Advice needed: Increase fret height without refretting

kerneltime

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I have a fluke ukulele that I like but want the fret height to be higher.
the cost of refretting might be more than the cost of the uke (~$500?)
Wondering if there is a good hack.
Some thoughts
1. Solder soldering wire on top and level the frets out
2. Apply super glue with masking tape on and the level them out
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
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I don’t know if any way to raise the fret height without refretting. But I know one thing, your suggestions will not work. A fret job shouldn’t cost $500 anyway. I think $200 should get it done.
Why do you want them taller?
 
I land up pressing harder on lower frets for certain bar chords and it pains my hands.
I find barring on higher frets to be a bit easier and a gentle pressure is enough
 
Have you got a death grip on the neck for the lower positions? I found myself doing that and resulted pressing down harder. Once, I lightened up the grip and just cradle the neck there's little pressure if any.
You have some choices; re-fret/ new uke, change the pressure on 1st position chords or play up the neck more. This is what" always buying, tradings and selling is about". I don't mind having that type of work done on vintage but if newer, I sell the instrument and buy something else.

I'm the opposite for fret height. I like a lower fret. I do a lot of riffs/slides so a well crowned low fret, low action fretboard feels really nice. If you are getting pain in the hand and pressing harder, it sounds more like a hand/wrist being out of position playing the lower end.
 
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Also get someone to check the height of the strings at the first fret. If the nut slots can be lowered without causing buzzing, barre chords on the lower frets will be lots easier!
 
I don’t think it is the nut.. I think it has to do with the fleshy-ness of my fingers and the contours of it and what it takes to make sure that all strings are evenly pressed. I really have to place and press the string so that the string is pressed enough that it rings. If I get the placement with regards to contour right it is easy else I have to press a bit more. This is not a problem with string tension or the section of the string between my finger and nut but the string between my finger and the fret being barred.. at least that is my understanding. I have a compass rose, Ono and Tin guitar where the frets are high, a lot higher than other ukes and how I place my finger (difference in mm) has no impact, the string always rings when the fret is barred.
 
The problem is more noticeable for the string that happens to fall right at the joints in my finger vs the tip or fleshy bits in between joints.
 
Ha ha, I’m intrigued. In everything I do I ask myself (when no-one can hear), how hard can it be. Then I do it. If I were hellbent on raising fret height I buy buy tiny brass tubes from a hobby store, grind them down to half pipes and glue them on with superglue. Just for a laugh.
 
This reminds me of an old joke. A priest is walking along a railway line and as he goes over a small bridge. He hears a weird tapping noise so he looks over the edge and he sees a donkey and a cloud of dust. He looks a little further and finds a man chiseling out a chanel in the stonework of the bridge. The priest immediately asks the man what on God's green earth he thinks he is doing. The man explains he is trying to get his donkey under the bridge because the donkey is too stubborn to cross the rails and won't go under the bridge because his ears are too long and he won't go under if his ears touch the roof. The priest asks the man why he is wrecking the bridge by knocking out some of the stonework when it would be a lot easier to dig out a shallow trench in the ground below. The man responds " There you go with all your fancy book learning but it is not his legs that are too long it's his ears!"
If the frets are too low, lower the fretboard.
My money is on a nut adjustment as well.

Either that or learn how to refret yourself. If I can do it any idiot can.
 
This reminds me of an old joke. A priest is walking along a railway line and as he goes over a small bridge. He hears a weird tapping noise so he looks over the edge and he sees a donkey and a cloud of dust. He looks a little further and finds a man chiseling out a chanel in the stonework of the bridge. The priest immediately asks the man what on God's green earth he thinks he is doing. The man explains he is trying to get his donkey under the bridge because the donkey is too stubborn to cross the rails and won't go under the bridge because his ears are too long and he won't go under if his ears touch the roof. The priest asks the man why he is wrecking the bridge by knocking out some of the stonework when it would be a lot easier to dig out a shallow trench in the ground below. The man responds " There you go with all your fancy book learning but it is not his legs that are too long it's his ears!"
If the frets are too low, lower the fretboard.
My money is on a nut adjustment as well.

Either that or learn how to refret yourself. If I can do it any idiot can.
:)
there is another joke: Man goes to doctor and says my legs hurts, doctor says “it can’t be, it’s all ok”, patient continues to complain but the doctor does not budge, finally angry and tired the patient asks but why is it ok.. the doctor replies “ look I have a similar leg and it does not hurt”
I can learn to refret just wondering if there is a reversible solution I can try to test my hypothesis before making an intrusive change.
 
lower the action at the saddle- it has the same effect....
 
Does it have the plastic fret board or a wood one? It's possible the wood one might be an improvement over the plastic one. But, as others have suggested, I'd look at saddle & nut heights first. Good luck.
 
Firstly put a steel rule on the fretboard between the strings to see if the fretboard is bowed.

If OK its a new nut and bridge.

You can buy new fretwire and a trim tool, Google them.

Better still buy a new Uke.
 
Does it have the plastic fret board or a wood one? It's possible the wood one might be an improvement over the plastic one. But, as others have suggested, I'd look at saddle & nut heights first. Good luck.
Wood. The saddle height makes a lot more sense for what I am seeing, will update the thread with what I find.
 
How about scalloping the fretboard? Very common with electric guitars.
 
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