Hi,

New member here. You are right about the sound of the colourful Seven Tones ukes being muffled. I bought a white coloured, concert sized one and was so disappointed by that soft sound. didn't expect that as it came with aquila strings!. I suspected that the paint job was too thick so I sanded the top board , and later the whole uke) down. I was presently surprised by the nice wood underneath. It's laminated maple I think with laminated mahogany ( I think) as the side wood. the back also looks like laminated maple. The neck was made with a type of wood with a nice grain ( a few knots here and there made it fantastic).

Just below the paint you'd find a layer of laquer that gives the wood a very smooth surface that may make you want to stop there what with the nice natural colour of the wood and all. But that layer of laquer would still stiffle the sound. I ended up sanding that away too and later applying a mahogony wood tone.

The uke opened up and I was so happy that I did that. I ended up buying another one ( a purple coloured one this time) and immediately started to sand down the thing. I stopped at the laquer this time (instead of sanding that away), and made another sound-hole at the side ( following the Riptide brand's uke). It sounds fantastic!

Not only do the ukes sound louder, they look beautiful as well!

If you are adventurous enough, invest in some sand-papers and do the same. a word of caution though, take your time in sanding - don't press too hard.

The laminated all mahogany seven tones UL 21 sopranos however are already loud out of the box. They are nice except for some minor issues like the saddle being too thin its space in the bridge (corrected by inserting some toothpicks there) and the white plastics (where the tuners go through) at the headstock falling off.

But the beautiful sound they produce, makes you forgive all that. I have two of that too.

Happy ukeing.

Hi there,

No, not at all. It was the finest grain that the hardware shop I went to, had. 1200 I think it was, but that was used after most of the paint was sanded away using a courser grained one. Like I said, underneath the paint job is a thin layer of smooth lacquer. It is this layer that you would want to retain. So it's okay to use a courser one initially.

I would like to share some photos if only I know to post them here. I'll find out how, and maybe later I'll do it, but I can only post the older of the 2 Seven Tones (i.e. the one with the top sanded thin and finished off with timber tone paint).

You see, a niece came over for Hari Raya. She had autism and was playing around with the uke with the side sound hole. She really liked it and I had to give it to her.

Maybe, I'll buy another painted Seven Tones and start sanding again.

Cheers.

P/S, do you just click the "IMG" button at the top to post photos? Sorry for my ignorance.

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Added on August 28, 2012, 4:53 pmHi, I'd definitely learn how to post pics here and oblige you. Unfortunately, I have only one of those left. The one given away was nicer actually.

This post has been edited by sittingdown: Aug 28 2012, 04:53 PM

Ashton?

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Added on August 28, 2012, 8:45 pmHello there,

I got home, got the camera but the batteries were out. Manage to find spare ones, took photos and read about how to post them. So here goes. Note: I was never good at taking photos.



This is the back of the uke. (used to be all white).



The front. (It would have been the same colour as the back if I have stopped sanding earlier and not coloured the top).



The side.



The sound hole.



Close up (sort of. )



Just to show that underneath the paint job, the neck is made from nicely grained wood.

Btw, the "binding" that you see is actually made with furniture markers...hehehe. And no, it's not missing the 4th string. I have used a black coloured low G Fremont string. When they are not pricey, I will get two of the same ukes. One for a low G and one for the regular high G.

Hope the pics satisfy both yours and Navilink's curiousity. I wish I'm half as good as the gentleman in the forum who build his own beautiful ukulele. My sanded seven tones would have been much better looking then. But it does sound and look better after the sanding.

Happy ukeing guys.

This post has been edited by sittingdown: Aug 28 2012, 09:02 PM

Hi Rahl,
Thanks. Do you have a Seven Tones UL24 painted ukulele too? I used a paint brush to apply a mahogany wood stain for the top, actually. ( I now know there's a wood dye that is applied with a piece of cloth but didn't use that one there.)

( I read in the member from Sabah's thread ( I think), about how he finished his fantastic home built uke with oils and such but for know, that is too professional for me).

I think painting it would only thicken the top wood again and muffle the sound. Wood stain would make it nicer.

Like i said, if you sand paper away just the original paint, you'd be left with the very smooth and beautiful wood surface ( like the back and side of the pictured uke).

Too bad, I gave away the other uke. Otherwise you would be able to see how the Seven Tones UL24 painted ukulele looks like underneath the paint.

Enjoy your weekend project my friend.

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Added on August 29, 2012, 8:35 pmHello felix,

At the risk of embarrassing myself, I'm assuming you are looking for a first ukulele.

Sorry I can't help you there. The Ashtons I saw ( in Do Re Mi Jalan Ipoh) were painted ones and they usually aren't loud enough for me. You may want to try out the matte finished laminated mahogany ones if you are looking for an entry level uke. They come in many brands (e.g. maholo) and are made in China. Some can be very good ( after you lower the action i.e. bring down the strings to the fretboard by filing down the nut and the saddle in the bridge) and are reasonably priced.

There are also pricey laminated wood ukuleles made by the well known makers like Ohana (my laminated mahogany Ohana TK10 is one of my better sounding ukes - even better than some solid top ones) but you may want to put those in your "upgrade wish list".

That's the thing about getting a first uke. You may not want to spend too much because you just want to try first but if you don't spend enough, you might end up with a lousy one that will make you give up and thereby not knowing the joy of the ukulele!

The Eddy Finn that Rahl recommended should be good. There are also the Makala (Made by Kala) dan the Makai (they say it's made in the same Factory as the Ohana).

Good luck in your hunt bro. Oh, I was in Woh Fatt last Friday, they stock some lower end Lanikais now! If your are in KL maybe you'd want to check them out.

This post has been edited by sittingdown: Aug 29 2012, 09:00 PM

Playingwise, same here lah. Can never quit my day job to cari makan playing the uke. But I just love strumming the small, beautiful, easy to carry instrument.

You should try to play one of the Vietnamese ukuleles. They are inexpensive, made of full solid wood (usually acacia or mahogany) very very beautiful instruments. I have a few made by this chap called Bruce Wei.