The Logical Next Step

Seeing as it is an inexpensive ukulele if you have ever built a model or put on makeup you likely have the dexterity to pull off your own setup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbp7dApxAuE Diagnosis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGGz14ohX9Y Repair

Check out those two videos and decide if you want to try fixing things yourself. Their is another guy fixing a blue malhalo but his idea of popping the nut off to file from the bottom does not sit well with me. I use cheap files from the local Harbor Freight straight from China. Wasn't too hard to find a few with the shapes needed.

~Good Luck~
I had a go at this with my inexpensive noname soprano and I failed quite miserably :p. Well, I managed to lower the action at both the nut and saddle without many issues but intonation is still crap (on the low side on all strings at 12th fret). I also overdid it on the C-string at the nut, which yielded me a buzz.
Oh well, a good learning experience anyway!
Any ideas why the intonation is still bad? The saddle is even and string height at 12th fret is now just under 3mm, and the strings lowered at nut to just a paper between strings and second fret when pushed down at third (save the C-string that I screwed up).

PS. I built a lot of models growing up and am quite handy overall. Experience is the key here I think, and for that you need to try it out a few times. DS
 
So yeah, the video says that the distance between the first fret and string should be .5mm. Mine is over 1mm. When you play the 2nd fret, there is still a very visible gap between the first fret and the string. Everything is sharp when playing at the 12th fret, and the G is twice as sharp as any of the others. However...nothing will be done to it until after we get back from camp. I've already informed my husband that the next ukulele is coming from some place that will do a good set up on it. :)
 
I went in to the local music shop and the guy who does the set up on guitars looked at it. He said that the saddle would need to be moved down a bit and the action lowered. Looking at about $50 if I decide to get it done. Which would put me in the range of spending the same amount that I would have spent on a decent one from HMS in the first place.

So, I'm pondering how long until I can convince my husband that I "need" a new ukulele.
 
Twibbly,
Show him what you've learned, and explain that you'd like to do better, and what it would cost to do it. Let him know that playing ukulele isn't such an expensive hobby as many others, and let him know how you plan to pay for it. Buying and keeping good ukes and gear is a learning curve for all of us, even Aldrine.
It took me 5 years and 15 ukuleles to finally find one that I am absolutely in love with. You might be quicker.
You have a good idea, buy your next uke from somebody like Mim's Ukes, Uke Republic, HMS, Mainland Ukes, or even Elderly Music is pretty good. If you want to get something a little flashier and more unusual, I can highly recommend Cocobolo Ukuleles, where my last one came from, at about the same price as a fancy Kala Ukulele.
 
So, I'm pondering how long until I can convince my husband that I "need" a new ukulele.

I think resell value may be a good, supporting argument for buying something from HMS/Mim/UkeRepublic. When or if you later on decide to further upgrade, you'll be able to recover a good chunk of the expense if what you have to sell has been well set-up. It's not a "dead end" expense. Perhaps you have something else that you can sell or let go, so your partner may have fewer objections. (I guess being single does have advantages. I only have to deal with my own objections!)

Like Nickie said, finding ukes is a journey, you may have to experience a few to learn about yourself and your preferences. In gloomy moments I look at it as a minefield, but other times I view it as a ride in a theme park: it's fun to experience new stuff!
 
.....pondering how long until I can convince my husband that I "need" a new ukulele.

Just show him a UAS thread........:)

On a serious note, buy a spare saddle & nut, & have a go at lowering them with a small file for the nut slots, & rub down the bottom of the saddle to lower it.
If it doesn't work out first time you will only be out a few ££ ($$), about £5.
 
He reminded me that I have a birthday coming up at the end of the month and could probably get my parents to get me one. Too bad the pineapple Luna I thought was gorgeous at HMS is gone!
 
Any ideas why the intonation is still bad?

PS. I built a lot of models growing up and am quite handy overall. Experience is the key here I think, and for that you need to try it out a few times. DS

Perhaps I need to rethink my ever built a model quote. Honestly I wasn't very good at building them, as a tattoo artist having also worked in both metal and wood in my younger years I can only guess my fine motor skills are different. Also my understanding of measure twice cut once. It is harder to put material back than take it away.

The low nut slot can be fixed with crazy glue and dust filed from the end of the nut. There are many videos of this repair on YouTube. Intonation is still off likely due to this...

I went in to the local music shop and the guy who does the set up on guitars looked at it. He said that the saddle would need to be moved down a bit and the action lowered. Looking at about $50 if I decide to get it done. Which would put me in the range of spending the same amount that I would have spent on a decent one from HMS in the first place.

So, I'm pondering how long until I can convince my husband that I "need" a new ukulele.

As I understand it quick and dirty the measurement from the nut to the twelfth fret should be the same from the 12th fret to the bridge. Simple to get a general idea with just a piece of string.

Back in the day part of the setup of any stringed instrument bought was to look over each one for such simple manufacturing defects. The best setup uke I own was bought by the previous owner from Mim's. Sadly its a concert I just do not play.

Everyone needs at least a handful of ukuleles.

~alabastro~
 
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Yes, it is nice to know that I'm not the only anti-tabber. Now, if I only had some way to memorize stuff. :eek:ld:


All my music lessons growing up used standard notation. All music theory classes in school did too. When I saw tab later on, it seemed like a cheating shorthand to me and I rebelled against it.

I can read tab, but I really do not like using it since it makes me feel like I am dumbing down my brain instead of reading the standard notation.

Having said the above, whatever works for each person is what they should do, and there is no one 'right' way to learn that works perfectly for everyone.

The trick is to find that ONE method that helps you the most and do so BEFORE you might be discouraged enough to quit.
 
Well, Booli, my story is about the same as yours. One of the things that really bothers me about tab is that it LOOKS like standard notation, but, of course, it's quite different. I've been playing music for so long that my old withered brain is confused by it, and it slows a slow natured person like me even more.

I've been fighting for more speed on all my instruments for many years. I do better with slow pieces nowadays. :eek:ld:
 
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No, it doesn't, but the artists can play whichever one that they wanna play. If Ukers don't wanna think or make choices, then I guess tabs are a good thing for 'em. Perhaps I missed that in my thinkin'.

A long time ago, there usta be a little box with buttons on it that Ukers could attach to the neck of their instruments. Then all they had to was strum along and press one of the buttons for the chords. Too bad there wasn't something to strum for them too.

Well, I've whined about the silly tabs before to no avail. Maybe I'm getting even more fogeyish then I thought. :eek:ld:

Everytime I read this I get a bad taste in my mouth and a sickness in my stomach. Wrote a long reply and held back but here I am again skimming this thread before I reply to the OP and BAM! There it is!

~AL~
 
What I would LOVE to be my next uke: http://www.theukulelesite.com/shop-by/brand/magic-fluke/magic-fluke-custom-flea-hibiscus.html
What will probably be my next uke: http://www.theukulelesite.com/shop-by/brand/luna/luna-honu-soprano-package.html

I absolutely love the sound of that Flea, but sadly, it's out of my price range. If the pineapple Luna comes back in stock, I may get that instead.

I am open to suggestions.

Used fleas have come up for sale in the marketplace here and there. Most have the plastic fret board like my 1st gen pineapple and most Ive seen sell around the $100-$125 range.

The magic fluke company is one company that you can buy from direct and not worry about getting a lemon. The flower shaped sound hole the peghead tuners the wooden fret board and the gig bag are all upgrades which are nice but not 100% necessary.

http://www.magicfluke.com/The-Flea-Ukulele-s/1513.htm

While I bought a pineapple flea I am not into the pineapple shape ukulele much at all.

The SEM @ $96.99 isnt a bad price. http://www.theukulelesite.com/shop-by/size/soprano/kala-ka-sem-exotic-mahogany-ukulele.html

Ready for it? I own a KA SEM I bought off ukegirl awhile back it is my main player. The exotic mahogany is really a very thin lamination and the bindings are only painted but damn is the wood pretty to look at. I strung mine with a reentrant set of Aquila reds and haven't looked back.

I think I may own too many ukuleles. My name is Al and I'm a ukeaholic.

~alabambam~
 
I am open to suggestions.

A suggestion would be to avoid a soprano with only 12 frets if your long-term goals include more sophisticated fingerpicking and fingerstyle. You won't need more in a while, and perhaps never, but if you know you probably won't be able to buy additional ukes for at least some time, I'd opt for something with 15 frets. I think 15 is a good number for a soprano. More than that and you'd probably want a high end soprano as otherwise the higher (past 15) frets won't be usable.

An alternative is a longneck soprano. Besides more range while retaining the soprano sound, you get more usable frets and more volume (usually, not always - some sopranos are louder than others).
 
A suggestion would be to avoid a soprano with only 12 frets if your long-term goals include more sophisticated fingerpicking and fingerstyle. You won't need more in a while, and perhaps never, but if you know you probably won't be able to buy additional ukes for at least some time, I'd opt for something with 15 frets. I think 15 is a good number for a soprano. More than that and you'd probably want a high end soprano as otherwise the higher (past 15) frets won't be usable.

From transcribing several guitar pieces to the ukulele, being able to reach the C and D notes in the piano's 6th octave makes life a lot easier, you don't have to lower the whole song an octave. So that requires 17 frets, which plenty of higher end ukes come with.

But yes, 12 frets is too limiting, for me.
 
A soprano with a low G will get you another 5 usable lower notes/frets on a 12 fret soprano, but you may have to transpose some of the tunes if it was for a C tuned instrument, however, I'm informed that music arranged for violin is an option.
 
I have been SAVAGELY attacked on other forums for suggesting that people learn how to read music.
I don't understand why learning to read music is so intimidating for people. It isn't all that complicated, especially just the basics. Like so many things, I think people look at the really complicated and involved stuff, and tell themselves that they could never learn how to do that and just don't try, when they don't need to learn all that complicated and involved stuff.
 
The concert Flea has 15 frets. I've read some places that they do not require set-up, is that accurate?
 
Look at the Kala KA-SEM exotic mahogany at HMS, it is in the same price range. HMS have discounts and sales all the time, perhaps you could send an email and see if you can get in first or find a deal that is not yet advertised.
Southern Ukuleles have a Kala KA and an Ohana sk20s which may be close to your price range. I think either of these would be a safe choice.

I have a Kala KA-SEM and, while sopranos aren't my cup of tea, mine was a good starter Uke for me. And they come in colors now.

I don't think you really need 15 frets--maybe not ever. Some UUers only play sopranos, and they get along fine. :eek:ld:
 
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