours.

I will respectfully disagree. This winds up being more about builders cutting a corner and using woods that aren't ready for production than it is about an instrument not being at the right RH for a few days.

With today's current techniques, glues, and finishes, no acoustic instrument should start to implode after a few days of being
at the wrong RH.
 
If a uke cracks on the top or back plate due to extremes in humidity, once the crack happens and the pressure is relieved, that should be the end of it. If the plate continues to crack in multiple areas, that says to me the wood was not seasoned when the uke was built and the wood is now drying out. I have seen this in many ukes from Thailand and that part of the world.

If I were the OP, I would avoid ukes from that maker or company, or at least that kind of wood.
 
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