New Uke Day!

Concertina

Concertina

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So...this is kind of a sad post :(

It is indeed a new uke day for me...but I'm looking for a little bit of advice.

I bought an Alulu concert pineapple on Ebay. And it's beautiful, and gorgeous, and it sounds pretty amazing...but...

The E string buzzes. Alone and down the neck some.

Should I send it back? It comes with a pretty hefty shipping fee...$60. Or should I fix it? Can I fix it? I've never done any type of repair on an instrument before. The last time I had this problem it was with my Eddy Finn and the guy I brought it to just sent it back to the manufacturer.

I know I'm being a little bit of a tantrumey kid here...I'm really resisting screaming I JUST WANNA PLAY MY UUUUUUKE. (John would kick my butt...) but really, what should I do?
 
I think that kind of depends on how much you spent on the uke? 60 to ship back a $2000 uke sure, $200 probably not if it were me. Depending on how much I paid I might be willing to try and fix it myself......or it might justify paying a luthier. You already have one really simple suggestion. That one couldn't hurt anything to try. Let us know how it works out for you and best of luck in whatever you decide to do.
 
Although I haven't ever looked into this too deeply myself, it it my understanding that nuts are pretty cheap and should be pretty easy to replace yourself. Determine the width of your nut and then google around for suppliers. Then, you could try your hand at filing down the notch on that pesky E string slot.
 
Tried the paper shim...didn't work...tried more paper...still didn't work...
I'm really glad I tried that though...now I know how easy that is, I can try it again in the future.


vanflynn said:
Different strings might solve it too.
Click to expand...


I thought that might be the case also...but if I have to send it back...I don't know if I want to go messing with the strings. Maybe though...if I can fix it for $6 instead of $60...it will be worth it. It sounds like the buzz is coming from the tuner...is that odd?? I thought maybe it was just loose but it doesn't really seem to be...*shrugs*
 
Captain Simian said:
There may be a kink in the string. Run your finger underneath the string and see if you feel any bumps. If the uke has geared tuners maybe it's a loose button?
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll try that. Also going to try to change the strings now. I talked to taisamlu and he said just to take it to a luthier and he'd cover the cost. How cool is that??
 
Ouch, I feel your pain! Buzzes can be extremely difficult to diagnose if it's not something extremely obvious. I understand the frustration you must be feeling. Is the bridge completely glued down on all corners? (That can create a vibration against the soundboard.) If you tap the fleshy part of your thumb around the top, do you hear any loose braces rattling? Checking the top, back, and sides in the light, can you see any cracks?
 
JamieWG said:
Ouch, I feel your pain! Buzzes can be extremely difficult to diagnose if it's not something extremely obvious. I understand the frustration you must be feeling. Is the bridge completely glued down on all corners? (That can create a vibration against the soundboard.) If you tap the fleshy part of your thumb around the top, do you hear any loose braces rattling? Checking the top, back, and sides in the light, can you see any cracks?
Click to expand...

Nope...no cracks...and it's made very solidly. I've found where it's coming from...there is something loose in the tuner...but it's got a casing on it. I've tried to open it up, but the screws are a little stripped. Gonna bring it to my local music shop and see if he can repair it.
 
Concertina said:
Nope...no cracks...and it's made very solidly. I've found where it's coming from...there is something loose in the tuner...but it's got a casing on it. I've tried to open it up, but the screws are a little stripped. Gonna bring it to my local music shop and see if he can repair it.
Click to expand...

Sometimes the buzzing from tuners can be the washers on the front of the headstock which can be tightened quite easily. The buzz can appear to be in that area and the natural assumption is something is buzzing inside the tuners - but if can be on the other side of the headstock.
 
Glad you found it - I was going to suggest it might be under-humidified.
 
Took it around the corner to the music shop and he fixed it in literally 30 seconds. I was having canniptions for no reason! Plus now I love that guy.

Thank you all for the amazing help!
 
There is usually someone in the area (music shop/luthier, etc.) who can take a look and often make quick work of a fix. We have a luthier/repair guy locally and we take every thing to him when needed. When you find someone like that, make them your friend and hold 'em close! : )
 
Congrats! What did he do to fix it?
 
Wow that's one heck of a pineapple uke. Very pretty and sounds good too. Enjoy!!
 
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