Things That Could Improve Sound of Any Ukulele

The sweetened tuning for a Peterson Strobe Tuner are mathematically optimized for a concert-sized ukulele. They have a tenor sweetener that you can download to your tuner if you use Google Chrome. (I do not.)

As far as "improving" the sound of your ukulele goes, every ukulele design and build has compromises. Especially if the instrument is built in a factory, albeit a small cottage industry one. Companies have to take into consideration production factors. Such as: materials, time each step takes, what is acceptable quality at each step, final sound target. How close is the end product to the design parameters. And lots more.

Your KTM-00 had to meet those parameters at each step of the way. But there is a range for being acceptable. For example a max and min acceptable thickness and shape for the "unibrace". Is the wood the right density for the brace? Is the glue the right temperature and consistency when applied? Ditto for every part for the uke. Is it assembled properly? Etc. If you think each part is mic-ed (micrometer measured) and adjusted for tone and fit, you are incorrect. What you have are skilled makers who use their experience to judge if things are correct as they make the uke. You could disassemble the uke and try to optimize all of the parts. Tone test the top. carefully reshape the unibrace for lightness and fit. (Assuming you know the design's purpose and how it works.)

In other words, all of the suggestions made are pretty viable. The really practical user-mods are: adjusting the action, ensuring correct intonation, leveling frets & changing the strings. Maybe changing the tuners. After that changing fret wires, bridge design, neck shape, adding a side port, are do-able, but have to be weighed with "is it worth the effort?"

All kinds of things you can do to optimize the comfort and ease of playing to your body and posture.

But by that point, you may as well just make your own uke to your specs.

A custom uke made by a luthier is the luthier's base design modified to your preferences. Seldom will it be a new design made from scratch to meet your requests. Even if it is, you are relying on the luthier's knowledge of what works and what doesn't. What woods meet their quality requirements. Etc.

Mike $ said:

... As far as sweetened tuning, your frets are measured out for equal temperament and sweetened tunings are for just intonation. When you mix the two, they don't always translate. ...

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The sweetened tunings account for this by giving just intonation only for some specific chords on the fretboard. The rest of the chords will sound neither just nor equal temperament, but some approximate between the two. The thing about sweetened tuning is that, if you play it long enough, you'll develop a ear for it and if sufficiently developed, you'll think the "normal" tunings are out of tune.

Ah, I get it. "sweetened tuning" must refer to slight modifications away from tempered tuning to accommodate different keys in which you happen to be playing. That's not what I meant. I was referring to a sweetening of the intonation of the open strings. Getting C,G,E,A to produce the maximum number of overtones. After using the Polytune tuner, I usually check my 4th string second fret against my open A string, then my open G against my E string 3rd fret, then my E string 5th fret against both of them, and finally my Open C against my A string 3rd fret. These, of course are all octaves. Then I listen to the intervals between the strings by giving them a slow strum. If all is well, I hear a lot of sweet resonance, the sustain is strong, and fades away without any dissonance. Sorry for the confusion about "sweetening."

Neil_O said:

1. Sand the back of the neck to remove any gloss finish - comfort equals better sound

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What's the best way to actually do this? I have a glossy Kala I'd like to do that to.

Kaelrie said:

What's the best way to actually do this? I have a glossy Kala I'd like to do that to.

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0000 steel wool, go slowly to just knock off the gloss

Ukecaster said:

0000 steel wool, go slowly to just knock off the gloss

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Do I need to oil it or anything after that?

No, you're not taking off the finish, just lowering the gloss, no additional finish needs to be added.

I did it and it worked beautifully! Thanks!

I'm all in for comfort! But I'm struggling to understand how comfort could improve the sound of the Ukulele. I guess comfort equals ease of play, and ease of play equals a better mental attitude, and a better attitude equals increased appreciation of what's heard. A sort of subjective improvement in the sound of the instrument. But when it comes right down to the physical qualities of the sound, how could knocking off the gloss on the neck change that? Just asking.

VegasGeorge said:

I'm all in for comfort! But I'm struggling to understand how comfort could improve the sound of the Ukulele. I guess comfort equals ease of play, and ease of play equals a better mental attitude, and a better attitude equals increased appreciation of what's heard. A sort of subjective improvement in the sound of the instrument. But when it comes right down to the physical qualities of the sound, how could knocking off the gloss on the neck change that? Just asking.

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Ease of playing means accuracy and speed. Which means the notes or chords are played correctly with ideal pressure and timing. I've played ukes that the neck didn't suit me. Or the fretboard didn't have a radius, or the headstock didn't give enough room for my hand to play 1st fret easily. Too narrow, or too wide a neck affects playing. Shape of the frets. One of the most aggravating, for me, is a high gloss neck that becomes tacky or sticky to my hand. I don't get sweaty when I play, but I've had some ukes that the neck squeaked and held my hand as I tried to move to a lower fret.

All kinds of little comfort details affect the sound because your arm & hand work better with the instrument.

spot on Kenn. I play better with my wooden ukes than the Flea. The Flea is so slippery bugger because of the plastic back, the neck is very glossy and fingerboard is slippery too!. It's just not conducive to playing....... I know you can get grip tape and all that crap but the Uke in itself is already expensive for plastic so it's kind of silly to drop more money for grip tape etc.