Help! Mya Moe with a spruce top developing a crease

UkerDrew

UkerDrew

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I just purchased this baritone less than a month ago and I just noticed this crease in the top (see images) midway between the soundhole and the waist. I swear I haven't bumped it or dropped it but it looks like something that would happen with blunt force trauma of some sort. It was shipped to me in the original case and was packed securely. It hasn't been out of the case except when I play it.

At this point I don't think it's a crack and I definitely don't want it to become one.

My side lighting magnifies the appearance. It's virtually undetectable from the front under normal lighting conditions.

1. How should something like this be stabilized and

2. How will that affect the tone?

2015-08-18 07.56.18.jpg2015-08-18 07.56.55.jpg
 
You might ask the good folks at Mya-Moe. They may be able to answer your question or fix it for you.

Maybe it is humidity related.
 
Doc_J said:
You might ask the good folks at Mya-Moe. They may be able to answer your question or fix it for you.
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Yeah Andrew...what Doc said. Go to the source mate. You're pretty close to them anyway where you are. And don't forget that Aaron is a member here also. All the best with it brother.
 
That's a shame because I sure love the tone of that uke, your version of Come together in last weeks SOTU was fantastic. Wishing you the best luck with the problem.
 
It probably just needs a brand-new top, is all.

Just kidding, librarian. I think it might need a cleat, even if not cracking yet, to stabilize it. It's in an accessible location, which is great, and it's a baritone, so my experience has been that the soundboard is big and vibrating enough that a cleat shouldn't perceptibly affect sound. The key is the length of the cleat and positioning, likely perpendicular to the dip/bow. I'm not a luthier, though (just a guy with a few uke cleats).

I third what Doc and Jon suggest for best answers. Best to you in ukes and life. Please do follow up this thread, whatever you do, to edjumacate us all. Thanks.
 
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Thanks all I will reach out to Aaron and get his advice. If he does consider it an easy fix I would be happy to drive it over there. It would give me a great excuse for a visit anyway. I will follow up.
 
librainian said:
Thanks all I will reach out to Aaron and get his advice. If he does consider it an easy fix I would be happy to drive it over there. It would give me a great excuse for a visit anyway. I will follow up.
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Don't hesitate to contact Mya Moe. My experience with their customer service is fantastic. No doubt in my mind they will fix it.
 
I got a prompt response from them. Step one, remove the string tension! Why didn't I immediately do that? Duh! I am going to hand deliver this to the shop as soon as I can and they will hopefully be able to make quick work of the problem.

Fingers crossed...
 
librainian said:
I got a prompt response from them. Step one, remove the string tension! Why didn't I immediately do that? Duh! I am going to hand deliver this to the shop as soon as I can and they will hopefully be able to make quick work of the problem.

Fingers crossed...
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Great news Andrew.
 
Gordon mentioned the recommend Worths for their baritones and that the set I used looked like it might be to high a tension. I selected D'addario Nyltechs with a total set tension of 42.685 ft/lbs in standard DGBE tuning. Is this unusually high for a baritone set? The string diameters are certainly different but I did not experience and intonation problems and it sounded great with them. Does anyone know what the Worth BB and CB set tensions are? I couldn't find ft/lb ratings for their strings anywhere except on tenor and below sizes.

I would hate to think I caused this with a simple string change.
 
I install strings sets based on the build. Most of my Spruce tops will get high tension Savarez or D'addario, and the hardtops will get normal Savarez, generally. Worths are too soft for me, even their high tensions. I've read Aquilas are higher tension, but from all the Worths I've tried, everything seems to be higher tension that Worth.

How does this relate? If I string an instrument with high tension, but it was built for normals, the top will belly below the bridge, but normally won't concave above the bridge.

I notice yours is strung left handed? My bracing pattern is not the same from the bass side to the treble side. Not sure if this relates to your instrument, just throwing it out there.
 
good info kekani thanks! actually, this instrument is strung right handed. this particular set has a B string that is noticeably thicker than the wound G string. it felt off at first but it sounded very warm and balanced. i wont be trying them again until i am sure the tension did not cause or ccontribute to this problem.
 
Mxyzptik said:
That's a shame because I sure love the tone of that uke, your version of Come together in last weeks SOTU was fantastic. Wishing you the best luck with the problem.
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thanks! I appreciate that. I miss playing this already! I havent been "Bari-less" for a long time. The withdrawal symptoms are already setting in :wallbash:
 
The Mya-moe I received in April this year was flawless, really. And it has a beautiful unique tone also. I truly believe the folks at Mya-moe work at continual process and product improvement. Their ukes are made by hand so they might not all be absolutely perfect.
 
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If you ever decide to compare the overall tonal quality of a Mya Moe with a Bricklove and find the latter to be superior, I have an old drum kit made of pie tins and upside-down cleaning buckets that might interest you, Johnson. ;)
 
Just a bit of perspective:
This kind of thing happens. Did string tension contribute? Maybe. Was there a defect in the wood? Possibly. Was humidity and/or lack thereof a problem? Could be. Did the wood suffer some kind of accident before or after assembly? Perhaps. We can't know exactly what the contributing factors are.
What we know for certain is that this happens to wooden musical instruments. In fact, it will eventually happen to all of them. It just happened to yours in the first hundred years of its life.
Your luthier can fix it. Mya Moe can fix it (and they might give you a deal on the repair). Going forward (after your repair) all you can do is humidify/dehumidify as well as you can, and consult Mya Moe about appropriate string tension. And I think only Mya Moe, because Gordon has superior knowledge regarding string tension, and he built the ukulele.
Then you hope it doesn't happen again. (It will, but hopefully after your children have passed it down to their grandchildren) Your ukulele was a great instrument when it was built. And it still is.
 
I just want to clarify something. This uke is #798 built 3 years ago. i bought her used last month through the forum. the build quality in terms of the appearance looks excellent. I have no idea how this happened - if it was pre-existing, if it happened during shipment, if i carlessly bumped it and didn't notice, or if there is some sort of build issue. Speculating before I give them a chance to look at it is pointless.

My primary concern is fixing it and playing it because it looks beautiful and plays wonderfully and sounds great. They responded to me right away and are going to fix it despite it being out of warranty and not with the original owner. So, no I am not interested in returning it because I love it. As long as I can keep it and play it that's all I care about. I appreciate everyone's thoughts and concern.
 
I have experienced that same great customer service from MM even though I was the 2nd owner and the instrument was 4 years old. It wasn't a major issue but still, I greatly appreciated their immediate willingness to put things right which they did in a very timely fashion. Mya Moe is a company that is committed to great customer service.
 
I just examined my MM to see if I could find any flaws in the build. The only thing I could come up with is a tiny bit more shine where the neck meets the top [well I had to come up with something]. I wish I could say that about my other expensive uke [which shall remain nameless]. The neck is about the most comfortable I've ever played, effortless to fret. Keep up the good work MM.
 
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