Ukulele action setup

You might well leave the action different for different strings, and there is a danger that you might be left with sharp edges that could damage the strings, causing them to snap. I filed the bottom of the saddle and notched the top.

I sanded the notches after filing. Working great! Less power needed and no buzzing! I bought my uke last week and found that when practicing I was often touching the C string when pressing the G string.

This caused the C string to flub when strumming. The string at the 1st fret is just one mm away from the fret. Can some experienced uke player please tell me if this too much? The saddle is stuck. Any remedies for loosening it. Many thanks, Ken. When measuring the action at the 12th fret, what is optional height?

Say the action at the 12th is 2mm to high, do we sand off 2mm off the nut? Make certain all your strings are removed. Go slowly. That is, not to the top of the string. Please confirm? Measurement is from crown of fret to bottom of string. I have a Kala KA-C can't tell whether my saddle is removable, but it's whitish plastic and it's set into a wooden bridge so I suspect it is.

I measure 2. Would you think this is a saddle issue? Possibly, but not necessarily just height. Impossible to say without examining the ukulele. But it could be a combination of things. Sharpness at first frets can indicate nut is too high. Understood a lot about the action of a ukulele from your post.

I am new to the uke actually. The one that i have purchased has action of 3mm above the 12th fret but the 3rd string is buzzing. Could lowering the action possibly reduce the buzzing of the 3rd string even though buzz is associated with a low action?

There is no luthier where i live. I have been looking for help everywhere I possibly can. Your help would mean eveything to me. If you are 3mm a the saddle - do you know where the buzz is coming from or even if it is the string? Could be a part on the ukulele resonating. HAve you changed the string? Could be a high fret further up. But no - lowering the action will not help.

Thank you for responding. I have not changed the string as it is a brand new uke. I too have felt that it may be the uke resonating. In fact,if i just tap at the bottom of the uke on the left, like where the first string ends then this mild resonating sound is heard.

Dont really know what to do with it. Doesn't really matter if it's a new uke - you need to rule out the strings first. It's the easiesst thing to change. I've seen brand new ukes with defective strings.

Even had defective strings out of brand new packets!! Understood a lot from your post. Actually i am new to the uke and the one that i purchased has an action of 3mm above the 12th fret. However, the 3rd string buzzes when i strum it. Could the problem be with the nut? There is no luthier where i live and i have to wait for 6mnths inorder to get it checked. Please help if possible. Could be the nut. Hold the string at the third fret and check how close it gets to the crown of the first.

It should only just kiss the top but not quite. If it noticeably presses on the first fret, that would indicate the nut is too low and needs raising on that string. I will try doing as advised by you. However, in case i need to raise the nut on that string will it be possible to do it myself? How should i go about it? If it needs raising you need to remove it and shim it underneath, or get a whole new nut cut and replace it.

Thanks for the great Ukulele beginner posts Baz, you have explained the processes in simple terms and demonstrated how to do them which make the set-up and string changing so much less intimidating for beginners! They really help me to understand the instrument better and the playing more enjoyable. Please leave me a comment! Want To Say Thank You? A little while ago I put up a video explaining that any ukulele player should not be afraid of adjusting their instrument for optimum play.

Is adjusting the frets necessary on every ukulele? Maybe not. You may never notice small nuanced buzzes, or maybe a high fret above the 12th fret. In this process, I also smooth sharp fret-ends and oil and dress the fretboard.

Nut action is super important, especially when playing on your first five frets and barre chords. I have a set of gauged nut files and I get to work making sure your nut action is ideal Figure 2.

Most of the time they need to be lowered, rarely do they need to be raised. The B b chord should not be an impossible chord for you. This is also a really important adjustment for beginners and those who have arthritis issues. If it moves more than a tiny bit, a fret file can help to get the correct height at the nut. Action is the height of the strings from the fretboard. Often the measurement is given from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string on the 12th fret.

This can make you slightly out of tune and hinder your enjoyment and progress on the ukulele. How high your strings need to be without buzzing on the frets is determined by what your playing style or technique can handle.

Your goal to sound better on the ukulele is something you should work toward…. It is easier to learn songs and techniques. It is easier to get better, faster, on a quality instrument with a good setup. The biggest factor in our setup is the string action. On a Pono ukulele their is a truss rod to adjust, but on most ukes you are only dealing with an adjustment from the two points that the strings rests on.

The nut at the beginning of the fretboard- it has slots that the strings sit in and go through and the saddle on the belly of the top is the bridge and inside that sits a saddle — the string rests on saddle and is locked in at the bridge.