Lowering the action on a Waterman

[Zambezi Zelda]

Hi, all. First forum post.
Does anyone know whether or not I can remove the bridge on a Waterman and perhaps lower the action? I purchased a transparent green one for a Christmas party that's coming up (of course I plan on filling it with battery powered Christmas lights...naturally!) The action is very very high, so anything beyond, say, the fifth fret, is practically unplayable. Granted, I'm using it as more or less a novelty assessory for the party, but I would like to get some halfway decent sounds out of it.

 

[anthonyg]

We have discussed the Waterman before. Unfortunately a high action isn't its only problem as it was also built without any saddle compensation so the intonation is way sharp. You could take to it with a file but lowering the action alone won't fix the sharp intonation.

Anthony

 

[Zambezi Zelda]

Thanks, Anthony.
You're right, the intonation was a bit of a "rum go" ( I watched a lot of Poppins as a child) when I first tried mine out, but I never expected a miracle out of a plastic ukulele. What I'm trying to accomplish here, is lowering the action enough so that I can at least make halfway decent chords up the neck. Has anyone actually tried to remove the bridge itself? If that's possible, I'm confident I can manufacture a replacement with a lower profile. The wonders of 3-D printing.

 

[Dan Gleibitz]

Has anyone actually tried to remove the bridge itself? If that's possible, I'm confident I can manufacture a replacement with a lower profile. The wonders of 3-D printing.

Now you're talking!

Haven't tried it, but it looks like the bridge is fixed with clips and poles:

Sorry, photo removed due to complaint by copyright owner. If you want to post the pic please include attribution and link to source as per Creative Commons license~ buddhuu

... and odds are, glue.

If it's glued and/or can't be clipped out, I'd cut it off flush, remove whatever I could, print a new bridge (lower profile with room for a full sized compensated saddle), glue it on, make the saddle.

 

[Django]

I bought a Waterman for my Grand Daughter. The action was high and the intonation was quite sharp at the 12th fret. I noticed that the strings did not seem to be contacting the zero fret and the longer scale would make the ukulele sharp up the neck. The zero fret was also high, so the nut files came out. I filed the nut at approximately 10 degrees to the fingerboard and cut into the zero fret, basically making that the nut. This lowered the action and greatly improved intonation. I put on a new set of strings on and now the intonation is as good as it gets for an uncompensated saddle. The action is still a bit high near the body, but the saddle doesn't leave a lot of room for adjustment and it plays easily.

I just wanted to pass along what I came across on this particular ukulele. Being molded, they are probably all pretty much the same. I already added this to another thread. Kala should fix the molds to lower the bridge and fix the nut and zero fret.

 

[guitandy]

Hi, I am an elementary music teacher who has 35 Waterman ukuleles. Wanting to replace very old ukuleles held together with tape, I bought an Ullina Beaver Creek (which I think is the same as the plastic Woodi ukulele) to try out the concept of a plastic ukulele. Plastic is great because winter is usually very cold, very long, and very dry. I tried some relatively high end Kalas that got very buzzy sounding with the lack of humidity. Therefore, I decided to get Waterman ukes sight unseen based on a recommendation from a plasitc ukulele expert who thought the Waterman would be a better fit than the Woodi or Ullina. I couldn't try out a Waterman because I bought them the same year as they came out. I had money that had to be spent within that fiscal year so I couldn't wait until the next school year so I had buy them or get nothing.

Anyway, the high action has become quite a problem with my ukulele program because many kids simply can't play them. Kala has been awesome when I asked them about it. They have even offered to donate new lower-action waterman ukes that should be 3mm or lower - more in that normal range for string action. I don't know if they actually will be able to follow through because they are in the USA and I am in Canada. In other words, I don't believe they would get the tax break that they would require on such a donation. So I am likely stuck with the Waterman.

Therefore, I am quite intrigued with the modification to your Grand Daughters Waterman ukulele. If you would be so kind, would you possibly be able to post a picture of this modification? I am tempted to try it myself but I want to be confident before I cut into school property.

Thanks!

 

[3j0hn]

Hi, I am an elementary music teacher who has 35 Waterman ukuleles.
... I couldn't try out a Waterman because I bought them the same year as they came out...
Anyway, the high action has become quite a problem with my ukulele program because many kids simply can't play them. Kala has been awesome when I asked them about it. They have even offered to donate new lower-action waterman ukes that should be 3mm or lower - more in that normal range for string action.

That's a pretty unfortunate situation, hopefully Kala is able to come through for you. I also have a Waterman from the very first production run and its action is also unplayably high and the intonation really off.

I should get a file a try Django's "fix".

Has anyone had a good experience with the newer runs of Watermans?

 

[imperialbari]

If one takes off the strings of the Waterman, will the bridge then come off from its 3 support posts?

If so the bottom of the bridge may be filed to lower the saddle. I would use my flat fret file to get an even amount filed off all the way around.

If the bridge telescopes over the 3 support posts, it may be necessary to file an equal amount off the top of the posts.

Ain’t in the mood to try to unmount the bridge right now, but apparently somebody has done that.

I didn’t like the Aquila strings that the Waterman came with. My stock of Martin M600 fluorocarbon soprano strings is low, so I put a set of Martin M620 tenor strings on. They still were a great improvement.

If the pitch raises too much for you when you play up the fretboard, you may get a better pitch compromise by tuning to the 5th fret rather than to the open strings.

I get the best compromise by tuning the C string 5th fret to a digital piano. I then tune the G to a pure fifth with the open C string. Then the 3rd fret of the E string in unison with the open G string. Then the open A string in unison with the 2nd fret on the G string. Won’t match exactly with a strobo tuner, but introduces a good sweetened tuning.

One problem with the Waterman that annoys me is the closeness of the outer strings to the respective edges of the neck. I see no obvious remedy for that.

Klaus

 

[Blue wolf]

Hi, all. First forum post.
Does anyone know whether or not I can remove the bridge on a Waterman and perhaps lower the action? I purchased a transparent green one for a Christmas party that's coming up (of course I plan on filling it with battery powered Christmas lights...naturally!) The action is very very high, so anything beyond, say, the fifth fret, is practically unplayable. Granted, I'm using it as more or less a novelty assessory for the party, but I would like to get some halfway decent sounds out of it.

i have a black concert size Waterman. I wrapped sandpaper around a flat putty knife and loosened the strings (did not remove them). Raising the loosened strings with a finger I used the sandpaper-putty knife to carefully sand down the plastic saddle to lower the action. Seems to work; the action came down and I’ve not experienced any buzzing. I’ll revisit it after playing it for a few days to see if I can take it down more. BTW, I also have a concert mahogany Kala; removed the composite saddle (it comes out) and sanded the saddle on a sandpaper-covered board to lower the saddle and the action.

Hi, all. First forum post.
Does anyone know whether or not I can remove the bridge on a Waterman and perhaps lower the action? I purchased a transparent green one for a Christmas party that's coming up (of course I plan on filling it with battery powered Christmas lights...naturally!) The action is very very high, so anything beyond, say, the fifth fret, is practically unplayable. Granted, I'm using it as more or less a novelty assessory for the party, but I would like to get some halfway decent sounds out of it.

saddle a bit.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

I have zero experience with a Waterman but a pack of medium grit sandpaper and a set of $5.00 needle files became my two best friends when tinkering with the initially high action (over 4mm at 12th fret) on my DIY uke. Start with the narrowest of the needle files to deepen the string slots which will lower the action at the nut, and finish the bottom of the slot with the half-round file. For good measure, angle toward the head stock/ tuners to reduce the nut surface area that the strings will touch.
Then, use the sandpaper on the plastic saddle and end up with 800-grit or so / emery board to remove all burrs & humps. Because I don't own a proper gauge, I googled "common household things between 2mm and 3mm in thickness" and found lots of alternatives. I settled on a "Round Tuit", a box of which I'd ordered many years ago as a substitute for business cards. These are wooden coins about the diameter of a US silver dollar with my name and employer on one side. ("Now, you have a round tuit, so don't put that call off any longer.")
Not my best marketing plan, LOL, but turns out that A Round Tuit is spot-on for confirming proper uke string height at the 12th fret. Who knew?

 

[WebParrot (s2)]

i have a black concert size Waterman. I wrapped sandpaper around a flat putty knife and loosened the strings (did not remove them). Raising the loosened strings with a finger I used the sandpaper-putty knife to carefully sand down the plastic saddle to lower the action. Seems to work; the action came down and I’ve not experienced any buzzing. I’ll revisit it after playing it for a few days to see if I can take it down more. BTW, I also have a concert mahogany Kala; removed the composite saddle (it comes out) and sanded the saddle on a sandpaper-covered board to lower the saddle and the action.


saddle a bit.

Hey fellows.... this is a 5-year-old thread... likely the OP has resolved her/his issue. Before replying, you might save yourself a few keystrokes by checking the OP date and the date of the last post.

I have zero experience with a Waterman but a pack of medium grit sandpaper and a set of $5.00 needle files became my two best friends when tinkering with the initially high action (over 4mm at 12th fret) on my DIY uke. Start with the narrowest of the needle files to deepen the string slots which will lower the action at the nut, and finish the bottom of the slot with the half-round file. For good measure, angle toward the head stock/ tuners to reduce the nut surface area that the strings will touch.
Then, use the sandpaper on the plastic saddle and end up with 800-grit or so / emery board to remove all burrs & humps. Because I don't own a proper gauge, I googled "common household things between 2mm and 3mm in thickness" and found lots of alternatives. I settled on a "Round Tuit", a box of which I'd ordered many years ago as a substitute for business cards. These are wooden coins about the diameter of a US silver dollar with my name and employer on one side. ("Now, you have a round tuit, so don't put that call off any longer.")
Not my best marketing plan, LOL, but turns out that A Round Tuit is spot-on for confirming proper uke string height at the 12th fret. Who knew?

Hey fellows.... this is a 5-year-old thread... likely the OP has resolved her/his issue. Before replying, you might save yourself a few keystrokes by checking the OP date and the date of the last post.

 

[don_b]

FWIW OP upgraded to a Flea in 2019.