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#1
06-07-2014, 05:46 AM
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Fix up an old cheap uke or buy a new cheap uke?
My wife bought a no-name, Asian-made, all-laminate soprano uke two years ago for about US$100. She took several lessons and quit. The uke's been gathering dust on top of our bookcase ever since. We're expecting twin babies this summer, and I figured I should put that uke to good use, toss it in the stroller whenever we go out and entertain the babies with it. So I got it out the other night and found out the intonation is all over the place. So I'm thinking, either get it set up (US$20) and have the strings changed (US$12), or buy a Dolphin from Uke Republic, which comes set up and strung with Aquila at US$50. Which way do you guys recommend?
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#2
06-07-2014, 06:11 PM
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You might wanna take this opportunity to try your hand at doing a set up and restring yourself. Ukuleles aren't to hard to do, just do some sanding and reshaping of the saddle and nut to get the action and intonation right. Some ukes won't ever have perfect intonation, depending on the build quality.
I had a cheap Rogue soprano ukulele. Took me about 30 minutes of sanding and tweaking to get it up to snuff. Shaved down the saddle, filed down the nut slots, tightened the tuners and restrung it.
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#3
06-07-2014, 08:41 PM
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On one hand, buying one of those Dolphin ukes for $50 is not a bad deal. On the other hand, you should see if your wife's uke is salvageable with a set-up. And quite frankly, I think most luthiers/guitar techs would probably tell you that it isn't worth the trouble setting up your particular uke.
__________________
franchelB: TGF member #57! 
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#4
06-09-2014, 07:54 AM
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Dolphin is a no-brainer. It probably won't even get damaged when it gets inevitably tossed/kicked out of the stroller. It's the epitome of a beater uke.
__________________
Guitars: Yamaha FG700S Blueridge BG-140 Ukuleles: Concert KoAloha
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#5
07-04-2014, 08:17 AM
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old and used is mojo -
Ive got a couple of banjo ukes Im working on both flea market finds for about ten bucks each a friend gave me an old cracked banjo head that works like a charm !
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--------------------------------- Wood things with Strings !
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#6
07-04-2014, 01:24 PM
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What I always tell my students is that I can play any crappy, cheap, poorly set-up uke, but as a beginner, do YOU want that handicap?
It depends on how much you value your time. If you can spare an hour to two to mess with the setup (or would find it interesting to do so) go for it. Worst case, you end up messing up the old one beyond reasonable playability and giving up on it, then buying the Dolphin.
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