Intonation issue!

About month ago I tried out a Martin CK1, but it had a bad intonation problem. A string was quite flat. Seller (at local music store) said that there is nothing they could do, the saddle was already too low or something. So back it went.

Now I have a Kanile'a concert to try. It has the same problem. I hear it, my husband hears it, and our tuners confirm it - A string is flat. It starts to be flat from 5th fret and as I go up it gets worse.

So I'm bit confused. Both are quality instruments. Neither had any professional setup. Both with factory strings.

My Ortega concerts intonation is better, maybe a hint sharp, but I can handle sharp way better than flat.

So here's the question: is this kind of intonation problem typical with ukulele concerts? Am I being too picky and should I just ignore this?

I'm afraid I don't have experience with such high-end instruments.

From my cheap ukes I have learned that strings can make a difference: brands, wear and tear, tension etc may all add to or remove issues with intonation. How is the action at the 12th fret? Is it a compensated saddle or a straight one? Is the A string (it being the melody string) worn whereas the others are still fine? That is currently the issue with my finest tenor, but once replaced it will be fine.

Kanile'a should not leave the factory with any minor fault, but of course reality proves different (and that goes for all brands and for all budgets). Can you bend the string a bit to bring it up to pitch (not that you should need to do that, that's going to affect your playing) or is it way off?

First thing I would try is switch out the strings for fresh ones - especially if they still have the original ones.

There's no telling how old those are, what weird impatient kind of stretching tricks anyone has used on those, etc.

I own around half a dozen ukes at the moment, varying from (used) luthier made ones to off-the-shelf under $100 Chinese made ones, and all of them have very good to perfect intonation

Thank you very much for your reply!

The Kanile'a is 2019 K-1 concert, so it is fairly new one. It has factory Aquilas on, and they seem to be ok as far as my eyes can see. Action is about 2.8 mm at 12th fret. And it has a compensated saddle. I ordered it online so I didn't have an opportunity to try it until it arrived.

This is a major bummer as I have dreamt of Kanile'a a lot. And I can't understand why this happened again. I liked that Martin very much and I was sad to let it go. And now this Kanile'a? Aaargh.

If I bend the string at 12th fret, I manage to bring it to pitch, but I have to bend the string quite a lot. I don't know whether I can change the strings and then send it back if the issue remains. I'm not a fan of Aquila nylguts and if this uke stays I will change the strings to fluorocarbons.

I think you're overthinking it. When I go to a store I don't fondle the ukulele and study its balance and evaluate how wide its nut is. I clip on a tuner and try the marked frets. If those frets ring true, I tell the store to professionally set it up. If those notes are sharp or flat, I don't try to figure by what dark magic I can remedy this; I toss it and move on to the next one. Life is too short to deal with that crap. People say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I, on the other hand, say when life gives you a lemon, forget about it and the lemonade. Go get a beer and find a good instrument.

I agree with the others, you should definitely try to change the strings before you make any final conclusions. I've struggled with intonation issues even with new strings. A reputable ukulele/music store shouldn't care about a string change. It certainly won't void the warranty. But if you're hesitant you could always contact them and ask if a string change is ok with them. I'd be surprised if they preferred you to send the uke straight back over trying new strings.

The Hawaii-made K brands are obviously very high quality and shouldn't have any major intonation issues (although I haven't seen absolutely perfect intonation even with more expensive ukes) aside from ones caused by strings.

ripock said:

I think you're overthinking it. When I go to a store I don't fondle the ukulele and study its balance and evaluate how wide its nut is. I clip on a tuner and try the marked frets. If those frets ring true, I tell the store to professionally set it up. If those notes are sharp or flat, I don't try to figure by what dark magic I can remedy this; I toss it and move on to the next one. Life is too short to deal with that crap. People say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I, on the other hand, say when life gives you a lemon, forget about it and the lemonade. Go get a beer and find a good instrument.

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Thanks, maybe I will do just that! You are right, I tend to overthink pretty much everything. And I just can't believe that this happened twice, so I started wondering and questioning my ears and all.

Dohle said:

I agree with the others, you should definitely try to change the strings before you make any final conclusions. I've struggled with intonation issues even with new strings. A reputable ukulele/music store shouldn't care about a string change. It certainly won't void the warranty. But if you're hesitant you could always contact them and ask if a string change is ok with them. I'd be surprised if they preferred you to send the uke straight back over trying new strings.

The Hawaii-made K brands are obviously very high quality and shouldn't have any major intonation issues (although I haven't seen absolutely perfect intonation even with more expensive ukes) aside from ones caused by strings.

Click to expand...

Yes, I will contact the seller tomorrow nevertheless and ask if I could change the strings. They included a set of Worths for free, so if I get a green light, I'll try them on.

Both my concert and tenor Kanilea's came with perfect intonation.
Check the nut stringheight first http://www.lutherie.net/nuts.html

Maybe the saddle has been seatede the wrong way, if it looks like this it's ok:

alternatively you can make a new saddle yourself, bringing the a & g string closer to the nut (like old Kanilea style saddles)