This is quite late for this winter, but anyways the humidity is still quite low and my ukulele buzzed because of a low action. Especially when soloing harder, but also strumming. It buzzed also in summer, but less.
Kala Ka-Cem has a saddle bone width of about 2.9 mm and length of 53 mm. Before I took it out, I made a pencil mark on one end to know to put it back same side. This can be quite important, especially if the saddle has some intonation compensation job done on top.
After loosening strings it was still stuck tightly and could not be pushed out. I used a screwdriwer to raise it and see which direction it could be pushed out and it worked.
A gift card is like a credit card in dimensions without the indentations made by the card number and owner’s name etc. The thickness is somewhat over 0.8 mm. The shim will then raise the action at 12th fret about 0.4 mm. The shorter dimension is 54 mm, so it is gives perfect length for the shim, for my Kala uke saddle.
I cut somewhat over 3 mm strip with scissors to have a what to sand. Only the cut side needs sanding. Sanding was a bit tedious job, because the sandpaper was quite worn out and also fine grained (I had used it previously to make a new saddle bone to my classical guitar) and because it was not easy to hold such a tiny strip in hand.
Basically you put the sandpaper on table top and start sanding the non straight shim strip side. What is in my opinion important is to sand until the strip is less than the saddle bridge gap. In my case less than 2.9mm. The shim should rest flat on the bottom to not affect the sound with bad contact.
Then I pushed the saddle bone back on top, tuned up the uke. The action was raised thus about 0.4 mm.
The result:
I don’t really hear any, at least any significant, change in open string sound. But the fretted strings sound now with a better sustain and sound, because no vibration contact to next higher fret.
The intonation is in my mind just as good as before. Of course the 0.4 mm raised pitch at 12th fret a little. It used to be that A string was perfect and G maybe 5 cents flat and now the 5 cent error is maybe divided so a perfect compromise. Middle strings, especially the C sound somewhat sharp naturally, because the saddle top is uncompensated, same as before.
So I’m happy
Kala Ka-Cem has a saddle bone width of about 2.9 mm and length of 53 mm. Before I took it out, I made a pencil mark on one end to know to put it back same side. This can be quite important, especially if the saddle has some intonation compensation job done on top.
After loosening strings it was still stuck tightly and could not be pushed out. I used a screwdriwer to raise it and see which direction it could be pushed out and it worked.
A gift card is like a credit card in dimensions without the indentations made by the card number and owner’s name etc. The thickness is somewhat over 0.8 mm. The shim will then raise the action at 12th fret about 0.4 mm. The shorter dimension is 54 mm, so it is gives perfect length for the shim, for my Kala uke saddle.
I cut somewhat over 3 mm strip with scissors to have a what to sand. Only the cut side needs sanding. Sanding was a bit tedious job, because the sandpaper was quite worn out and also fine grained (I had used it previously to make a new saddle bone to my classical guitar) and because it was not easy to hold such a tiny strip in hand.
Basically you put the sandpaper on table top and start sanding the non straight shim strip side. What is in my opinion important is to sand until the strip is less than the saddle bridge gap. In my case less than 2.9mm. The shim should rest flat on the bottom to not affect the sound with bad contact.
Then I pushed the saddle bone back on top, tuned up the uke. The action was raised thus about 0.4 mm.
The result:
I don’t really hear any, at least any significant, change in open string sound. But the fretted strings sound now with a better sustain and sound, because no vibration contact to next higher fret.
The intonation is in my mind just as good as before. Of course the 0.4 mm raised pitch at 12th fret a little. It used to be that A string was perfect and G maybe 5 cents flat and now the 5 cent error is maybe divided so a perfect compromise. Middle strings, especially the C sound somewhat sharp naturally, because the saddle top is uncompensated, same as before.
So I’m happy
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