ukulele intonation

[cpmusic]

Originally Posted by Neal

Long neck, no. Can't understand the "longneck" concept.

A long-neck soprano is just a soprano body with a concert neck and scale, giving the tone and portability of the small body with a little more room on the fretboard than a standard soprano. I like to carry a uke in my messenger bag with other minor stuff, and the concert body is a bit bulky for that. I wouldn't do that with a high quality uke, but an inexpensive laminated uke fills the bill nicely.

[Neal]

I know what they are, just fail to grasp the point, but then again, I'm not a soccer fan either, and there are a few million that do grasp that particular point, so it just goes to show there's a lid for every pot.

Could be that the worker was thinking as long as it's a concert scale, we usually put the bridge at this spot on the face, measurements be d a mned it's Friday, and I want to go. Or not, Idunno.

[DASmusic]

Originally Posted by cpmusic

Sad to say, Gretsch is owned by Fender, and I can't find any way to contact them except their Facebook page, which I imagine is not exactly geared toward customer service or tech support.

I didn't know that.
Thats enough to turn me away right there. I don't even have a Facebook. Haha.
And its not like I'm going to sit there and BS to the people on the phone everyday. But I'd feel a little more comfortable buying something knowing there's tech and customer service I can talk to if needed

[DASmusic]

Originally Posted by Neal

You really do get what you pay for, which defines my pleasant surprise regarding the Gretsch offerings.

I agree 100% but I didn't really want to dish out hundreds of dollar for a high end first uke when I didn't even know if I'd enjoy playing it. And as said before, I'm not putting down Gretsch. I know it may seem that way but I'm not. I read their reviews online and people on UU even recommended it for me. So I was set on buying it. But seeing it in person, that particular uke was not like I read about.
So I feel like I made a good choice. Even though I had to set it up a little. Which is my fault. I should have made them do it at the store. But it was Christmas time. People were everywhere, shoulder to shoulder in this small music store. So I just wanted to get out of there. But now that I had some help from people on here and I got the intonation correct its a great uke now.

[repete]

I'll put Gretsch down. I think they are a shadow of their former selves.

I wouldnt typically buy one new with what I know, but a good one with a warranty might be worth it.

I bought a couple of "used" ukes, just because they were cheap and had some nice flamed mahogany. first one was a warped neck. Straightened it out as best I could, removed all the frets and flattened the roller-coaster fingerboard. Second one was the same. flattened the fingerboard, and now its playable. Third one (I'm a glutton for punishment huh!!?) had a twisted neck. Removed the fingerboard and the neck straightened out. Waiting for me to re-glue it back on. Some of the bridges arent glued down well, but they are stable right now.

The tenor sounds VERY good. Since I liked it so much I got the one with the twisted neck that is solid wood, so I hope that one sounds even better.

Concert uke is good too.

Just having some fun with cheap instruments.

-r

[DASmusic]

Originally Posted by repete

I bought a couple of "used" ukes, just because they were cheap and had some nice flamed mahogany. first one was a warped neck. Straightened it out as best I could, removed all the frets and flattened the roller-coaster fingerboard. Second one was the same. flattened the fingerboard, and now its playable. Third one (I'm a glutton for punishment huh!!?) had a twisted neck. Removed the fingerboard and the neck straightened out. Waiting for me to re-glue it back on. Some of the bridges arent glued down well, but they are stable right now.

Wow. And all that was on 3 different Gretsch ukes?

Originally Posted by repete

Just having some fun with cheap instruments.

Exactly why I decided to buy one. Thought it would be a fun cheap way to expand my music playing. And if I didn't like it at least I didn't spend a ton of money. But it was definitely worth it. They are fun to mess around with.

[merlin666]

Intonation can also depend on the type of string and I was just about to post a new thread on this but thought it fits in here. Anyway, I have Gretsch G9120-SM tenor which I really like as it has a relatively big neck and is therefore easier to play than other ukes I have tried, and I find it sounds great. It came with Aquila Nylgut strings, and when one of them broke I put on a set of d'Addario Titanium strings. These strings are quite soft and thick and did not fit the nut slots so I took it to the luthier who widened the nut slots. Though the strings now had a good fit in the nut the intonation was way off. Playing anything in first second, third bar etc was sharp. This was enhanced by the softness of the strings that bend easy. The luthier suggested work on the saddle to compensate it, but I wanted to see if it settles and tried with tuning compromises. Oh and the strings also did not sound as punchy as the nylguts, but rather dull. So after a couple of days I took them off replaced with a Aquila Super Nylgut with a red low G, and all is good again including a great sound. So in conclusion:

1) Thick and soft strings can throw intonation off substantially even if the nut is adjusted.
2) D'Addario Titanium strings suck!

I am thinking about trying some fluorocarbon strings next time, maybe the Martins. Are they any good (compared to other carbon strings)?