String height / action - what do you consider acceptable?

[baconsalad]

I've only been playing uke < 3 months but all of the ukes I own have a certain action which I consider good, and one uke which I say is horrible. I'm told the horrible height is standard (2.5mm at 12 on 4th string). Am I too picky? Did I just luck out that all my other ukes happen to be under the standard? My $150 and my $1000 uke seem to be close to 2mm. I'm used to <2.5mm on quality full scale steel string acoustic guitar, so 2.5mm on a small scale thing like a uke seems high.
This is what I measure at the 12th fret, 4th string. All are unmodified stock. Sorry to offend

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

1.75mm seems iffy in terms of buzz. . . I'm guessing the Kamaka has a very low profile bridge (in terms of its height above the sound board). Otherwise, yes, it seems you've been highly fortunate.

 

[baconsalad]

1.75mm seems iffy in terms of buzz. . . I'm guessing the Kamaka has a very low profile bridge (in terms of its height above the sound board). Otherwise, yes, it seems you've been highly fortunate.

Looks pretty standard - the fretboard aligns with the base of the saddle. No buzz from this uke. My Larrivee has similar height

 

[man0a]

String height is a personal preference. Lower action is easier to fret, but it makes some more advanced techniques more difficult and it can reduce your volume. Many more advanced players prefer higher string action.

 

[man0a]

The Ukulele Review podcast has a very long but very informative video on string action:

 

[baconsalad]

String height is a personal preference. Lower action is easier to fret, but it makes some more advanced techniques more difficult and it can reduce your volume. Many more advanced players prefer higher string action.

Yeah I was asking what people preferred. I have clearly outed myself as a not-advanced player for sure. Is this a controversial question?

 

[man0a]

Yeah I was asking what people preferred. I have clearly outed myself as a not-advanced player for sure. Is this a controversial question?

You asked what is "acceptable", "horrible", and "standard". Some of those words can be very controversial. I suggest that you watch the video where they discuss their preferences in detail.

 

[besley]

Those numbers seem pretty darn low to me, but if they work for you great. But as to what makes a uke easy to play, you really need to include more factors. Chief among these would be string height at the nut, or over the first fret. Another would be fret height. And finally, what about neck relief? A neck with a lot of relief will be harder to play at the 7th fret than another with a flat neck, even if they both do have the same action at the 12th.

 

[mikelz777]

String height for me is much more important at the first fret than at the twelfth fret. At the first fret I like it at about .5mm. If it's much more than that it starts to feel a bit stiff and makes it too difficult to barre or press strings comfortably at the first fret. At the twelfth fret I like it no more than 2.25 to 2.5mm though I've had it as low as 2mm there.

 

[Wiggy]

My unprofessional check of action at the 1st fret is:
Can I trill (hammer-on to cause a clear tone) each string by tapping "with conviction" just behind the 1st fret, or do I forcefully have to whack it hard?

 

[baconsalad]

Those numbers seem pretty darn low to me, but if they work for you great. But as to what makes a uke easy to play, you really need to include more factors. Chief among these would be string height at the nut, or over the first fret. Another would be fret height. And finally, what about neck relief? A neck with a lot of relief will be harder to play at the 7th fret than another with a flat neck, even if they both do have the same action at the 12th.

In the guitar world, the ideal neck angle should be such that a straightedge on the fretboard intersects the the bridge around the saddle base height. The necks on my all my ukes from Enya to Kamaka are like this. The nobel prize winners have shown that the universe is not locally real though, So my ukes and me might have strayed into the wrong path. I'm sorry everyone, I was just visiting

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

My unprofessional check of action at the 1st fret is:
Can I trill (hammer-on to cause a clear tone) each string by tapping "with conviction" just behind the 1st fret, or do I forcefully have to whack it hard?

I agree with @Wiggy.

My perspective: I own only one uke (Yowling Ginger Tom, which is my avatar) which began its life in January 2022 in pieces as a gifted Amazon DIY kit. When I first strung the uke with a set of Martin M600's, action at the 12th fret was uncomfortably high at slightly over 4 mm and it was practically impossible to get a clear note on any of the strings at the 1st fret. Based on a huge volume of guidance gained here at the UU Forum, I lowered action at the nut by just over 1mm with the half-round edge of a cheap needle file, then sanded off the bottom of the saddle a bit at a time to end up with workable 12th fret action. I'm now at 3.0 mm at 12th fret. I have no desire to drop the action any lower because volume remains good and there is no buzz. In fact, I'm so happy with action, intonation and volume that I recently added a slot-style side sound port.

Clearly, I'm easily amused, LOL, and my satisfaction bar is intentionally low.

 

[baconsalad]

The Ukulele Review podcast has a very long but very informative video on string action:

So they say 3mm standard. None of my ukes were modified and all are way under. They are different manufacturers from different stores in Canada. Nelson Mandella died in 2013 for me, but the girl in Moonraker definitely had braces. I'm sorry if wandered into the wrong place. Been doing that a lot lately.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

So they say 3mm standard. None of my ukes were modified and all are way under. They are different manufacturers from different stores in Canada. Nelson Mandella died in 2013 for me, but the girl in Moonraker definitely had braces. I'm sorry if wandered into the wrong place. Been doing that a lot lately.

No harm, no foul. If 1.75mm - 2.5mm works for you, that's all that really matters.

 

[don_b]

I am a 2mm man myself.

 

[Fhede]

My Ohana CK-20S is approx 1,75 in the fret 12, 4th string, for me is OK.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

My Ohana CK-20S is approx 1,75 in the fret 12, 4th string, for me is OK.

Volume as compared to, say, a herringbone acoustic guitar?

 

[Fhede]

Volume as compared to, say, a herringbone acoustic guitar?

I can't answer that, I have lot of electric guitar, but only an old cheap laminate accoustic guitar!

 

[clear]

I have 2.25mm on my ukes; not too high to make playing difficult and not too low to lose much tone.

You should also check the action by pressing down on the 1st fret.
Does your action change much?

With the 1st fret pressed, my action becomes slightly lower (maybe 2.1mm).

 

[baconsalad]

String height is a personal preference. Lower action is easier to fret, but it makes some more advanced techniques more difficult and it can reduce your volume. Many more advanced players prefer higher string action.

So if I strum as hard as I would ever play, with my action at 2.25mm and it doesn't cause buzzing, then raising action to 3.0 will make it louder and lowering to 1.75 will make it less loud even if it doesn't buzz? I don't understand the physics if so