WHy Oh WHy?

JackLuis

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After much UAS derangement I bought a couple of Ohana Ukes, a Spruce topped Concert and a solid Cedar and Rosewood tenor, both have the same problem, the third string booms if it is not fretted.

This drives me nutz!

I almost can not play them and end up playing my Zebra wood Caramels which were a lot cheaper and do not boom like the Ohannas. I've tried different strings and it doesn't matter. I've tried different tunings, C and G, Hi and Lo G but they still boom on the third string unless I fret it somewhere.

I generally tune my tenors like Baritones, DGBE and I thought Rosie would sound different but No still booming 3rd! This is about 3-5 dB more volume that the other strings. While this would not matter if I pick the strings, it is horrid in strumming chords.

Any help appreciated.
 
Strange indeed! What happens if you use a capo? All is normal? If so, that would seem to point to an issue with the nut, but I dunno.
 
Wound "C" string or "Plain"?

I find many wound strings boom.
 
You can try different string material and/or thicknesses. I’ve tried individual Worth Brown and Aquila Red C strings. I’ve also gone with a slightly thinner diameter using .028 Seaguar instead of the typical Worth/Oasis .0295. I’m sure there are others who have conquered a booming C string. Changing string by material or tension seems to be the way to go.

John
 
I have three thoughts on this. First , try different strings. Second is the fact that it's the C string giving the trouble. That string, regardless of tuning, is the root note of the home key of the instrument. In C tuning, it is the root C of the C chord comprised of the C,E, and G strings. If you look at the overtone series, you'll see that the fifth, G, and the third, E, are prominent overtones. So, it would be natural for the C string to produce a richer, possibly louder sound due to the presence of the overtones and sympathetic vibration of the other strings. Third, the tone and volume of any note will be augmented by the natural resonance of the sound chamber in/from which it's heard. It may be that the body of your particular instrument is resonating more in sympathy with the C string than with the others. So, what to do? First thing I'd try is a slight detuning of the E,G, and A strings. I'd try one at a time, and combinations. Another approach would be to alter the resonance of the body. Try a clothespin in the sound hole, or gently wedge a thin brace between the top and bottom. Just something to alter the vibration characteristics of the top and body. In that regard, some change at the bridge might work too. Try a different saddle material, or try putting a very thin shim under the saddle. Good luck with this, and please, let us know what happens.
 
I have a few Ohana ukes, & don't have any problems with them, mine are all solid mahogany ukes fitted with Living Water fluorocarbon low G strings.

(SK30M long neck soprano/SK30L giraffe neck soprano/CK35L long neck concert)
 
Try a wound 3rd string, specifically Thomastik CF 27. I find the Thomastik to be flatter sounding then other wounds. It might seem counterintuitive but a different material with a smaller diameter (.027” vs floro at .030”) should give a different result.
 
I have tried several string sets, Aquila Whites, that it came with, Worth Browns, my standby DAdddario Fluorocarbons, Fremont blacks and they all boom.
My Tenor is cedar topped and the concert is spruce, both solids. I might try fooling with the concert as it was only $150, but my Rosie is too beautiful to fool around with.
Using a capo on the first fret helps a bit, but fretting the second fret gets it to stop booming.
Perhaps I should just ignore it as Rosie sounds sweet and precise, and just learn to appreciate her like she is? Maybe she's telling me to start note picking an learning the staff?
 
If you have the capability to do a video or audio recording, I'd love to hear the difference between the booming and not booming chords
 
I had an Ohana TK-38 that was boomy with Aquilas. It was fine with Martin fluorocarbons.
 
I have tried several string sets, Aquila Whites, that it came with, Worth Browns, my standby DAdddario Fluorocarbons, Fremont blacks and they all boom.
My Tenor is cedar topped and the concert is spruce, both solids. I might try fooling with the concert as it was only $150, but my Rosie is too beautiful to fool around with.
Using a capo on the first fret helps a bit, but fretting the second fret gets it to stop booming.
Perhaps I should just ignore it as Rosie sounds sweet and precise, and just learn to appreciate her like she is? Maybe she's telling me to start note picking an learning the staff?

There really isn’t much fooling around. As DownUpDave suggested, get a Thonastik CF 27. You can even try a Martin M620 E string (.0284) and use it for a C string. In my experience a thinner string drives the soundboard less than a thicker string with more tension. I have 2 ukuleles with the exact same booming issue playing open C, but not fretted notes on the C string. I use a thinner string. It feels a little loose compared to the others and I lose a bit of depth on the C string, but it balances it out quite nicely and really makes the ukes more playable.

John
 
Glad to hear that I'm not crazy.:D
I was playing Rosie for a couple of days but put her back in the case yesterday as the booming gets to me. I have a few sets of takeoff strings, I'll try a E string as a C to check your suggestion. It just breaks my heart that after saving and making a significant investment in this fine first class Uke, that she turned out this way. That and being almost deaf in one ear and frequency deficient in the other that this happened. Fortunately the Uke is one instrument that I can really hear.
 
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