Ukulele beginners tips - different uke finishes

So you have decided to take the plunge into the world of ukulele, and you are already bewildered by brand names, how much to spend, what size to get.  You may also find yourself wondering about the different finishes that are available, and do they affect the uke?

The "finish" of the ukulele is the way the wood on the top back and sides is treated before the instrument is finished.  In the main, the finish is cosmetic, but the debate on whether it affects the actual sound of the instrument is something that rages on many discussion forums.  Listed below are the main types of ukulele finish you will come across.

GLOSS
A gloss finish, as it's name suggests, leaves a very shiny, almost mirror like finish on the uke.  It is usually created with the application of a type of varnish such as nitrocellulose, polyurethane or similar and polished to a high shine finish.  A gloss finish can really bring out the "shimmer" in some nicer wood grains, reflects light and can make an instrument look very classy.

A good glossy finish could well make the ukulele more expensive as it naturally takes more time in the building to get the shine.  That said, cheap ukes are on the market with less then high quality gloss finishes achieved by applying the gloss varnish in thick coats.  This is something I would, personally, avoid - tell tale signs of such are drips or "pooling" of the excess varnish around the soundhole, at the heel of the neck where it joins the body.  A good quality gloss finish should be not thicker than it needs to be, and there should be no signs of too much being applied.

A gloss finish will protect the underlying wood of the instrument more than a matte finish, but conversely are prone to scratches and chips.



SATIN / MATTE
A satin or matte finish absorbs more light than it reflects giving it a dull and unshiny look.  Whilst when I describe that in words it sounds horrible, it actually looks very natural and allows the wood to show itself off on its own.  Such finishes may be created using very thin applications of the same lacquers used for gloss, but without polishing.  They can also be created using an application of a wood oil or wax.

When ukuleles first appeared in the early 1900's, this was the only finish available and as such, many traditionalists suggest this is the better finish for the instrument.

As the coating is very thin, a satin finish means that any knocks and dings you give your instrument are more likely to scratch or dent the actual wood underneath.


PAINTED
Painted finishes, using a variety of bright and bold colours are usually the preserve of the cheaper ukulele market, and on novelty ukuleles.  I have nothing against these, but again, as is the case with gloss, a heavily applied paint finish can look messy.

That said, paint, when professionally applied can appear on higher end instruments.  Bruko, the German handmade manufacturer make some ukes with a spray painted finish, and most of the tops on Fleas and Fluke ukuleles are painted.  Both of those manufacturers make excellent professional quality instruments.


DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
As I said in the introduction, I am of the view that finish is, in the main, a cosmetic factor only.  There is much written about whether a gloss finish and a satin finish differ in sound.

This comes about because anything that is "added" to the soundboard, the part of the uke that vibrates to amplify the sound can, theoretically, affect its efficiency to do so.  If two completely identical instruments were played side by side, with identical set up, strings etc, It may be expected that a satin finish will allow for a louder sound, and a gloss finish a very slightly softer sound.  Whether it changes the tone of the instrument though is, in my view, subjective.

Worse still are the arguments that rage comparing matte and gloss finishes on completely different ukes - this to me seems a nonsense as a large number of other factors need to come in to play (even before you take on board the fact that the sound is subjective anyway).  How the instrument is made, braced, how big the sound hole, type of strings, type of player, solid or laminated wood, type of wood etc all have a far greater impact on sound than whether one is gloss or matte.

My advice is to choose your instrument based on its quality, how it plays and how it sounds to you.  Your choice on gloss or matte should be made based on which you prefer the look of.  If you have a choice of identical ukes in a gloss or matte finish - look at them and listen to them.  There is no right or wrong!

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Ukulele beginners tips - cleaning my ukulele

This is a question that is often asked on ukulele forums, and I thought it would be helpful to give you my perspective on cleaning the Uke. The short version is - you need very little 'product'!!

I will start off my stating that a ukulele, if looked after, really shouldn't need a great deal of cleaning at all - if it does - what the heck are you doing with it??!  That said, if gigging, camping etc, you can get the instrument dirty with grime, sweat, blood (yes, blood) etc, and just day to day playing will cause a build up of grease and oil from your hands.  Mix this with natural dust and you get a claggy ukulele!

I will also add from the start that the instrument cleaning business is an extremely lucrative market but in my view 99.9% of the products on offer are complete overkill.  They can be avoided completely in my view if you keep a lint free soft cloth in your ukulele case and EVERY time you finish playing you give the whole instrument a polish all over.  Do this and I think you will rarely need any sort of cleaning fluid or polish. I don't think I ever have... Do watch the video at the end of this post to see me rant on the subject!!

Anyway, if you ARE interested in cleaning and sprucing up your ukulele because it is filthy, read on.

1. Ukulele bodies

Cleaning bodies will depend on how dirty they get.  If you have dried on grime on there, mud, beer, whatever - the best thing to do is to clean off with a slightly damp lint free cloth, then polish dry with a dry clean cloth.

If you have a gloss or painted body uke, you can give a bit of showroom shine using a small (tiny) amount of guitar polish on a soft cloth and polishing according to the instructions.  Be careful though - make sure your cloth is super super soft with no debris on it.  The sign of an over polished instrument are swirl marks in the varnish.  Bit like on an over polished car really.  Treat your uke as you would cleaning a Ferrari!  If you are using a polish - keep it well away from the fingerboard and strings. It is not designed for those.

If you have a natural finish uke in matte - be very careful with this stuff.  In my youth I learned a lesson with those applying polish which then sunk into the grain and left my instrument spotty with white dots!  Not good.

In short though, if you keep the grime off regularly with a clean down after each play, you should never really need polish.

2. Ukulele Hardware

If you have pearly, plastic or chrome tuning pegs and strap buttons, they really should only need a buff with a soft cloth. Nothing else really. If you have left them and they have started to corrode, personally I think this shows that the instrument is loved. If you can't bear the look, I think you are then looking at proprietary chrome type restoers. Just be careful to keep it off the gears or the tuning post.

3. Ukulele Fingerboard 

This is probably the area where so much bad, and downright dangerous advice is prevalent. The fingerboard, if natural and not painted is a different animal altogether.  Do not apply polish to it as you may cause it to expand and then have problems with frets rising or working loose.  If you have a uke with a seriously grimy fingerboard between frets, you can then VERY carefully and lightly rub between them with a super fine grain wire wool to remove the gunk and get back to the wood.  Tbis stuff can also be used to clean dull frets - just go easy!

If the fingerboard is looking dry and pale, or worse, is splitting, you may need to think about treating your fingerboard with a bore oil to nourish it. But I stress, this is something to go VERY easy with. Please avoid lemon oil sold in guitar shops - it is totally synthetic these days and probably has never been near a lemon, so you are just adding petrochemicals to your wooden fingerboard. A good mix? I don't think so. When it's needed (and that is rarely),  I use Fret doctor bore oil which is the choice of oil for woodwind instrument players.  Its totally natural and has been used for decades or more on wooden classical instruments.  Apply it very very very lightly (a tiny drop per fret space), rub it in to coat the wood, let dry and then polish off.  My warning comes as one of the worst things you can do with a fingerboard is over treat it.  The regularity in applying oil depends on your climate but certainly not more than twice a year is needed. If that... Do it more often, and you will damage the fretboard I assure you.

4. Ukulele strings

Being nylon or fluorocarbon, strings on the ukulele dont deteriorate as quickly as steel strings on a guitar - that said, its nice to keep them clean as they do pick up oils from your fingers.  Simply ensure you wipe your strings down after each session - a good habit to form. If you use a wound string, you may find this needs more cleaning down, but also bear in mind that the metal coil WILL deteriorate faster than the other strings. That's natural - it's metal.

And honestly, thats really about it.  Look after your instrument and you will need to apply only very occasional care to keep it looking nice.

Oh, and keep your uke in a quality case when you are not playing to keep the dust off!

Please watch the video I made on the subject

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Dry fretboard treatments

As was the case with my new uke, and often with cheaper new instruments, the condition of rosewood or dark wood fingerboards leaves a lot to be desired

Often the wood is drying out. In the best case this just looks unsightly and can feel rough, but if left untreated, in dry conditions can lead to the warping or splitting of the top surface.

This can be very simply treated, as I did.

Firstly though, if you have a maple fingerboard (pale yellow and shiny) you don't need a treatment as they are sealed. Also if you have a super cheap uke with a (ugh!) painted fingerboard, don't waste your time

But, if you have a rosewood fingerboard looking sorry and dry (looking pale) then a very simple application of an oil will do the trick.

In the past I have successfully used lemon oil, available from guitar shops, applied very thinly to the fingerboard of an unstrung instrument with a cloth. Allow 10 mins to soak in then polish. Fingerboard should now look darker and conditioned (and smell nice!)

I have recently read some bad things about lemon oil though, particularly some of the ingredients in modern versions that might actually harm the wood. I was pointed in the direction of Fret Doctor which is a bore oil. This is the stuff used to condition insides of clarinets, bassoons, bagpipes etc. This stuff just needs a drop on each fret space, spread out with cotton bud and leave to soak in.

I don't know if there is any truth in lemon oil stories, but I will say that the bore oil seems to be taken up by the wood better in my view, and leaves a nicer finish.

Either way though, if you have a dry fingerboard, you should think about conditioning in some way.

IMPORTANT - don't get carried away with this stuff! You need only a light covering, but more importantly, it's a once a year treatment, at most! If you over oil your wood you can similarly warp and ruin the finish. If the fingerboard looks dark and smooth, leave it alone!

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