Do Uke's ever need a neck rest? (Neck angle questions)

[8daypsalmist]

Just bought my first Ukulele used here on the Forum. Seemed like the action was a little high so I emailed the Distributer to find out what factory spec should be. Guitar player for years, I am used to action of 4/64 to 6/64 at the 12th fret (normal factory spec for most acoustic guitar manufacturers).

The action on this uke was about 7 to 8/64, so I sanded the bottom of the saddle down slightly, trying to get to 5/64 (took care of some sharp fret ends while I was at it). Not getting there - I'm just a smidge above 6/64 and running out of saddle. There needs to be enough break angle for the string to push down over the saddle and if I go further I'm gonna loose that.

Usually, when you sight down the fretboard of a guitar (from the headstock to the bridge), the plane (or straightedge, if you have one) should meet perfectly at the place where the saddle begins to protrude from the bridge. On older guitars, years of neck tension can begin to shift the neck, causing that plane to begin to point south of that point. Hence, action raises. Adjust action by filing bottom saddle until there is no saddle left and then, the only options are remove and shave the bridge or reset the neck.

Shouldn't Uke neck angle's be the same as guitar? Do nylon strings really exert enough tension to pull the neck that bad? What alternative might I have? It is not an expensive enough instrument to warrant an expensive repair like a neck reset.

Thanks for your help!

Peace,

James

 

[olgoat52]

I think 3/32 is fine for action at the 12th. Nylon string instruments are always higher action than steel.

As you say, it is your first uke, so I'm not sure what your expectations are but they might be a little unreasonable.

Adjust the nut slots if necessary and start playing it.

 

[8daypsalmist]

Thanks olgoat52 for your reply and your insight!

The nut is cut correctly and is fine. I guess my "expectation" would be that a Uke brand with a good reputation around here that is around a year old and in the $200-300 range would be built with a correct neck angle and if not, the QC dept would reject it prior to being put into stock. If the neck angle was correct when sold to the first owner and the neck has shifted in one year, then I have a different problem in that it may keep shifting forward and in another year I have a nice piece of firewood. Yes, I can do fine with 6/64 (3/32) action - but if it gets worse I have no saddle left for adjustment. Plus, I wanted to take it down to 5/64, so my teenage grandaughter could fret it with ease. I'm not thinking that is "unreasonable".

You are correct, this is my first Uke, but I started playing string instruments when the British invaded America and have owned many since the. I do know how a well made instrument should play

Peace,

James

 

[deezukes]

Is it possible to get down to 5/64 on a ukulele? I also asked last time as I also came from a guitar background. but the common thing I found out was I will get used to it sooner than later. Do you get buzzing on 3/32 right now?

Also, anyone know how low the action is on Aldrines ukes he plays in the videos as I see that he presses those high frets with ease. It seems his is lower than 3/32"

 

[GVlog]

The rule of "6-and-4 out the door" (i.e. action of 6/64" on the 6th string and 4/64" on the 1st string) applies only to steel-stringed guitars. Nylon strings have lower tension, vibrate wider and need more clearance.

7/64 is as low as I would go.

 

[mojones]

I'm in the same position - I came to ukulele from guitar and have always struggled to get the action as low as I'd like for fast playing. I have run into exactly the same problem as you have - the neck angle on many ukes is too shallow and it's hard to get the saddle low enough while maintaining break angle. Two tips: tying the string onto the bridge in the traditional way actually lifts up the string slightly, reducing the break angle. If you tie some beads onto the ends of your strings thus:

http://www.ianchadwick.com/ukuleles/images/ukulele/misc/beads_01.jpg

then you might find that you can sand down the saddle some more. A more drastic measure that I've tried in the past is to sand/plane down the top of the bridge itself (not the saddle) so that the saddle protrudes further for a given height, as described here:

http://www.frets.com/fretspages/Luthier/Technique/Ukulele/CutUkeBridge/cutukebridge.html

Needless to say, this is very much an at-your-own-risk procedure, as it structurally weakens the bridge and could lead to catastrophic failure!

One final thing to mention is that, while pretty much all ukes come from the factory with a high action, the range of adjustment seems to vary between manufacturers, so you might have better luck with a different brand next time. In my experience, Kala ukuleles have a very high action, even when adjusted as much as possible. My Korala and Lanikai ukes are much better - but I have only ever owned one of each, so I can't be confident if this is a general rule.