Recent content by merlin666

Not sure what is meaning of super tenor but if it is longer than tenor scale then maybe use baritone strings for lower tension.

Thank you for sharing the experience. One of my music friends is in Japan and posting daily pictures, and now I am contemplating another trip as the one time I was there was years before I discovered ukulele.

If you have the rare ability to sing on key then you can try singing the 12 notes of a major scale and write them down to see if they fit into what you'd expect given the first and last note of the key you pick for your voice. Though given the widespread (ab)use of autotune among popular singers...

As mentioned before, this price range adds little substance to new ukes compared to cheaper ukes of similar brand but can be a sweet spot for used including white label Kamaka, KoAloha, and vintage Martin in decent shape which would all be several levels above modern Asia builds regardless of...

Most luthiers have one or more base models for which they have the moulds and tools etc and then offer customizations for these base models. Customizations can include wood choices, decorations, cutaway, bevel, soundport, types of bridges and headstock, multi string options and so forth. Not all...

The key is not really relevant, it's more the range between highest and lowest note that's important. And yes we can hear high notes better than low notes. That's why violin and fiddle are popular solo instruments, tenors and sopranos are the key solo voices, and many people can't sing along...

LOL that is a cheap solution.

Obviously for ease of playing use keys that include the open strings. So C G and also F and their inversions are easy candidates. I think that if you add another flat (e) or sharp (c) you will need to use fingers more.

Sounds like a great but very busy trip and I hope you will be able to visit again for more relaxed time. This looks like view from Outrigger Reef?

I change uke strings when they break or I can see or feel that they are worn and at risk of breaking. While I can hear a noticeable deterioration of sound quality for wound steel strings on my guitars and then I put fresh set on, I never heard an equivalent change on synthetic strings of my ukes...

Volume of uke is difficult to judge without direct comparison to other ukes of same size. But many cheap ukes just can't sing no matter how hard you play them. As for Eastman they are not really a uke company. We had one in the local music store for several years that was very quiet and possibly...

Here in Canada our favourite are Melitta beans (they get the roasting just right) that I hand grind for old style coffee maker. Used to be available for about $10 per kg but unfortunately price has gone up quite a bit.

Thanks for the update. I also was on factory tour about a month ago and had opportunity to talk with the dedicated repair employee. I was very impressed with their complete rebuild approach, but sure disappointing that they can miss details. As for sound performance of older vs newer I haven't...

I hope you're not thinking of tuning a long baritone scale to same pitch as a soprano. The way to do it is to go one octave lower and of course make it re-entrant. So you just switch the D and G strings and tune the D down two steps.

Now for clipping the wound strings, the OP mentioned that unwinding strings started the whole tying issue. But is not clear if they were unravelling from cut ends or at the frets. Has anyone had issue with cutting wound strings and the end unwinding?