don_b
Well-known member
Last week
When was the last time you changed your strings?
- Thread starter TimWilson
- Start date
Your instruments will all appreciate the attention you'll be lavishing on them once the string sets arrive.
In my experience, strings stretch out enough to be pretty stable in 2 days. Most of the instability that I experience in the first day is really from the knots tightening up more than from the strings stretching. I can speed up the process a lot by using pliers to pull the bridge knots very tight before installing the strings. Some people will thread the string through the tuning post twice or tie a knot there as well to make that end extra tight as well.
I agree.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit I just bought one of those electric string winder/tuners.
bbkobabe
Well-known member
When I first began infecting my school with ukuleles and got the program going, I bought our music teacher a used Kala tenor to get him on board as well. It was lightly used and was strung with a wound C and flouros for the rest. That was two years ago...
So, last night was our winter concert... we were tuning up the ukuleles in our classroom set - 25 Kala sopranos - which is a tedious task when done alone. So I usually come over and help out. Then we tuned our personal ukes.
(Sung to the tune of Jingle Bells: Oh what fun - it is to tune - 25 ukuleles in a row!)
I looked at his uke, and examined the wound string: Two years of near daily playing had taken it's toll, and it was worn almost to the core! Not being a string player in his professional life (more drums and orchestra) he was oblivious to the wear. I pointed it out to said music teacher... bad move!
After we both looked it over and I told him I would re-string it for him soon.
I'll bet you can guess what happened next...
During our community sing-along finale while performing the music for The Twelve Days of Christmas, it snapped!
I had invoked "the unspeakable law of musical instruments"* ...and jinxed that string...
When teaching, we play (like many/most?) of us, mainly in the first position. This wears our strings much more quickly than for those of you who work more up the neck... I change my strings a couple of times a year on my most played ukuleles... but as I acquire more and more of them this happens less often.
* If you say it out loud that something bad is about to happen to an instrument, it will happen the next time you are on stage
So, last night was our winter concert... we were tuning up the ukuleles in our classroom set - 25 Kala sopranos - which is a tedious task when done alone. So I usually come over and help out. Then we tuned our personal ukes.
(Sung to the tune of Jingle Bells: Oh what fun - it is to tune - 25 ukuleles in a row!)
I looked at his uke, and examined the wound string: Two years of near daily playing had taken it's toll, and it was worn almost to the core! Not being a string player in his professional life (more drums and orchestra) he was oblivious to the wear. I pointed it out to said music teacher... bad move!
After we both looked it over and I told him I would re-string it for him soon.
I'll bet you can guess what happened next...
During our community sing-along finale while performing the music for The Twelve Days of Christmas, it snapped!
I had invoked "the unspeakable law of musical instruments"* ...and jinxed that string...
When teaching, we play (like many/most?) of us, mainly in the first position. This wears our strings much more quickly than for those of you who work more up the neck... I change my strings a couple of times a year on my most played ukuleles... but as I acquire more and more of them this happens less often.
* If you say it out loud that something bad is about to happen to an instrument, it will happen the next time you are on stage
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Could I ask a question?
When changing strings, would it be prudent to polish the fret tops (crown) with some emery paper or crocus cloth to make them less abrasive? Will that help reduce string wear?
When changing strings, would it be prudent to polish the fret tops (crown) with some emery paper or crocus cloth to make them less abrasive? Will that help reduce string wear?
If your frets are noticeably tarnished or worn, music stores sell inexpensive fret polishing kits that should clean them up without wearing them down too much. I wouldn't do this every time I changed the strings, though.
bbkobabe
Well-known member
I use 2500g or 3000g aluminum oxide sandpaper... Tap Plastic has it... The abrasive is a bit softer than emery cloth and doesn't cut into the frets so much, and it's so fine it doesn't make the fretboard look scratched... which could be protected with masking tape I suppose but I'm too lazy for that...
Graham Greenbag
Well-known member
Cleaning fretboards, to remove dirt and grime, makes sense to me but I’ve never needed to polish frets and don’t think I know anyone who has. Unless they have suffered damage frets aren’t abrasive, they are already smooth. Dull frets (ie. not shiny) aren’t an issue in any other way than cosmetic. If someone feels the need to clean them up (polish) then avoid abrasives (abrasives remove metal as well as dirt) and use a cloth instead.
I think my Mrs would be surprised if I polished either my car or the family silver with emery paper, ‘wet and dry’ paper or even fine wire wool - the later being relatively mild and about as harsh as I’d consider gently using on a fretboard.
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Tin Ear
Well-known member
As long as there isn't some problem and they are smooth in the first place I think a good rub with just a clean quality microfiber cloth is all you need to do.
I've only cleaned the frets on one ukulele. That was a decades old Kamaka where the frets were getting rough from tarnish. I suppose a professional ukulele player who plays for hours every week and gets a lot of sweat and grime on their frets may need to clean them more often.
oldjazznut
Well-known member
Lemmee see ....... what year is it now?
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OK, so I was playing my Vita-Uke and I noticed that sliding strings sideways (bending - which I don't intentionally do) caused a "grinding" feeling. Frets were tactily* and visually rough. A magnifier confirmed the frets were scuffy. Using 600 grit silicone carbide (what I had on hand), I lightly polished all the fret crowns being very careful to not actually "sand" them, just make them shiny.
[*I know 'tactily' is not a word, but it should be. Such as, tactily detecting roughness.]
It all came out much smoother and the grinding feel is gone. I truly believe the strings are happier, too.
<edit> Checked several others but found only my older CS419 needed polishing.
[*I know 'tactily' is not a word, but it should be. Such as, tactily detecting roughness.]
It all came out much smoother and the grinding feel is gone. I truly believe the strings are happier, too.
<edit> Checked several others but found only my older CS419 needed polishing.
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