Lohanu tenor ukes

ukeanixi

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Hi all,

I've been struggling with a couple of Lohanu LU-1 ukes:

1st one had the bridge cocked by 2mm, fixed it and it is playing very well now.

The amazon replacement came and I measured the nut to be 1.126 millimeter too far from the 1st fret. I have no idea how to fix that problem!

Both have about a 430mm scale length. The nut on the goofed up one is glued on firmly, am a little hesitant to remove it.

Any advice would be most appreciated.

measurements:

nut to 1st fret: 25.26mm [off by 1.126mm]
nut to the 12th fret: 216.5mm [off by at least 1.5mm]
 
Fix the problem by returning it and buy a better brand instead.
 
Fix the problem by returning it and buy a better brand instead.

1. I didn't buy it, a relative did
2. I did try to return the first one, since it was DOA
2.1. they let me keep the 1st one and sent a 2nd one
2.2 bad form to try to return a 2nd defective one, don't you imagine?
3. what to do with the 2nd one is the real issue
 
1. I didn't buy it, a relative did
2. I did try to return the first one, since it was DOA
2.1. they let me keep the 1st one and sent a 2nd one
2.2 bad form to try to return a 2nd defective one, don't you imagine?
3. what to do with the 2nd one is the real issue

Most likely if you get a 3rd one, it will also be defective.

Here is the deal: These are very cheap ukuleles and the product reflects that. I mean what do you expect for $89 dollars which includes a case, a tuner, an ukulele, a strap and other junk. Not a bad deal, but you are not going to get an ukulele that plays like a quality one. And also, the errors you have discovered are "relatively" minor and the things probably sound okay. The website says things like: The Highest Rated Ukulele Brand! Lohanu Ukulele has been named as the Highest Rated Ukulele Brand by Gearank.com! And: High Quality at Low Price! Best Deal For Ukulele Bundle!

Looking at the pictures, the things look pretty good at that price. Just don't expect too much. Just play them and have fun.
 
Most likely if you get a 3rd one, it will also be defective.

Here is the deal: These are very cheap ukuleles and the product reflects that. I mean what do you expect for $89 dollars which includes a case, a tuner, an ukulele, a strap and other junk. Not a bad deal, but you are not going to get an ukulele that plays like a quality one. And also, the errors you have discovered are "relatively" minor and the things probably sound okay. The website says things like: The Highest Rated Ukulele Brand! Lohanu Ukulele has been named as the Highest Rated Ukulele Brand by Gearank.com! And: High Quality at Low Price! Best Deal For Ukulele Bundle!

Looking at the pictures, the things look pretty good at that price. Just don't expect too much. Just play them and have fun.

I need to move them on, got a replacement for it already. I'm looking for a solution.
 
If you have come up with a figure of 1.26mm, I assume that you have a good understanding of scale length measurement and accurate fret placement. Measurement is from the centre of the first fret crown to the nut departure point.
There are two ways to remedy this problem. One is the making of a stepped nut to overhang the fret board, and the other is to remove the nut and trim the fret board slightly to adjust the placement of the nut departure point. The second option is the easiest and quickest.
If you want to try this, remove the strings, and then the nut by placing a small wooden block under the lip and giving it a sharp upward tap with a light mallet/hammer. At worst, this may remove a tiny bit of glued neck wood along with the nut. If the nut is entrenched in heavy lacquer, pre-score its outline with a sharp scalpel to prevent chipping of the lacquer and consequential repair.
With the nut removed, a small guide block can be accurately and squarely clamped to the neck and used as a reference for a razor saw cut to shorten the fret board by the required amount. I use a razor saw with a reinforced spine and a 0.25mm blade for this type of task. Do not cut completely through the fret board, stop the cut just before scoring the neck wood. Carefully separate the remaining sliver of fret board material from the neck with a sharp chisel held flat to the neck, coming from the peg head downward. When the sliver lifts, cut through any adhering corner grain with a sharp scalpel. The nut can then be replaced using one tiny drop of glue.
If you don't feel confident in attempting this, just leave it as is... only the intonation of the open strings is affected. It is not a difficult procedure but care and accuracy are rewarded.
 
Having 1.26mm at fret 1 and (growing to) 1.5mm at 12 suggests to me (without more information) that fret board #2 is made to a longer scale than #1, assuming of course you are measuring and comparing them side by side. Everything you have said so far suggests these ukes are mass produced with little quality control, and I personally would struggle with the motivation to take the time to try to make these "right", with the exception that it could be valuable as practice for future building and repair.

A "stepped" nut does work. I had to do it with my first ukulele due to a combination unforseen circumstances, though it plays well now.
 
Having 1.26mm at fret 1 and (growing to) 1.5mm at 12 suggests to me (without more information) that fret board #2 is made to a longer scale than #1, assuming of course you are measuring and comparing them side by side.

This makes some sense. I would use an online fret calculator and iteratively try different scales lengths to see if the distances to frets actually match a different scale length. If so, the uke will play fine. I actually did this with a cheap tenor uke fretboard I bought online. The distance from the first fret to the nut was slightly long, but I was able to figure out how much to cut off to make it work.

It's possible that the manufacturer has more than one source of fretboards, which could result in slightly different scale lengths that do nevertheless work ok.
 
I'm using the StewMac calculator. I'll run some numbers and get back to you all.
Thanks for the help, finally a solution...
 
This makes some sense. I would use an online fret calculator and iteratively try different scales lengths to see if the distances to frets actually match a different scale length. If so, the uke will play fine. I actually did this with a cheap tenor uke fretboard I bought online. The distance from the first fret to the nut was slightly long, but I was able to figure out how much to cut off to make it work.

It's possible that the manufacturer has more than one source of fretboards, which could result in slightly different scale lengths that do nevertheless work ok.

OK, the 25.25mm N-F1 measurement equates to a scale of 455mm, or 17.9", which I believe is not a valid scale length, correct me if wrong.

The 216.5mm N-F12 measurement equates to a scale of 433mm. 3mm error off the original scale length.

I believe it's prudent to just pop off the nut and trim 1.25mm of fret board.
 
If you have come up with a figure of 1.26mm, I assume that you have a good understanding of scale length measurement and accurate fret placement. Measurement is from the centre of the first fret crown to the nut departure point.
There are two ways to remedy this problem. One is the making of a stepped nut to overhang the fret board, and the other is to remove the nut and trim the fret board slightly to adjust the placement of the nut departure point. The second option is the easiest and quickest.
If you want to try this, remove the strings, and then the nut by placing a small wooden block under the lip and giving it a sharp upward tap with a light mallet/hammer. At worst, this may remove a tiny bit of glued neck wood along with the nut. If the nut is entrenched in heavy lacquer, pre-score its outline with a sharp scalpel to prevent chipping of the lacquer and consequential repair.
With the nut removed, a small guide block can be accurately and squarely clamped to the neck and used as a reference for a razor saw cut to shorten the fret board by the required amount. I use a razor saw with a reinforced spine and a 0.25mm blade for this type of task. Do not cut completely through the fret board, stop the cut just before scoring the neck wood. Carefully separate the remaining sliver of fret board material from the neck with a sharp chisel held flat to the neck, coming from the peg head downward. When the sliver lifts, cut through any adhering corner grain with a sharp scalpel. The nut can then be replaced using one tiny drop of glue.
If you don't feel confident in attempting this, just leave it as is... only the intonation of the open strings is affected. It is not a difficult procedure but care and accuracy are rewarded.

Thank you for the advice!
Where did you get the razor saw? I'm sure that I'll need one in the future...
 
Doh, it appears I misread and misunderstood. (so disregard previous)
 
Where did you get the razor saw?

There is a great variety of mini/hobby/razor saws available. Some brands have models with differing blade depth, blade width and tooth count. It depends on your interests and needs, as to which is most suitable. Excel, Zona, Tamiya, Atlas all have useful offerings. The Atlas Super Saw makes smooth, but very painful cuts in fingers. Hint: Do not wipe the blade with finger pressure...it sounds like a stupid thing suggest, but is quite intuitive to do. It is also slow going through all but the softest woods, but holds its own in other thin materials.
A browse through a large hobby store should net you a few good candidates.
 
I lied. Lohanu is offering a full refund after I posted a review on the website where it was purchased. Closed matter: mfr. gets all data to feed back to China, we get two ukes and our money back, plus I was blessed with 15 hours of experience. All happy!
 
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