New Uke from HMS-strings & action advice

[LutzSpearo]

Hi. I am about to order a Kala Spruce/Lacewood soprano from Hawaii Music Supply. This is a gift for my wife who has watched me start learning how to play, and has expressed an interest in learning as well.

I imagine the Aquila strings this uke comes with are adequate, and however they set the action normally would probably be sufficient for her purposes as a beginner. I've read HMS does a great job setting up every uke they ship, but I want to take advantage of this opportunity to get the uke optimized to make it as easy as possible for my wife to enjoy her learning experience.

I plan on calling HMS to discuss this with them, but would like to hear some recommendations from you all as well. Would anyone suggest another brand of strings, or have some advice about action height for a beginner? Or would you say their standard set-up should be adequate?

Thanks in advance! I'm about 50% hoping my wife picks this up, and 50% hoping she doesn't so I can inherit this beautiful uke if she puts it down ; )

 

[Harold O.]

If you are buying from HMS, you will not have a problem. Call them if you still have concerns, but you are correct when you say they setup each instrument they ship. I say go ahead with what they send, get some playing time to gain familiarity, then decide what you would change on your next ukulele purchase.

Factory specs on most production ukuleles will get you started. HMS and other reputable sellers take that one step further to ensure the instrument's playability. They have enough experience to know which strings best suit the instrument, and how to better set the action. This is one of several reasons to buy from them as opposed to a generic online or big box store. Have a little faith. You've done enough research to realize that HMS is trustworthy. So, trust them.

 

[blue_knight_usa]

HMS will definitely take care of you and just explain to them what you want. Action is very personal so I'm not sure how you would define that but standard setup would be what I would tell them. Some prefer a bit lower action and if you don't have any experience with the action on that uke I would just have them do what they recommend.

As far as strings, I think it's a very personal decision. I would recommend you get what they have on them and play that for a good while just to enjoy playing. The Aquila's work great, and they are a punchier string. If your wife likes that sound and tone on the uke and it feels good, then you are set. If she eventually wants a less bright or punchy string, there are tons of options. Some great options are Living Waters from Ken Middleton, Worth Clears (Browns are even mellower to ears on my buddies uke that he has) and Savarez Clears and Martins. I play concert and tenor mostly but all make soprano/concert sets.

I love the Martins over all other strings on my soprano, they come in a brown box and I think they are fantastic on my particular uke (all ukes sound different even if same size and same strings). I tried all the other strings on my soprano (1932 Martin) and ended up sticking with the Martin's and will always use them on that uke. They are also softer on the fingers (a bit thinner and less tension) and might be really enjoyable for a new player....and they are not expensive.

With that being said, I would still get what comes on the uke and play it that way all set up for a while. Until she is experienced she won't know the difference. If she never has heard it and played it and had not played a lot of ukes and different strings, it won't make a difference. The Aquila's will play just fine.

She might love the sound and never want to change, except when they have been played out and it's time to get a new set down the road. Then you can try something different. I tried to get my wife into the uke and she refused to cut her beautiful long nails. I tried to tell her she could just finger pick everything, but she didn't go for that. She just finger picks at me! ;-)

Cheers!

Hi. I am about to order a Kala Spruce/Lacewood soprano from Hawaii Music Supply. This is a gift for my wife who has watched me start learning how to play, and has expressed an interest in learning as well.

I imagine the Aquila strings this uke comes with are adequate, and however they set the action normally would probably be sufficient for her purposes as a beginner. I've read HMS does a great job setting up every uke they ship, but I want to take advantage of this opportunity to get the uke optimized to make it as easy as possible for my wife to enjoy her learning experience.

I plan on calling HMS to discuss this with them, but would like to hear some recommendations from you all as well. Would anyone suggest another brand of strings, or have some advice about action height for a beginner? Or would you say their standard set-up should be adequate?

Thanks in advance! I'm about 50% hoping my wife picks this up, and 50% hoping she doesn't so I can inherit this beautiful uke if she puts it down ; )

 

[Martus]

I've got that exact model and had Aquila strings on, it played sweet and rang like a bell.
With Martin 600 strings it seems to have a longer sustain
with a crisper sound, but either work very well. Elderly Instruments did the set up. I love it!
Martus

 

[SmilingPanda]

Put your faith in the folks at HMS. I have two ukes from them and both were set up awesomely. If your wife hasn't played before she probably doesn't have much of a preference as far as action, as it is a very personal thing. In the video detailing their set up, I believe HMS strives to provide the lowest action possible (for ease of playability) without producing fret buzz. If you are someone who knows that they enjoy a higher action, then I'm sure they can accommodate you, but for a beginner, i would just put your faith in the quality set up they provide and go with it. As always, if you have questions or concerns, contact them. Andrew and his staff are excellent and accessible and will take care of you.

 

[Lalz]

I have two spruce top ukes that originally came with Aquila strings (same wood as yours for the top). The first one, which sounds quite similar to the Kala Lacewood, now has Southcoast medium gauge strings on and they fit it perfectly. The other one now has Living Waters strings, also a great match. I cannot recommend these two brands enough, they're extremely well balanced, have a nice tension without being too stiff, and they sound terrific.
Aquilas sound best on laminate tops IMO, less well on soft solid tops like spruce.

 

[OldePhart]

For a beginner's first uke I would just go with HMS' standard setup. This will be a "middle" action suitable for strumming or picking. Later, if your wife sticks with the uke she will eventually develop her own preferences for an action that is lower, higher, etc.

The most critical action is that around the nut (because high action here translates to chords that are out of tune) and you can pretty much count on anything from HMS being perfect in this area. After getting the nut right, the bridge action is more of a personal-preference item.

John

 

[LutzSpearo]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I spoke with Andrew at HMS and he pretty much said the same thing. So we are ordering it today, with their standard quality set-up and keeping the Aquila strings. He said it will only take about a week to get all the way to Korea, so I'm pretty stoked on that! Will post pics when it arrives!

 

[mm stan]

all those issues are personal preference....everyone is different....only thing I can tell you is I prefer martin M600's and HMS does a wonderful setup..
I personally love their Kala slim line tenor...I played and all three sounded sweet and nice...Good Luck..

 

[optofonik]

I'll add my voice to the choir of reassurance. I've ordered six ukuleles from them, four were gifts (don't want you to think I've got UAS), and I just ordered another for myself today (okay, maybe a little). I think you'll be very happy. If there is a problem it will be taken care of promptly and professionally without problems.

You're gonna be a happy camper, I'll bet.

 

[LutzSpearo]

My uke shipped today, can't wait to get it, hopefully my wife likes it!

 

[teruterubouzu]

My uke shipped today, can't wait to get it, hopefully my wife likes it!

Now the countdown and mad tracking begins! Congratulations on buying it. Hope she loves it, but if she doesn't, more uke for you!

 

[hawaii 50]

My uke shipped today, can't wait to get it, hopefully my wife likes it!

Just wanted to know..how big is the ukulele culture in South Korea and are there any uke stores there? i might be visiting one day so just some onfo Thxs

you can not go wrong with The Ukulele Site(aka HMS)

 

[LutzSpearo]

Just wanted to know..how big is the ukulele culture in South Korea and are there any uke stores there? i might be visiting one day so just some onfo Thxs

you can not go wrong with The Ukulele Site(aka HMS)

I'm not sure about the ukulele culture here in South Korea, but it seems there is at least a small one. For example, I live in a very small town here, but found a ukulele shop here that only sells ukes. They have about 30 ukes on the wall for sale, all new. The girl who owns it also owns a uke shop in Seoul, she splits her time between the two and also gives private lessons. (She doesn't sell many ukes that I'm familiar with, a few Kalas but the rest are from Japan and Korea... she has a lot of Kiwayas) I see on YouTube some videos of Koreans playing the uke, so that also makes me think there must be a small culture here. I hope to learn more about that over time and as my wife hopefully gets into it too and communicates with these folks.

Now the countdown and mad tracking begins! Congratulations on buying it. Hope she loves it, but if she doesn't, more uke for you!

Yep! I check a couple times per day : ) And like I said, I'm half hoping she doesn't get into this so I can confiscate this lacewood, it's so pretty!

 

[hawaii 50]

I'm not sure about the ukulele culture here in South Korea, but it seems there is at least a small one. For example, I live in a very small town here, but found a ukulele shop here that only sells ukes. They have about 30 ukes on the wall for sale, all new. The girl who owns it also owns a uke shop in Seoul, she splits her time between the two and also gives private lessons. (She doesn't sell many ukes that I'm familiar with, a few Kalas but the rest are from Japan and Korea... she has a lot of Kiwayas) I see on YouTube some videos of Koreans playing the uke, so that also makes me think there must be a small culture here. I hope to learn more about that over time and as my wife hopefully gets into it too and communicates with these folks.


Thanks for the info..i hear Kiwayas are pretty nice..

 

[LutzSpearo]

Well our new Kala Spruce/Lacewood soprano arrived today! I ordered it 8 days ago, and it got all the way over here already! I wasn't expecting it yet at all, so when the secretary handed me the package I couldn't wipe the smile off my face, I must have looked like a little boy on Christmas

The wife wasn't expecting it, I didn't tell her about this, so when I got home tonight she was all excited when she saw I had a surprise for her that I had shipped from Hawaii. She saw Hawaii Music Supply written on the box and figured it out right away and was stoked. We opened it together, and I have to say this uke is really as beautiful as in the pictures online! The lacewood is gorgeous, the spruce top goes well with it, and the little details/bindings/etc all just look great together. She loves it!

The set-up HMS does is definitely noticeable, and I could quickly tell the uke I bought over here recently was not set-up. Mine is still certainly playable, but hers is noticeable easier to play. I'm not sure how to describe it properly, it just feels smoother and easier to fret chords. They did a nice job with the set-up for sure. And they packaged it very well, and even wrapped everything up in plastic inside the box to protect it in case the package got wet. Which was perfect cause it was raining all day today.

Anyway, as soon as our little girl was asleep, we went into uke mode straight away. I showed her how to tune it up, and shared what I've learned so far about how to hold it, strum it, and how to fret some chords (the C, A, F and G chords). She actually is pretty good, her fingers are much less clumsy than mine. She thinks its beautiful and a wonderful surprise, and agrees that having her own uke has greatly increased her excitement about taking the private lessons and learning how to play.

Its a beautiful looking and sounding instrument, and she loves it! Looks like I won't be commandeering this pretty little uke from her anytime soon. Oh well, I've been looking at this gorgeous tenor lately and....