Ohana SK 25 - schiefer Hals?

[Meg]

Als ich meine allererste Uke hatte, (Ed Finn wird nicht mitgerechnet, da zurückgeschickt), habe ich mich tagelang immer wieder sehr an der sauberen guten Verarbeitung erfreut. Mal abgesehen vom auch sehr guten Klang (Kala ASAC-C) nahm ich sie immer mal wieder, strich übers Holz, über die glatt verarbeiteten Bundstäbe, sah sie mir ganz genau an und es war -nach der Finn- wie Erlösung und Erleichterung und einfach Freude and einem schönen perfekten Instrument.
Danach folgte die Honu - genauso perfekt und rundum einfach schön.

[stephanHW]

strich übers Holz, über die glatt verarbeiteten Bundstäbe, sah sie mir ganz genau an

Zum Thema scharfe Bundstäbchen ein klitzekleiner Beitrag von der Ko´olau/Pono Homepage (FAQ):

(Zusammengefasst, hervorstehende Bundstäbchen sind ein Resultat veränderter Luftfeuchtigkeit, kein Verarbeitungsmangel)

Q – The fret ends on my Pono ukulele are sharp, and I read that other customers have experienced the same problem. Why is this a problem on an instrument that's considered high quality?

A – On occasion we hear a customer question how a flaw or defect could have passed through so many levels of quality control. No matter where anything is made there will be problems, and defects slip by. But what's important is that a manufacturer stand behind what they make. Whenever there are defects due to faulty craftsmanship we will repair or replace the instrument. Our record of quality customer service speaks for itself.

As for sharp fret ends, be assured that Pono ukuleles NEVER leave our factory (or follow-up inspection stations) with sharp fret ends. In fact, all final end fret work must pass what we call the "baby butt" inspection. Frets are meticulously filed, sanded, and buffed until they are as smooth as a babies little behind, or as we say in Hawaii "okole."

Regardless, we believe you when you say your fret ends are sharp. But again, they were not sharp when they left our factory. The reason they became sharp is that your instrument is now in a new climate. And it's not that you necessarily did anything wrong in the care of your instrument. Your fretboard is made of wood, and your frets are metal, and and wood and metal expand and contract differently.

Actually, since the fret is metal it does not really expand or contract, because it does not transpire moisture (no sponge effect). Metal frets do not change in size. But woods change, and in this case, they shrink when they get dry. We build all Ko'olau and Pono guitars and ukuleles in a controlled atmosphere of 40% to 50% humidity. Luthiers have to find a balanced environment to build, knowing their instruments will be going to either dry or moist environments.

Regardless of the weather outside, our factories are controlled, always at the same 40% to 50% humidity level. If your instrument remains in Hawaii, or goes anywhere on the earth where humidity levels are higher than 50% then the fingerboard wood will expand. This is not as bad as when your humidity levels are far below 40% which will cause shrinkage. Taking in moisture and expanding is ok, but shrinking is not.

As for the fretboard, and sharp fret ends, if there is too much humidity the frets can possibly become dislodged from the slot, thus needing to be reset. And due to the fingerboard becoming wider (expanding), there will be a slight gap between the end of the fret and the edge of the fingerboard. This looks bad and may need a little adjustment, but not a big problem.

However when humidity is low, woods shrink. And this can cause severe problems. Complaints come in, and we hear of negative chat line discussions about sharp fret ends. This occurs, not because the instrument left our shop with sharp ends, but instead because the fretboard has shrunk. Remember, the fret does not shrink, but instead it protrudes off the edge and feels sharp.

Most of our customers say "but I take good care of my instrument, I even have dehumidifiers in my case." And that's good, but when your humidity is naturally 20% to 40% or less (such as in most of the western US states), or becomes low due to heating and air conditioning (which is the rest of the country), then regardless of how many humidifiers you have your instrument woods will shrink. The good news is that eventually your instrument will acclimate to your environment, but in the meantime it will expand and contract. Back to the fingerboard, whether it's a $200 guitar or ukulele, or $4000, fret ends will protrude and be sharp if the fingerboard has shrunk.

To illustrate and readily show the above explanation, you could turn on your bathroom shower (hot water). Leave it on for as long as you feel comfortable wasting hot water. Set your guitar or ukulele in the bathroom and close the door (not in the shower, but somewhere in the bathroom). After turning off the water in about 10 or 15 minutes, continue to leave the instrument in the bathroom for an hour or so to fully absorb any left over moisture. In most cases you will immediately feel your frets less sharp because your fingerboard has now expanded.

Obviously this is not the solution to maintaining your instrument every day. But this will allow you to see what happens when your fingerboard has now expanded due to humidity.

After your instrument is again back in its natural environment, and after a few days the fret ends are sharp again you will need to have your frets "dressed" as they say. A qualified luthier repairperson will not only level and crown the top of the frets, but more importantly trim the edges to match the new width of your fingerboard. This may be necessary a few times over the next couple of years, but eventually the fingerboard will settle in and stop what is termed transpiration, or the release of moisture and resins.

[Meg]

Ja, okay, hatte ich bei meiner Yamaha-Western auch mal und ein mir befreundeter Instrumentenbauer sagte auch, dass es daran liegt und abschleifen würde reichen. Bei der Ed Finn war das aber nur eines von vielen Mängeln/Unannahmlichkeiten.