Does my uke need a set up?

Graham Greenbag said:

I don’t think that I’ve ever had a Uke that didn’t need a set-up and each one of them has vastly benefited from one. As for spending $75 that’s almost a separate question and I’d very seriously have to consider the value of the Uke before spending that type of money on it. Fortunately for me I know how to, can and do set-up my own instruments, the effort involved isn’t small but it is worth it. Depending on what work is actually done and where you are $75 might be excessive ... your judgement and choice.

Instruments typically come out of the factory right enough to ‘play’ and right enough not to have buzzing strings - some play better than others and some shops will tell you that an instrument is just fine as it is - struggle through if you wish or see what can be done to make your life easier and your playing better. Anything else (work) after that basic factory build involves risk and spending more time, neither of those is attractive to manufacturers. If you want to get the best out of what instrument you have then a set-up that looks at the finer details is the way to go, whether it is economic or not is another question.

Click to expand...

I got in the habit of setting up a uke with low action, but I am not sure why... In my younger years somebody said that they liked low action, so I followed that, I suppose.

But the last uke I setup had disappointing volume and a somewhat dull sound. I swapped out the saddle with one providing substantially higher action with grand results!

Perhaps here is a good thread to (have another) talk about benefits of low vs high action...

Rllink said:

Setups are a good thing, but for my part I can't just go in and say, "set it up." I'm particular and I happen to like a bit higher action than I'm going to get by just going in and taking what I get. If I buy one and it comes with a setup by the seller I make sure to tell them what I want. I think if you just take what someone gives you because you don't know what you want, you might not gain do much.

A setup will not make a barred Bd easy to play. It is just a hard chord.

Click to expand...

Good players can overcome some issues, to a certain extent. They have rock solid technique which is why it all seems effortless. Ever wondered why 12 year old girls can play Beethoven concertos on the piano? or very advanced pieces on the guitar?It's not because they have greater hand strength. They have less hand strength than an adult male. It's because everything is working to it's greatest efficiency, not a drop of energy is wasted. Unfortunately some of us never achieve that kind of efficiency. We need all the help we can get.

Does every ukulele need a set-up? My impression is no. Can most ukuleles be improved generally, or specifically to your playing style? Probably. Something like a Kiwaya probably comes perfect out of the factory, every time. Even then, their definition of perfect might not be yours. It comes down to how picky you are.

Lowering the saddle just requires a bit of sandpaper and some patience not to overdo it. Nut slots require more skill and if you're serious about it, a set of specialty files. I bought a fret end file to make some of my cheap ukes more likeable.

I've come across a lot of ukuleles that had sharp fret ends and most could stand a little lowering of the saddle. Mind you, as a finger picker, having the saddle too low is annoying as it's harder to get under the strings.

I must be one of the lucky ones. I'm very new to Ukulele, started with absolutely no knowledge of the instrument. Ordered my first uke (a Cordoba 35 series) online and it was beautiful out of the box. Played, looked and felt fantastic all around ... replaced G with a Low G and it was even better.

Second uke a Lanakai purchased on Reverb and again it was BEAUTIFUL out of the box & by that I mean it looked, felt and played superbly. As with the Cordoba, action was / is fantastic. Third uke was a cheapie. I wanted something I could throw in the trunk & take to Open Mics, so I ordered a Juno Tenor from Orangewood Guitars. PERFECT out of the box. Ironically, the action was a shade better than my Lanikai, and this, for under $200. Fourth was an Ohana off of Reverb, every detail was excellent.

Then I learned of "Theukulelesite" / HMS, read up on their Setup process and watched the videos. And though my first four ukes have been perfect out of the box, I decided that I would buy from Shops like this from now on (I already have). Again, I must be lucky. After reading so many horror stories of "out-of-the-box" ukes, I feel very fortunate for my first four ukes. Feel as though I've dodged a few bullets. Either that, or the case for bad ukes is overstated.

...

eclipsme said:

I got in the habit of setting up a uke with low action, but I am not sure why... In my younger years somebody said that they liked low action, so I followed that, I suppose.

But the last uke I setup had disappointing volume and a somewhat dull sound. I swapped out the saddle with one providing substantially higher action with grand results!

Perhaps here is a good thread to (have another) talk about benefits of low vs high action...

Click to expand...

Yeah, in my experience, very roughly: lower = easier to play, higher = better sounding. And only within a certain range of height. Too low, and fingerpicking gets difficult as glennerd pointed out. Too high and intonation problems become more pronounced.

snowdenn said:

Yeah, in my experience, very roughly: lower = easier to play, higher = better sounding. And only within a certain range of height. Too low, and fingerpicking gets difficult as glennerd pointed out. Too high and intonation problems become more pronounced.

Click to expand...

So are those that provide the "free" setup with purchase also increasing the action if the buyer wants that?

merlin666 said:

So are those that provide the "free" setup with purchase also increasing the action if the buyer wants that?

Click to expand...

My guess is not typically. I assume the reason action tends to be higher out of the factory is because it's easier to decrease than increase it. I don't know if these free set ups include stuff like adding shims under the saddle and baking soda/bone dust glued to the nut. We could ask Mim over in that other thread. Maybe if there's a significant problem with the height, they'll contact the manufacturer for a new nut or saddle. I got a tenor with action that's a bit too low. I think it was set up that way at the shop, because intonation is great and there's no buzzing, even with a hard attack. But I'm waiting on a new saddle because I wanted it higher without shims.

merlin666 said:

So are those that provide the "free" setup with purchase also increasing the action if the buyer wants that?

Click to expand...

I can't actually answer that question, but I would expect the frequency that it even comes up is low. High action is more forgiving of imperfect frets/neck, so manufacturers tend to err on that side. I've never picked up a cheap stock instrument and thought, "man, this stock action is too low".

By the way, that's not a knock on the manufacturers. I don't think they are trying to pull one over on you and cover up bad quality. It's just one of the compromises to make affordable instruments available. Also, if you're handy enough to do minor adjustments, it's easier to sand off material than to add to it.