Things That Could Improve Sound of Any Ukulele

kregger

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Just curious what players have tried in their endless pursuit of optimal sound.

I've experimented with all brands/types of strings, raising/lowering action, etc., but these are all ordinary things. I'm wondering if there are any counter intuitive methods for enhancement. For example, I'm considering sanding the top down just a tiny bit to make my uke thinner and thus, produce greater vibrations. I probably won't do it, but I just say it as an example of something that COULD be done. I just want to optimize everything about my uke's sound...even if it's risky or makes it unsightly. Just want the best sound possible.

BTW, I love the sound my KTM-00 produces, so I'm not looking for "maybe you should try a different uke." My question applies to all ukes: what could be done to improve the sound, even if by only .01%, of any uke?
 
Well, when Kimo Hussey played my ukulele, it sounded so much better!
 
There's probably not much you can do to improve the sound of a high quality uke like yours, short of string experiment, but some things I've heard of folks trying are:
1) shaving/scalloping down internal braces to change the sound
2) adding a side sound port
3) adding a small armrest, to keep your arm off the top while playing, thereby allowing maximum vibration of the top

I wouldn't mess with bracing, but would consider a sound port or armrest, but would try on a cheap uke first.
 
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I don't think you can improve a KTM-00's sound by sanding its top. These top-shelf, Hawaiian-made ukuleles are already very optimal. If there's anything easily done to absolutely improve the sound, I think it would have already been done. Your uke is not some no-name Aliexpress uke that can immediately benefit by having even tuners that hold a tune; your uke is already very, very good.

If you hold your uke off your body, it'll have more sustain. However, this isn't something that's noticeable when actually playing a song (because more of the time, I'd strum another chord before the first chord's sustain is anywhere near decay).

As @rainbow21 said, a good player (when paired with a good uke, which is needed to give consistency) can bring out a lot of subtleness and good tone. For example, (I'm not a good player) it is hard for me to have a consistent accent on the down beats, so sometimes my rhythm won't be "moving" your (or anybody) much.
 
To make any uke sound better, take some lessons from someone qualified to teach. That'll get you more bang for your buck than any gimmick or short-cut.
 
To make any uke sound better, take some lessons from someone qualified to teach. That'll get you more bang for your buck than any gimmick or short-cut.

This. Once you get your hands on a top-tier quality uke, the best way to a better sound is to improve the player.

Heck, it could probably be written: "Once you get your hands on a halfway decent uke, the best way to a better sound is to improve the player" and it would *still* be true. Just listen to the guys from the Ukulele site play some of the lower end ukes in sound samples. Corey or Kalei could make my worst uke sound better than I could make my best uke sound.
 
Practice, practice, and practice.
 
Just curious what players have tried in their endless pursuit of optimal sound.

I've experimented with all brands/types of strings, raising/lowering action, etc., but these are all ordinary things. I'm wondering if there are any counter intuitive methods for enhancement. For example, I'm considering sanding the top down just a tiny bit to make my uke thinner and thus, produce greater vibrations. I probably won't do it, but I just say it as an example of something that COULD be done. I just want to optimize everything about my uke's sound...even if it's risky or makes it unsightly. Just want the best sound possible.

.... so I'm not looking for "maybe you should try a different uke." My question applies to all ukes: what could be done to improve the sound, even if by only .01%, of any uke?

Every Uke that I’ve bought needed a little corrective attention to simple build defects (eg. A saddle that doesn’t have a flat base). So set the Uke up well and ensure that, as far as you can, it’s put together well. Supplied strings are sometimes not so good but sometimes they are fine; and I prefer bone nuts and bone saddles but occasionally what’s already fitted is already good enough. There is no simple and universal ‘do this’ answer, however a skilled player will almost certainly be able to extract better music from any instrument that he or she plays - application and technique are very important and very difficult to master.
 
"Play better" responses miss the point of the question. There's nothing wrong with the KTM-00 (IMO it sounds superior to 99% of ukes). No physical object is in a perfected state, so there must be things that can be done to move the needle a fraction closer to perfection.
 
"Play better" responses miss the point of the question. There's nothing wrong with the KTM-00 (IMO it sounds superior to 99% of ukes). No physical object is in a perfected state, so there must be things that can be done to move the needle a fraction closer to perfection.


It is hard to improve what is already a very good product. You can make it different; but not everybody will agree that it is an improvement. Like my example above, it is easy to improve (in a universally accepted way) a cheap Aliexpress uke; but for something like the KTM-00, it isn't easy.

So, here we are.

"Perfect state" (as you stated). Perfect for just you? or perfect for everybody? If it is just perfect to you, then check out this thread:

https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?148040-DIY-setup-out-of-frustration

There's no one setup that suits everybody. For example, a low action for one person may be unplayable for another who strums hard enough to buzz it. If your uke is setup by a store, then you can improve it by setting up again yourself. Also, what was perfect last year may be no longer perfect as your play style changes.

Here's another example: your KTM-00 has friction tuners. Now some might think just changing them to geared ones is a major improvement. But do you agree?

I think you have a nice uke in the KTM-00; not much there is to imrpove the instrument. That leaves the easiest improvement area... being the player. (and maybe that's why many others also suggest playing better).

WRT KTM-00 "sounds superior to 99% of ukes", I'm not so sure about that. But, if that statement is changed to something like KTM-00 is better made than 99% of ukes, then there's not much arguing.
 
" 'Play better' responses miss the point of the question"

Or perhaps you are missing the point of the answer. Making music not about the instrument, it's about the player. To put it another way, it's not what you've got - it's what you do with it.

John Colter
 
" 'Play better' responses miss the point of the question"

Or perhaps you are missing the point of the answer. Making music not about the instrument, it's about the player. To put it another way, it's not what you've got - it's what you do with it.

John Colter

:agree:

Occasionally Wifried Welti posts on these pages, he typically plays an old Bruko No6 which when he bought it (say a bit over a decade ago) must have cost about €100. I’ve had Bruko, it wasn’t to my taste then but I still thought it a perfectly good little Uke for the money; what Wilfied produces from his ‘identical’ Bruko amazes me. Dr Bekken sometimes posts here - he’s a music professor (in Norway ?) - and what he makes a cheap Uke do really is amazing. The bottom line is that the music starts with the player.

As for the Ukes, well like I said in my post every Uke that I’ve bought benefitted from a little corrective work, small things and details overlooked in the build that were also possible for me to make right.
 
Definitely not the answer OP was hoping for. When I started on my uke journey I was sort caught on the same trap trying to get a really good sounding uke, buying, and changing strings on a week to week basis. In the end it would just take away from my playing time and now I haven't change a gosh darn string on any Uke for over 2 years :). They still sound pretty good to my ear.

One last thing to note another poster said "That leaves the easiest improvement area. being the player" ... well in my case improving as a player was a long tough road!! still is as we're all striving to get better.
 
1. Sand the back of the neck to remove any gloss finish - comfort equals better sound
2. Cut a sound port facing you
3. Take those points off the headstock to improve the balance of the instrument
4. Get friction tuners to improve the balance
5. Open up the main sound hole or close part of it
6. Change the neck to a V-shape or asymmetrical tapering on one side or the other (Stevie Ray Vaughn style)
and even though this is not a physical improvement to the uke, neither is it a skill based improvement like "get better", get some nice calluses on your fretting fingertips. This will help you place the ideal part of your fingertip on the string, as long as you develop the calluses in the right place.

Would I do any of these things to a $1000 uku? No. I would get a StewMac kit and experiment with shaving braces and sanding tops thinner.

I am working on reshaping the neck on a Travel Kala I got at a yard sale this weekend. This morning I looked at it and said "what have I done?" but I think by evening today I will be back at it with sandpaper and a caliper!
 
What people consider sounding good is totally subjective. The chiming that one person enjoys can be grinding harshness to another. It also depends on perspective, for example what the player and an audience at distance hear is completely different, and recording the uke still adds another dimension of recording equipment.
 
To make any uke sound better, take some lessons from someone qualified to teach. That'll get you more bang for your buck than any gimmick or short-cut.

great advice as he has tried all kinds of strings
this is very good advice... simplest way is to order a custom uke...) and try talking to a good builder
 
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What people consider sounding good is totally subjective. The chiming that one person enjoys can be grinding harshness to another....

So true. I always find it interesting when some folks, who play longer scale linear ukes, sometimes even tuned down, find any reentrant uke to be plinky, toy-like or grating. Then there's the reentrant fans, who find low-G and/or baritones annoying, recommending those people to just go play a guitar. I like it all, there's music that fits each better, and I have fun with reentrant, linear, down-tuned, and bari-strung tenor. We're lucky to have so many options.
 
Learn to play better...:p
I'll get my coat...
 
1. Sand the back of the neck to remove any gloss finish - comfort equals better sound
2. Cut a sound port facing you
3. Take those points off the headstock to improve the balance of the instrument
4. Get friction tuners to improve the balance
5. Open up the main sound hole or close part of it
6. Change the neck to a V-shape or asymmetrical tapering on one side or the other (Stevie Ray Vaughn style)
and even though this is not a physical improvement to the uke, neither is it a skill based improvement like "get better", get some nice calluses on your fretting fingertips. This will help you place the ideal part of your fingertip on the string, as long as you develop the calluses in the right place.

Would I do any of these things to a $1000 uku? No. I would get a StewMac kit and experiment with shaving braces and sanding tops thinner.

I am working on reshaping the neck on a Travel Kala I got at a yard sale this weekend. This morning I looked at it and said "what have I done?" but I think by evening today I will be back at it with sandpaper and a caliper!

Thanks Neil. You're the only one who understood the question. "Play better" "play more" "sound is subjective" should go without saying (instrument ≠ instrumenteer)...but I guess not (I already play about 2-4 hours per day). I've already implemented #1 (sanding neck) and that definitely helped in terms of playability. I'll talk to a luthier to see if there are any risky enhancements I could attempt to maximize my instrument.
 
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BTW, I love the sound my KTM-00 produces, so I'm not looking for "maybe you should try a different uke." My question applies to all ukes: what could be done to improve the sound, even if by only .01%, of any uke?

Literally anything. Which is probably why you're not getting the answers you're hoping for.

The luthier could have added an extra drop of glue to a brace or bent the sides in a hurricane or used 200 grit for one pass when she meant to use 400 grit. Or all three. Etc, etc, etc...

A handmade musical instrument is a collection of successes and errors (or "deviations", if you will). Either you like it enough to buy it or you don't. Simple as that. This is why it's important to try a uke in person before you buy it so you know exactly how it sounds.

As somebody who's spent some time in the "anal tone zone," I would suggest that searching for .01% is bound to make you miserable and waste a lot of time. It's already been correctly suggested that playing technique makes way more of a difference.

A more productive conversation would be "I'm super broke. A new uke is out of the question. How do I make my production-line Makala Dolphin sound better?" I've seen lots of things suggested over the years that could improve a crappy uke by leaps and bounds. But making a Kanile'a .01% better? Git practicin'!

EDIT (saw your latest post): Keep practicin'! :) And also, are you sure the Kanile'a is for you? It seems like you might be taking the long road to get to the conclusion that you might connect better with a different instrument. ??? Just putting it out there.
 
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