Buying online ukulele issuse

i bought an APC TS ukulele from amazon for 130 euros and it has some finishing issues that i dont like.

the top and the back and the neck are a bit scratched, the bridge is not perfectly straight, the edges are sharp and on the neck, right next to the fingerboard are paint scratches, it seems like when they sanded the neck some paint from the binding on the neck scratched the wood.

Ive played for like 30min and my fingers got black from the fingerboard
does that mean that the finger board is painted? because it should be ebony wood.

The ukulele is all solid acacia and it sound pretty good, but i really dont like the finishing issuse.
Am i exaggerating or not, should i return it?

I would like to know your opninon.

If it is not meeting your standards, return it.
The ebony fretboard thing is not common, but it is not totally out there. Ebony is not always all black. a lot of the time it has to be stained black.

Thanks for the answer and sorry, its not ebony it is african blackwood

If it sounds good enough you wont be looking at the imperfections playing it.

~peace~

that sounds like a lot of imperfections, it would have so sound really really really good to outweigh all that!

when you say edges are sharp, do you mean the ends of the frets? if the frets feel sharp on your hands when you slide your fingers up and down the neck, that is not good. it's fixable, but you should be able to get a playable and comfortable uke for the price you mention

i assume the bridge must be square and straight compared to the nut and frets, otherwise the intonation would not be good, and the uke would sound a bit off... uke body shapes are not always perfectly symmetrical, sometimes the bridge can look a bit off centre compared to the body of the uke, but so long as everything is good and straight and right with the regard to the nut and frets, it'll sound good

are you able to post photos of the finish problems?

i had some black paint come off on my hands on a painted uke i have, a beano uke, it was black edging along the edge of the neck, i thought at first that it was coming off the fingerboard but quickly realised it was coming off a line of black paint, painted over the red of the neck, over time it all came off! that line is grey now! and nothing comes off on my hands anymore! but if it's coming off the fingerboard on your uke, i don't think that sounds so great

i bought a d-walker short scale acoustic bass guitar from amazon and when it arrived it had damage to the headstock, i don't know if it happened in transit, the box didn't look damaged, i sent it back and re-ordered the instrument from thomann... amazon won't do much if anything in the way of checking out an instrument before dispatch, it may be best to return the uke and get something of a similar spec from a proper music store who will at least have a look over the instrument before sending it out... these issues you describe with the finish would make me think twice about getting another apc uke, i just watched a vid of one of them in action, it looked and sounded lovely, but what counts to you is, how is the one you received, it sounds like it has a lot of issues, even if it does sound ok...

Still suggest you to return to it. The best practice is still go to the shop and buy it, this is because you can feel the uke and tone. Well, just my humble opinion as i encounter this before and i ended up visiting the shop instead. Happy strumming!

One of the reasons I shop at Amazon (not for ukes though) is so I can return an item if need be without a hassle.

Thank you for taking time to answer. I wrote an email to the kompany telling them my situation. I asked them if i exchange mine, for a new one same model, if its going to have the same issues. It does sound really good, i dont think i can get an all solid uke for that price anywhere else.

Okay im keeping it, i dont care about the finish anymore as long as it sound good to me. This is what the company wrote to me:

Thanks for your contact and preference. Concerning the fingerboard, it can be normal. It is a liquid that we apply to protect the fingerboard. After awhile this will get dry, don't worry. Concerning the small scratch impression, it is "normal" but do not worry too, it is an instrument that is made by hand and sometimes you will see it, that is also the beauty of a genuine handmade instrument, isn't it?

Don't buy from Amazon, buy from a reputable ukulele dealer.

hoosierhiver said:

Don't buy from Amazon, buy from a reputable ukulele dealer.

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You couldn't do much better than purchasing from Mike (or another reputable dealer as suggested).

Mr.Andros said:

Okay im keeping it, i dont care about the finish anymore as long as it sound good to me. This is what the company wrote to me:

Thanks for your contact and preference. Concerning the fingerboard, it can be normal. It is a liquid that we apply to protect the fingerboard. After awhile this will get dry, don't worry. Concerning the small scratch impression, it is "normal" but do not worry too, it is an instrument that is made by hand and sometimes you will see it, that is also the beauty of a genuine handmade instrument, isn't it?

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For my money, that's the wrong answer to your email. Unless the sound of the uke was like a Choir of Angels, I'd return it and get one from a reputable source. But, it's up to you, and if you can live with it, then all is well.

However, why compromise?

Booli said:

For my money, that's the wrong answer to your email. Unless the sound of the uke was like a Choir of Angels, I'd return it and get one from a reputable source. But, it's up to you, and if you can live with it, then all is well.

However, why compromise?

Click to expand...

Yeah, after a few hours I decided to keep it, I picked it up and played it for a few minutes I had a bad feeling. I kept looking at it and I wasn't sure any more, so I prepared it to send it back and I'm going tomorrwo to a music store.

I'm glad you sent it back, then you'll have no regrets. Instrument builders/sellers need to know that customers won't accept half way goods. Try a reputable ukulele dealer like Mainland Ukuleles, MIMS Ukes, Hawaii Music Supply, Uke Republic, etc. Don't mess around with people who give you sorry excuses.

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