World of Ukes

Everything that leaves World of Ukes is set up.

If you’re not familiar with what this means, it’s a series of checks and adjustments to ensure that the instrument plays as well as it can when it reaches you. Instruments vary by brand as to how good they are when they leave the factory – from minor tweaks being needed for extra comfort, to more serious action required to get it playing properly at all. Whatever the ukulele, whatever the price. I will do this work, included in the price you’ve paid.

Some suppliers charge extra for this work and leave it as an option as to whether you want it to be done or not. I don’t agree with that as it means, should someone opt NOT to pay for the extra service, it means sending something out that I’d not be happy to receive. That doesn’t sit well with me!

If you look at the reviews on my website (on every product page) you’ll find thousands of customers who have left reports of their positive experience. A large number of these people specifically mention the set up of the ukulele they received. If you read the product descriptions that I write, you’ll see that I give an honest assessment and hopefully I come across as humble and not one to blow my own trumpet! However, in this one area I will make an exception and believe that I provide the best ukulele set up in the UK.

I have been selling ukuleles since 2009. At the time of writing, I spend 30+ hours in my workshop setting up ukes every week. That’s upwards of 1,500 hours per year, year in year out. You can’t put that amount of time in without getting good at what you do! I know my products, have a fully equipped workshop and a tool for every possible job.

I set up every single ukulele that leaves here personally. If ever anyone isn’t happy with what they receive, I am the one who takes the phone call, and I’m the one who has to deal with something coming back. This means there’s no attitude of ‘that’ll do’, or, ‘it’s not quite right but if it comes back it’s not me who has to deal with it!’. My returns rate is ridiculously small, to the point where I can’t remember when the last one was. I will spend the time to get it right!

While there’s no standard ukulele set up, as different ukes have different tolerances, I will target an action (the height of the strings above the fingerboard) of 2.5mm at the 12th fret. Ukes arriving to me occasionally have an action of 2.75mm, commonly have 3mm and often have up to 3.5mm to. When it comes to action I am a bit like the tale of the Princess and the Pea… I can feel the difference of 0.25mm when I am testing ukes and while I suspect nobody would complain at a height of 2.75mm (which after all, is pretty good), I won’t leave it there. I like it to be perfect.

Why do I spend so long in the workshop? Usually ukes arrive and they play OK. When you lower the action to increase the playing comfort, you often come across problems with buzzing – not because it’s too low, but because one or more frets isn’t quite level. A high fret, somewhere on the fingerboard, combined with strings that are close to it, causes buzzing. I expect this, to be honest, and while it’s more work, I’ll level the frets to prevent it. To lower the action involves sanding down the saddle. So between the filing of frets and sanding of saddles, I’m permanently dusty! But better a dusty ukulele seller and a good uke, than a shiny polished seller and an uncomfortable uke!

I promise that I am a humble man, and not someone to brag. And I’m not boasting to say I offer the best ukulele set-up in the UK, it’s simply confidence built up by so many thousands of hours at the bench.

I have made a video detailing more about my set up process. Hopefully watching that, and seeing my bumbling style, will convince you I know what I am talking about but am not one to boast unnecessarily!