Another Timms on eBay

Question for you Timms experts. Looking at the pics, the saddles look very low, like it would be hard to lower the saddle any more if you wanted to, or need to. Are they designed this way? Or am I just not seeing it correctly?
 
weeping ukulele said:
Question for you Timms experts. Looking at the pics, the saddles look very low, like it would be hard to lower the saddle any more if you wanted to, or need to. Are they designed this way? Or am I just not seeing it correctly?
Click to expand...
Ken usually has the action at the saddle at ~3 mm. That’s almost high for me, but it works great.
The pictures may be deceiving you.
 
hendulele said:
Ken usually has the action at the saddle at ~3 mm. That’s almost high for me, but it works great.
The pictures may be deceiving you.
Click to expand...
Thanks hendulele, But not sure what you mean by "action at the saddle." Do you mean the saddle height is 3mm above the top of the bridge?
 
I am another person who can vouch for the playability of Timms ukes. The action is one part of the story, but the string tension is also fairly low and the frets are fairly high. All combine to create a highly playable uke, in my experience. The saddle is fixed and made of a very thin ebony. I would hesitate to mess with it.

But if the lack of adjustability is an issue for you, then you might be better off with a ukulele that has a slotted saddle that can be removed and adapted.
 
DuckyI said:
I am another person who can vouch for the playability of Timms ukes. The action is one part of the story, but the string tension is also fairly low and the frets are fairly high. All combine to create a highly playable uke, in my experience. The saddle is fixed and made of a very thin ebony. I would hesitate to mess with it.

But if the lack of adjustability is an issue for you, then you might be better off with a ukulele that has a slotted saddle that can be removed and adapted.
Click to expand...
Thanks Duckyl, Yes, I know people love them. The string tension being low is probably a result of the low ebony saddle. I was not concerned with the action, or playability, but the saddle appears to barely rise above the top of the bridge. I am basing this on eBay photos of the current and past 3 auctions. Most likely, the low tension will mean that over time, their will be no need to adjust the saddle height. But if you did want to lower the saddle, for whatever reason, probably the only way to do it would be to shave off the top of the bridge, allowing a lower saddle that still clears the top of the bridge. On my ukuleles the saddles stand taller over the bridge, allowing them to be sanded down or replaced, and raised if necessary. But if the ebony saddle on the Timms is glued in, then raising or lowering the saddle is not an option. I am assuming that Mr. Timms has designed his ukuleles this way as the saddle height is consistent in the photos. The photo below is from the current eBay auction. The previous 3 auction photos show a saddle height consistent with this photo.

Timms bridge.saddle.jpg
 
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Ukecaster said:
Why is the saddle fixed? I'd think it should be able to pop in & out if desired, unless finished over, and thereby locked in.
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I suppose the answer to this can only be given by Mr Timms. I suspect it's because that's the way it was on vintage Martins, and thought to be an integral part of the classic Martin 0 tone.
 
weeping ukulele said:
Thanks Duckyl, Yes, I know people love them. The string tension being low is probably a result of the low ebony saddle. I was not concerned with the action, or playability, but the saddle appears to barely rise above the top of the bridge. I am basing this on eBay photos of the current and past 3 auctions. Most likely, the low tension will mean that over time, their will be no need to adjust the saddle height. But if you did want to lower the saddle, for whatever reason, probably the only way to do it would be to shave off the top of the bridge, allowing a lower saddle that still clears the top of the bridge. On my ukuleles the saddles stand taller over the bridge, allowing them to be sanded down or replaced, and raised if necessary. But if the ebony saddle on the Timms is glued in, then raising or lowering the saddle is not an option. I am assuming that Mr. Timms has designed his ukuleles this way as the saddle height is consistent in the photos. The photo below is from the current eBay auction. The previous 3 auction photos show a saddle height consistent with this photo.

View attachment 167319
Click to expand...
Yes, that's how my two look as well. I really do think that lowering the action at the bridge would quickly lead to buzzing, due to the way the somewhat higher frets and the string tension interact. If anyone has tried, I'd be interested to know.
 
The Saddles are not glued ..they are a close press fit and can be removed . (With care) :)
 
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If I recall correctly (which isn’t guarantee) one of Ken’s many informative videos shows that the saddle height above the bridge is meant to be low and that he checks the combined saddle and bridge height before gluing the bridge (adjusting the bridge height - via removal on the underside of the bridge) if he thinks it helpful. I don’t know why anyone would think the saddle glued in; if they (saddle and bridge) were to be a combined unit then surely Ken would have chosen that easier and arguably traditional route of manufacturing just one item rather than two.

It‘s unlikely that I’ll ever own a Timms - some well known chap did a good write-up on then and afterwards they roughly tripled in price - but his craftsmanship and attention to detail is legendary.
 
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Timbuck said:
The Saddles are not glued ..they are a close press fit and can be removed . (With care) :)
Click to expand...
Hello Mr. Timms, thanks for chiming in. I expect your first new design will bring in a good price. It already has 5 bids and is over $700.00 and still almost 4 days left in the auction. I bet a lot of players want it because it's the first (me included).
 
weeping ukulele said:
Hello Mr. Timms, thanks for chiming in. I expect your first new design will bring in a good price. It already has 5 bids and is over $700.00 and still almost 4 days left in the auction. I bet a lot of players want it because it's the first (me included).
Click to expand...
Good luck with the auction, that's a beauty of a uke!
 
Hopefully I’m not blowing this up for anyone here who might be the only bidder so far. But how is there a Ken timms ending on eBay in 12 hours with only 1 bid?! Whoever that person is might be about to get such a killer deal.

www.ebay.com

Ken Timms ..Hand Built solid Honduran mahogany ukulele. : | eBay

A ken timms ukulele review can be found by cutting and pasting this link.. Arched Back.Ebony Saddle and Nut.Finish is Hand rubbed in Shellac/French Polish (. The original Style 0 fretboard was Rosewood with Ivoroid dots ).Martin Spec:Dovetail Neck.
www.ebay.com
 
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