Baritone Ukulele Set Up or Mess U

I want to have my ukulele set up but do not have a shop that can handle it in my area. I think only the strings need to be lowered a little. When I put the capo on fret 1 and slide a sheet of typing/printing paper between the string and the 2nd fret wire there was only a slight drag on the paper. So I think that the upper area is OK. At fret 12 the string is 5 maybe 6 mm above the fret board. Would lowering the distance to 3mm be about right? How low should I be able to go before worrying about string buzzing? I play a Kala Baritone Ukulele. Thank you

You need to measure from the TOP of the 12th fret to the bottom of the string.

Typical setups, by my standards, should be around 2-3mm at the 1st (treble) string (e string of baritone) and maybe half to 1 mm higher for the 4th (bass) string (d).

My personal ideal setup would be about 2mm on the 1st string and about 2.5-3mm on the bass string. (I prefer lower setup than average)

5-6mm sounds wrong.. far too high.

Other parameters play a role too, such as bow/relief of the neck, nut slots, strings and tuning.

An easy first step to setup is taking the saddle out and sandpapering down the height until you get closer and closer to your desired height.

If you stuff up, replacement saddles are easy to obtain on ebay and amazon. Shimming is also an option, though I dont really do it myself (i always have spare saddles on hand)

I know people don't often want more stuff but I really recommend that every player have a string gauge,

They aren't too pricey and you will know EXCATLY what your set up height is,

https://www.ebay.com/itm/161569680060

Once you know what the action is then you can decide if its close enough, whether you want to fix it yourself, or have a pro work it.

Adjusting your action isn't too hard, but it depends on your handiness level and/or if you have the money to get professional work done.

I trimmed the end off of a clear plastic ruler that I had hanging about, & it works quite well for checking string height.

maki66 said:

I know people don't often want more stuff but I really recommend that every player have a string gauge,

They aren't too pricey and you will know EXCATLY what your set up height is,

https://www.ebay.com/itm/161569680060

Once you know what the action is then you can decide if its close enough, whether you want to fix it yourself, or have a pro work it.

Adjusting your action isn't too hard, but it depends on your handiness level and/or if you have the money to get professional work done.

Click to expand...

Those action rulers are a godsend. I have a few of them around the house and use them very frequently whenever I wanna check the actions on my instruments.

Setup work isn't too difficult given patience and the proper tools. The proper tools, however, are pricey. My set of nut slot files alone was $120 but it's a selection of files that allows me to cut nut slots on any stringed instrument I own.
Even having the right tools is no guarantee you won't mess up and find yourself needing to make a new nut.... and then, again, having the right tools helps.

I haven't had to spend a lot money on setup tools.

Sandpaper is the most frequently used tool.
Just need some really coarse ones (like 60-100 grit) and a finer one (like 300-500 grit) to get the saddle height down.

I've found that an inexpensive set of small precision files at the local hardware store do the job as "nut files".
I know this might cause some people to gasp who insist on branded, role-specific nut files, but it hasn't caused any problems for me so far.
But fortunately, most instruments I buy either require no nut filing or only minimal nut filing. Hence I file the nuts very sparingly in the rare occasions that I do. If my requirement to do setup work increases and I want tools that can do the job better, I'd invest in some fancy nut files, but so far I don't really feel the need. I have these files for other little DIY tasks I need to do around the house and garden.

And lastly, one of those instrument action ruler tools linked above. That's really an invaluable tool for keeping track of the action height and getting an objective reading of your instrument's action, rather than just relying on whether it "feels right" (though "feeling right" is a big part of the action feedback process).

I've gone through my fair share of spare saddles, and done quite a bit of experimentation with them (eg: it's not just about saddle height, but also the shape and curvature of the saddle's top too).

I've never had to replace a nut so far.

Lowering the action at the saddle end needs to be done with extreme care. If the intonation is good before any lowering, there is potential of it being thrown off by the resulting minute change in string length due to the shorter distance the string will travel from the nut to the saddle. Also, the height of the middle frets of many inexpensive (and a few costly) ukes are not often uniform, and getting lower at the 12th fret may end up with a buzz on one of the middle frets. Having to dress the frets to get rid of a buzz is not fun for anyone, especially anyone inexperenced in such work.

Any lowering (either end) needs to be done in very small amounts, followed by tuning back up and seeing what happened - feel, sound and intonation - followed by the decision to continue shaving the height or quitting while you're still ahead.

On a side note - for nut filing, I have found that welding tip cleaning rods work well and are available at most hardware stores for about US$5 for a set containing mixed diameter rods. Most importantly they act like a round file and provide a rounded channel cut which alleviates any potential of the nylon string getting pinched in a triangular groove, as that can end up slicing the string.

If we stuck within recommended parameters (say 2-3mm action), I would think it *should not* negatively affect intonation. Otherwise the instrument was just made wrong from the start.

maki66 said:

I know people don't often want more stuff but I really recommend that every player have a string gauge,

They aren't too pricey and you will know EXCATLY what your set up height is,

https://www.ebay.com/itm/161569680060

Click to expand...

Wow! Thanks for that. Stewart-MacDonald sells them too - for a bit more.

https://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Measuring/String_Action_Gauge.html

kissing said:

If we stuck within recommended parameters (say 2-3mm action), I would think it *should not* negatively affect intonation. Otherwise the instrument was just made wrong from the start.

Click to expand...

Agree, but it is amazing how many are borderline from the srart and built high so that many more can make it through whatever the manufacturer calls 'quality control."