besley
Well-known member
I'm sure you'll like yours too. But hey, I ain't no expert - I'm just picky! (And opinionated.)
Klos ukulele anyone? Feedback?
- Thread starter kerneltime
- Start date
I'm sure you'll like yours too. But hey, I ain't no expert - I'm just picky! (And opinionated.)
70sSanO
Well-known member
I'm the same way. We gave our grandson, who was 1-1/2 years old, a Makala Dolphin for Christmas. I set it up including lowering the frets at the nut and getting the intonation as good as possible. The ukulele has held up remarkably well for spending time in and out of a toy box and being dragged around. Just one ding and no cracks or breaks. Whenever we visit I tune it up and play it. It actually sounds pretty good.
John
Ctmpwrdcamry
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My is scheduled to arrive Wednesday but FedEx bumped to Thursday. I hope that Klos is making improvements as they get feedback. I have a friend that can set up guitars, I have no idea if he knows a think about Ukueles. Might need to get some help with it. That said, i am still very excited!
Jerryc41
Well-known member
A friend gave her young grandson a Waterman, but he preferred a "real" wooden ukulele.
70sSanO
Well-known member
I have gone with lighter strings... .022, .028, .026, .020 (G-A, not 1st-4th) and tuned the ukulele to re-entrant C. I really like the higher tuning with the lighter strings. For now, that looks to be where it will stay. Plus since it is tuned to C, I can play with the rest of the normal ukulele world.
The one thing that is bothering me is the string width. The string width measures 1-1/16 (1.062") at the nut. This does make it a little cramped, at least for me. The good news is the fretboard width is a little over 1-3/8 (measures 1.4) at the nut so there is plenty of room to widen the strings. I plan on replacing the nut, but will need to know how it is glued. Hopefully with CA. At the bridge the strings are 1-17/32 (1.530"). Probably a little tight for some, but I actually have a couple ukes that are 1-1/2 (1.5") at the bridge and can play fingerstyle on them.
John
The one thing that is bothering me is the string width. The string width measures 1-1/16 (1.062") at the nut. This does make it a little cramped, at least for me. The good news is the fretboard width is a little over 1-3/8 (measures 1.4) at the nut so there is plenty of room to widen the strings. I plan on replacing the nut, but will need to know how it is glued. Hopefully with CA. At the bridge the strings are 1-17/32 (1.530"). Probably a little tight for some, but I actually have a couple ukes that are 1-1/2 (1.5") at the bridge and can play fingerstyle on them.
John
I read all these. I am so glad I did not get in on the bleeding edge of this order. I am sure Klos will recalibrate as they go along and all will be well in the future.
There is no luthiers here where I live that give a plinky-plink about ukes. They just shake their heads and say they don't understand why people want ukes. I have had one at a repair shop for 3 weeks just to get strap pins installed. 2 calls in and still no return calls so I can get my uke back. Now I am a little worried. I will and can do my own, in the future..but all that set up work for these new Klos seems a bit much. Just my two cents, is all.
There is no luthiers here where I live that give a plinky-plink about ukes. They just shake their heads and say they don't understand why people want ukes. I have had one at a repair shop for 3 weeks just to get strap pins installed. 2 calls in and still no return calls so I can get my uke back. Now I am a little worried. I will and can do my own, in the future..but all that set up work for these new Klos seems a bit much. Just my two cents, is all.
Jerryc41
Well-known member
There are snobs in every aspect of life. You could have sent your uke to any one of a dozen people on UU, and they would have installed your tuners - for free I bet. I'd be concerned about the level of work a person would do if he has no respect for ukuleles. Why not go and get your uke and make an appeal here?
I tend to be rather patient, but waiting for my Klos is making me edgy. I'm glad that someone in our group received hers, or I'd be worried.
70sSanO
Well-known member
I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. The KLOS ukulele is a very nice uke and in comparison to any other carbon fiber ukulele it is a real bargain. The KLOS ukulele is very well made. It also sounds and plays better than a lot of laminate ukuleles that I have tried over the years. It has a very balanced tone. My KLOS ukulele will not be posted on the marketplace anytime soon.
I didn't have to sand the bridge to be able to lower the action, I sanded it to expose more saddle above the bridge. The basic ukulele comes with D'Addario nylon strings, the deluxe version has D'Adarrio fluorocarbon strings. Swapping strings is not a big deal.
The only change I will be making in the near future is to replace the nut since the string spacing at the nut is around .350" between strings and not the "more" standard of .375"/10mm spacing. The narrower spacing is not much different than some Kalas I've played. Keep in mind that I have three other tenors and I have replaced the nut and saddle on all of them.
These are just observations that will hopefully help anyone who is interested in the ukulele.
John
I didn't have to sand the bridge to be able to lower the action, I sanded it to expose more saddle above the bridge. The basic ukulele comes with D'Addario nylon strings, the deluxe version has D'Adarrio fluorocarbon strings. Swapping strings is not a big deal.
The only change I will be making in the near future is to replace the nut since the string spacing at the nut is around .350" between strings and not the "more" standard of .375"/10mm spacing. The narrower spacing is not much different than some Kalas I've played. Keep in mind that I have three other tenors and I have replaced the nut and saddle on all of them.
These are just observations that will hopefully help anyone who is interested in the ukulele.
John
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Jerryc41
Well-known member
They "hope" to ship mine next week.
70sSanO
Well-known member
One thing that bugged me was the chrome washers that sit under the hex bushings. Since the headstock is smaller than normal the washers look enormous; like 4 big buttons. I couldn't find any black metal washers that would fit, so I picked up some nylon washers at Ace Hardware. I used a dremel and a round file to get them to the right ID. I know it is personal taste, but I like the cleaner look.
I am also not a fan of the plastic pearloid tuner buttons on this uke, so I used some chrome guitar buttons I had laying around. They might be a little big, and I may one day swap them out, but for me it gives a nice beefy look.
John
I am also not a fan of the plastic pearloid tuner buttons on this uke, so I used some chrome guitar buttons I had laying around. They might be a little big, and I may one day swap them out, but for me it gives a nice beefy look.
John
cyber3d
Well-known member
Very cool. You've got me thinking about how to customize mine when it arrives!
besley
Well-known member
From a couple of the videos I've seen I think the all black Graph Tech Ratio Tuners that were offered as an option look much better than the silver and white standard tuners, and I now wish I'd gone with them instead. But I still feel the $75 upcharge was a bit much, and the standard tuners work just fine. I also wonder if they would have changed out the G string tuner for a different ratio if you were going with low G instead of high G?
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70sSanO
Well-known member
I saw there was a option, but never checked them out. Black looks really nice. But $75 for 4 sealed ukulele tuners for such a low string tension is too much for me. I might swap mine out for black one day. You can get black Grover or Gotoh 3R+3L for around $50. Used for less or a new no name set for $20.
John
John
Jerryc41
Well-known member
The cheapest I could find were $60 delivered for three used tuners on Reverb. They look nice, but they're a bit pricey. I'll stick with the silver tuners, if my Klos ever arrives.
70sSanO
Well-known member
If price is the major concern, go to eBay. No name new black 3R+3L from China for $10; obviously not going to be the smoothest operating but neither are the stock silver ones. New Gotohs Minis for around $40.
John
Jerryc41
Well-known member
Thanks. I've never seen Gotohs priced that low. I've bought them from HMS for $59. I can live with the silver on the klos.
70sSanO
Well-known member
So... the bridge slots on my KLOS are all the same length from the end of the bridge, not from the saddle. This reduces the break angle of the 2nd and 3rd strings. I can't tell if this was by design or for aesthetic purposes, but it has bugged me. I decided to see how deep the string recesses went into the bridge. They appear to all go to the same depth. I decided to take a couple of nut files and painstakingly lengthen the string slot length on the bridge. It is basically a 1/8" stroke of the file.
Some days later I arrived closer to the 1st and 4th strings on the on the C string slot. I tested the string a couple of times and stopped a little short of making it the same depth, just in case there was some forethought on the original slot length resulting in too much tension. It does improve the volume, but maybe some care should be taken, or not, in cutting too much so that the increased angle (tension) causes a boom or choke the sound, hence the sneaking up on the slot length.
Here is a comparison of the 3rd (C) string slot to the original slot length (Ref 2nd, E, string). FWIW... I did send the pic off to KLOS. But I cannot imagine anyone intentionally designed this from an engineering perspective.
I also replaced the nut to widen the string spacing to the standard .375"/10mm. It is held on with CA (superglue) and comes off easily with a slight tap using a block of wood.
John
Some days later I arrived closer to the 1st and 4th strings on the on the C string slot. I tested the string a couple of times and stopped a little short of making it the same depth, just in case there was some forethought on the original slot length resulting in too much tension. It does improve the volume, but maybe some care should be taken, or not, in cutting too much so that the increased angle (tension) causes a boom or choke the sound, hence the sneaking up on the slot length.
Here is a comparison of the 3rd (C) string slot to the original slot length (Ref 2nd, E, string). FWIW... I did send the pic off to KLOS. But I cannot imagine anyone intentionally designed this from an engineering perspective.
I also replaced the nut to widen the string spacing to the standard .375"/10mm. It is held on with CA (superglue) and comes off easily with a slight tap using a block of wood.
John
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70sSanO
Well-known member
I talked to Ian at KLOS today. They are in the process of evaluating and incorporating some of the things I sent off to them. They are changing the neck angle slightly so there will not be a high bridge/low saddle issue. They are looking into the narrow string spacing at the nut.
They had rationale for the string slots based on piezo pickups in their guitars and from their ukulele testing there was no sound difference, but they may just make them the same distance from the saddle. I told them to do what they thought best, but since most of my ukes are tie and the saddle break angle is the same, I thought it was odd. They said it was typical of other slotted bridges. I can only recall the Kamaka slotted bridge, but I imagine there are others. We talked a little about strings. All-in-all a good discussion.
I recommended he talk to others since everyone has personal preferences; which he is already doing.
John
They had rationale for the string slots based on piezo pickups in their guitars and from their ukulele testing there was no sound difference, but they may just make them the same distance from the saddle. I told them to do what they thought best, but since most of my ukes are tie and the saddle break angle is the same, I thought it was odd. They said it was typical of other slotted bridges. I can only recall the Kamaka slotted bridge, but I imagine there are others. We talked a little about strings. All-in-all a good discussion.
I recommended he talk to others since everyone has personal preferences; which he is already doing.
John
cyber3d
Well-known member
You're an awesome dude John!
besley
Well-known member
Hey, hasn't anyone else received a Klos Uke lately? Seemed as if a few folks mentioned they were waiting, so I thought there would be more feedback by now. Are they doing a better job on the setup now?
