All Strings Sharp at the 12th Fret??

Hello all,

Newbie here. Been playing for about 4 months now, and I just noticed something a couple days ago. I play a Kala - Pwt and when the open strings are all in tune, all the notes on the 12th fret are sharp.

Not that I've ever actually played up that far - but I don't think that is normal.
Anybody know why that my be happening and what if anything I can do about it?
Thanks for any help!

It's "normal" (or at least common) for mass manufactured ukuleles in the lower or mid range price segment. My one experience with Kala was similar (worse), but it is really not an issue limited to them and it doesn't mean the instrument is bad or you wasted your money (it's fixable). It's the reason why many people here recommend to buy ukuleles only from stores that include "set up", which means fixing problems like the one you've discovered (plus other things such as high string action, uneven frets, etc) before shipping it to you. The good news is that this is very easy to fix, so if you have a store with a guitar tech around, they can do it for you quickly and cheaply. You can also learn how to modify the nut or the saddle (requires some tools) which is a good skill to have. Sometimes using different strings helps, especially if it's just one string that is sharp (often the third and second strings, but if all strings are sharp in the 12th fret, the instrument needs to be properly set up. (It's really worth it, you may be surprised how well it plays after those tweaks!)

Jakelele said:

Hello all,

Newbie here. Been playing for about 4 months now, and I just noticed something a couple days ago. I play a Kala - Pwt and when the open strings are all in tune, all the notes on the 12th fret are sharp.

Not that I've ever actually played up that far - but I don't think that is normal.
Anybody know why that my be happening and what if anything I can do about it?
Thanks for any help!

Click to expand...

How sharp are they at the 12th, are all four strings out of tune the same, and how are you measuring that?

Seems most new ukes, especially mass produced ones, have intonation issues. As mentioned before, easily fixable but best to take it to a professional as there are a few things that can contribute to this.

I just have an electronic tuner that I clip to the headstock that has a red arrow pointing to the right when sharp. There is no way to measure how far out of tune they are, (that I know of anyway).

Thank you all for the replies. I'll take it to the Starving Musician shop where I bought it and see if they have anybody that can take care of it.

It's possible that the action is too high. Do some research to see if this is the case and either adjust it yourself or have someone do it for you.

The action is probably too high, but the other question is how hard you are pressing down on the strings. If you are pressing really hard, the strings will go sharp as a result (pulling them down further, making the string tighter, and more sharp).

Keep in mind that every ukulele with frets will actually be out of tune at points up and down the instrument...No fretted string instrument plays perfectly in tune as the intonation system we use is slightly off by design. However, some instruments follow “equal temperament” better than others!

My intonation was off pretty badly. My luthier took the saddle out, turned it around, and put it back in. This lengthened the part of the string between the saddle and the nut, ever so slightly, and it plays better now.
I asked if anything else could be done, and he said "Live with it." I think he knows I'm not a very good player....

Nickie said:

... I asked if anything else could be done, and he said "Live with it." I think he knows I'm not a very good player....

Click to expand...

There's always something that can be done. Question is: is it worth it. If you can't hear it, probably not. If you can, maybe...!