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  #1  
Old 04-28-2014, 02:51 PM
414CE Koa 414CE Koa is offline
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Default New Uke owner questions.

Hey all,

Seems to be a lot of us guitarists venturing into the Uke realm! I recently decided to expand my musical horizons a bit and decided to try the uke. I played a few and thought about it for a while finally getting one a couple weeks ago. It was a Cordoba 20TM-CE. Now I understand this is not a premier uke, but for starters I just wanted a basic one to learn on a see if I like it enough to get into it.

Now the original uke I purchased played reasonably well but had alot of fret buzz in places and the electronics didn't seem to work. Since it was brand new they just exchanged it and my new one arrived today. Well the electronic don't seem to work on this one either. I've been just hooking it up to guitar amp and nothing. Also while there is not fret buzzing the string action seems really high, it doesn't stay in tune very well, and it sounds bland. Now that could well just be it needs new strings and it definitely needs a set up.

Does anyone have an idea what might be wrong with the electronics? not that it matters I mainly want it for acoustic playing.

Also I suppose I have to take this to a pro as I really don't see much in the line of adjustments for the neck. Is there anything I can try to do to adjust the action?

I'm new to the uke world so I'm sorry if I'm asking dumb questions

Thanks,

Mike
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  #2  
Old 04-28-2014, 03:59 PM
MBE MBE is offline
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Action is adjusted by shaving/sanding the saddle and possibly the nut, just as with an acoustic guitar. Don't know your particular model but a truss rod, if there is one, is only used to adjust neck relief, not action.

Ukuleles, with their lower tension nylon strings, are more temperamental with intonation at the best of times. A "death grip" (squeezing too hard) will invariably drive notes sharp so technique has a big impact on how listenable your results are. But a proper setup is key because high action will always mean fretted notes will intonate sharp.

Electronics are just the same as in a guitar. Did you check if the battery is dead, if the output jack has a loose wire, etc?
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Old 04-28-2014, 05:00 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Nylon strings on new ukulele will NOT stay in tune for the first couple of weeks. It really takes that long for all the plastic deformation (stretch for you non-engineer types) to be taken out of the string. You may well be the first person to have ever tuned it up to pitch! By the time you get string #4 tuned, then string #1 is already out of tune - significantly - by a whole pitch or more. This is not a reflection on the quality of the instrument, or on the string quality, just a fact of life for nylon.

Action is adjusted by either sanding -- or more likely shimming higher in the case of buzzes -- the saddle and/or the nut. Very few ukes have a truss rod, which would likely not fix the problem described anyway. Cheaper ukes are notorious for not having a primo set-up. They simply don't have the time to do a proper set up at the factory at the lower price points.

I cannot say much about the electronics, except that for that Cordoba price point, you are not getting a very expensive high-end pickup system.

Great signature line, BTW, I too have an all-koa 414.
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Old 04-28-2014, 05:32 PM
414CE Koa 414CE Koa is offline
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Thanks for the input guys. I guess I'll have to try to sand the saddle a bit. The string height by the nut is pretty good, but gets much higher as you go towards the twelfth fret. Luckily there is no buzzing or dead spots like on my first one. Like I said I do understand Cordoba is not a super high end Uke. If I decide I like playing and stick with it I'll probably eventually get a really good one. Yes there is no truss rod on this one. I have to say I do find it strange that two ukes, one from the wall at guitar center and one brand new from the factory, both don't function in terms of the electrics. Interesting.

Earl that is great man. I love the warmth of the Koa tone. In fact if I do get a higher end uke one day it will probably be Koa. Can't get more Hawaiian than that!!!
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Old 04-28-2014, 08:04 PM
Neal Neal is offline
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Nylon strings will pretty much stay in tune after a day if you do a few things. First, if the winds around the post are more than 3, bring them off, do 'em again. Pull the string all the way up, leave no slack like you would on a guitar, and lock them exactly like you would on a guitar. The stretching of the nylon will be sufficient to give the proper # of winds around the post. Then, feel free to pull on them gently at around the 12th fret. Tune, strum the heck out of it, repeat. You'll have a good set sooner than you think. You may have to adjust for a few days, but usually no more, and even that period of time may be overstated.

Your uke is fine, btw. High end, no, but what the heck, you may like it and it will probably serve you nicely for a number of years.... or weeks if you really like it. Not a clue about the electronics.
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  #6  
Old 04-29-2014, 05:40 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 414CE Koa View Post
I do understand Cordoba is not a super high end Uke. If I decide I like playing and stick with it I'll probably eventually get a really good one.
Just like with guitars, there is always a place for a low cost beater / loaner / beach uke -- especially the beach part. When you do upgrade, hang onto the original Cordoba uke for these purposes.

You can go to my web site for chord charts, instructional material, etc. www.boiseukulelegroup.com
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Old 02-27-2016, 12:33 AM
Br1ck Br1ck is offline
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When you've had it with the Córdoba, and want to move up, I'd highly recommend a Pono MT. Order it with some K&Ks. fabulous quality, reasonable price.
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Old 03-02-2016, 03:55 PM
Phreadlaz Phreadlaz is offline
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Not sure if anyone said this yet, Just like a guitar. Replace the battery. It's worked for me.
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  #9  
Old 03-02-2016, 07:29 PM
spock spock is offline
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Among many things I would advise an aspiring new guitar player is to start off with a decent guitar rather than a cheapo - I would say the same thing with the uke. As with guitar, a quality uke will play easier, stay in tune, and be easier to sell if your interest doesn't catch fire, and for close to your initial investment to boot provided you don't overpay to begin with. It wasn't till I got a decent uke that I really began to progress and have real fun with it.

Everyone is the world's greatest authority on their own opinion, and that's mine.
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  #10  
Old 04-29-2016, 04:08 PM
musicdog musicdog is offline
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Could you make a video of the sound? Might just be something you're not used to. I have had a Cordoba for years and I love it, no problems.
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  #11  
Old 04-29-2016, 05:17 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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The original post is two years old as of yesterday, and the OP has not been active on the forum here since late January according to his profile. So I wouldn't hold my breath on seeing a video any time soon.

But welcome, Musicdog. It is not my intent to rain on your parade as a new poster here.
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  #12  
Old 04-29-2016, 09:31 PM
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cpmusic cpmusic is offline
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Recently I picked up a used Gretsch uke with a pickup, and when I plugged it in the sound was cutting in and out a lot. I fiddled with it for about ten minutes before I had the idea to try a different cable, and that solved the problem. What I thought was a bad pickup was actually a bad cable.

It's also possible that the battery (or batteries) are dying or not making good contact. Typically, the preamps installed in ukes use coin batteries, and if they're not really clean they can cause a disruption in the sound.

Try both of these fixes (coin batteries are cheap) and if that doesn't take care of the problem, go back to the dealer and ask them to look into it.
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