I need to send this back right?

[spookelele]

or is there a way to fix the twist?

 

[spookelele]

If you're having trouble seeing it, look at where the body crosses the nut. On the left, the body is about even with the nut. On the right the body line is below the nut.

 

[Debby]

Does it look more severe, in person? I wonder if any uke is truly straight... That looks very miniscule, but I don't know much about this sort of stuff.

 

[Kanaka916]

How's the intonation? Could it possibly be the nut? I dunno, totally up to you. If you feel it would cause problems, by all means, talk to the seller/vendor.

 

[spookelele]

In person it looks about like the pic. If you sight down, you can see its there.

I'm mostly stressing because the E string buzzes on 0-4 with a light-medium strum, and the A buzzes lightly frets 2-3 with a medium-heavy strum even though it's about 2.8mm at the 12th. I was looking more for a bow, hoping I could use the truss rod to maybe do something, but then was trying to figure out what looked wierd, and then noticed the twist.

Do I take it in to a local place(bought online at an authorized retailer), and pay them to tell me what else is wrong, or do I send it back for warranty? Seems less than good to be buzzing like this right on day 1, and also seeing that twist is not confidence inspiring.

Am I picking nits? or would you be concerned if this arrived at your door?

 

[Debby]

In person it looks about like the pic. If you sight down, you can see its there.

I'm mostly stressing because the E string buzzes on 0-4 with a light-medium strum, and the A buzzes lightly frets 2-3 with a medium-heavy strum even though it's about 2.8mm at the 12th. I was looking more for a bow, hoping I could use the truss rod to maybe do something, but then was trying to figure out what looked wierd, and then noticed the twist.

Do I take it in to a local place(bought online at an authorized retailer), and pay them to tell me what else is wrong, or do I send it back for warranty? Seems less than good to be buzzing like this right on day 1, and also seeing that twist is not confidence inspiring.

Am I picking nits? or would you be concerned if this arrived at your door?

I don't know if I would mess with the "warranty." I would look at the dealer's return policy. Surely, they have some sort of return policy. If you are not happy with your purchase, just return it...go for an exchange.

 

[spookelele]

just double checked in case it was a slanted nut, but it's not. Both sides are the same length/height. This is a Pono ATD, if that helps any?

 

[Nickie]

Spook,
I'm not sure, but if it buzzes and a fret dressing won't stop it, I think I'd send it back. But check with the seller first to see if that's allowed, and won't "void" the warranty....I have a little twist in my Ohana's neck, it can't be seen witht he naked eye, but there are fret buzzes....dressing the frets helped some.

 

[OregonJim]

Do I take it in to a local place(bought online at an authorized retailer), and pay them to tell me what else is wrong, or do I send it back for warranty? Seems less than good to be buzzing like this right on day 1, and also seeing that twist is not confidence inspiring.

Most shops (around here, anyway) will give you a free quote on any work that needs to be done. Couldn't hurt to check it out.

If it were me, I'd send it back. The fact that you bought it online means you didn't fall in love with the feel or tone before you bought it. So, no need to put up with the problems then. Get another one. A twisted neck is likely to get worse over time anyway.

 

[spookelele]

A twisted neck is likely to get worse over time anyway.

That's something I didn't think of. Thanks.

 

[Patrick Madsen]

Send it back. If anything you'll find out how good the seller is and can let us know if you would.

 

[anthonyg]

I have a couple of ukuleles with slight twists in the neck. They play just fine. I'm not concerned. A brand new instrument with a twisted neck and fret buzzes? I'd be sending it back. Let the seller decide what to do with it.

Anthony

 

[hammer40]

I had an AT (acacia tenor,) that had the neck warp/twist on me. I contacted John at Pono and he had me send it back to him to check it out. After he received it, he offered to replace the uke with a new one. He actually didn't have any acacia tenors in stock at the time, so he offered to replace it with a new mahogany deluxe (MTD) or I could wait for the next batch of AT's to come in. I elected to take the new MTD.

Things can go wrong sometimes, so it's all about the customer service. Pono, in my experience was great! He felt bad I would have to wait for a replacement, and he certainly did not have to offer a more expensive uke as a replacement. But he did, and that say's a lot about a company, that they actually care.

 

[spookelele]

So.. another question.

The Pono tenors have a truss rod. The store owner is advising me to take it in to a tech and have him loosen the truss rod. I suggested that the fret board looked unbowed if twisted to me, and he agreed that in the picture it looks straight. But he told me that a neck is actually designed to be bowed by the tension of the strings, and that by loosening the truss rod it would allow the bow and stop the buzzing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to call him out or anything. He's been super friendly through the whole thing, including making a demo video prior to my purchase, and has given me alot of his time on this uke purchase.

Is that accurate though? I thought that a neck was supposed to ideally be straight under tension, and that the slant of the string between the nut and the saddle is what gave it the clearance to not buzz. Is my understanding incorrect? Should there ideally be a bow in the neck?

Logically I can see why a bow would prevent buzz, but I've never heard that it should have a bow under tension. Is the bow a design feature, or is this more of a "trick" solution to address the buzz rather than what it should really be? This is partly because if it's true, I'd like to lower the saddle a bit, because 2.8mm is still high for me, but mostly because Id like to know if it's supposed to bow.

Also, he says that sometimes the neck might twist slightly, but he doesn't believe it will get worse. If you've had a twisted neck, did it get worse over time?

 

[Rllink]

Here is the thing, that is a Pono. I'm guessing four or five hundred dollars. So I have a $65 Makala that doesn't look like that, and doesn't buzz. If I bought that ukulele, I would want something better then a $65 Makala. I wouldn't hesitate to send it back and get a good one.

 

[thistle3585]

So.. another question.

The Pono tenors have a truss rod. The store owner is advising me to take it in to a tech and have him loosen the truss rod. I suggested that the fret board looked unbowed if twisted to me, and he agreed that in the picture it looks straight. But he told me that a neck is actually designed to be bowed by the tension of the strings, and that by loosening the truss rod it would allow the bow and stop the buzzing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to call him out or anything. He's been super friendly through the whole thing, including making a demo video prior to my purchase, and has given me alot of his time on this uke purchase.

Is that accurate though? I thought that a neck was supposed to ideally be straight under tension, and that the slant of the string between the nut and the saddle is what gave it the clearance to not buzz. Is my understanding incorrect? Should there ideally be a bow in the neck?

Logically I can see why a bow would prevent buzz, but I've never heard that it should have a bow under tension. Is the bow a design feature, or is this more of a "trick" solution to address the buzz rather than what it should really be? This is partly because if it's true, I'd like to lower the saddle a bit, because 2.8mm is still high for me, but mostly because Id like to know if it's supposed to bow.

Also, he says that sometimes the neck might twist slightly, but he doesn't believe it will get worse. If you've had a twisted neck, did it get worse over time?

A lot of builders will induce a bow in to the neck with the truss rod. The idea is that the string vibrates in its largest arc at the 12th fret, so by allowing for a little bow then the action can be set lower without the buzzing. There is a very fine line in order to achieve that point because too much will cause a buzz. I believe that advice is straightforward. You are looking at making very minimal adjustments at a time with retuning after each adjustment. We're talking turning the truss rod nut in fractions at a time. It may make a cracking noise just to forewarn you.

 

[Debby]

Here is the thing, that is a Pono. I'm guessing four or five hundred dollars. So I have a $65 Makala that doesn't look like that, and doesn't buzz. If I bought that ukulele, I would want something better then a $65 Makala. I wouldn't hesitate to send it back and get a good one.

I agree with this. This is a brand new Pono. You paid for this with your hard earned money. You didn't cause this issue, and you shouldn't have to deal with it.

The store owner may be correct, I have no idea. But if I were in your shoes, I'd request an exchange or return...and let him fix it on his own and resell it. It shouldn't be your problem at all.

I would maybe consider repair, if it was repaired for free. But any repair you do, yourself,will probably void any warrantee. And if you have the store repair it, you need to make sure that doesn't void it either. If you choose to have it repaired, send it to the manufacturer.

 

[spookelele]

So a neck under tension, should it have a bow or should it be straight, or is that a builder preference thing?

just an update. The seller is contacting Pono about it. Hoping to get some kind of answer tonight.

 

[Inksplosive AL]

Also, he says that sometimes the neck might twist slightly, but he doesn't believe it will get worse. If you've had a twisted neck, did it get worse over time?

I would just explain that this isn't over time its brand new and that you're simply not interested in spending your time fixing this brand new instrument. I would return it.

 

[thistle3585]

So a neck under tension, should it have a bow or should it be straight, or is that a builder preference thing?

just an update. The seller is contacting Pono about it. Hoping to get some kind of answer tonight.

In my opinion, an instrument like a mandolin where there is a lot of string tension and most players want the action real low, an induced bow to provide neck relief is an asset. On a uke, I don't think its that big of a deal because ukes traditionally have much higher action due to the nylon strings. Also, neck angle will play a roll in it as well as an arch top over a flat top. If you're not happy then send it back, but keep in mind that this may be how they set up instruments so a replacement may come back the same.

One other thing, an overly tight truss rod may be causing the twist and if you released some of it then the twist may come out of the neck.