Why wont my headstock tuner Tune my Ukulele? OR Headstock Tuners 440 Hz and Calibration Explained

Headstock tuners are really popular thesedays, but some have a Calibration mode and people accidentally alter the calibration away from 440Hz and end up with ukes out of Tune.

So todays post is all about International Standards, Hertz (Hz), Tuners and Calibration, Lets dive in.

HISTORY TIME

Our Modern Tuners are often fitted with a Calibration Mode (at least the better quality tuners are anyways).

Since WW2 the worldwide standard for an A note is 440Hz, or Concert Pitch.  

Before WW2 different countries had different standards for Concert Pitch, some countries were 338 Hz some were 442 Hz etc etc.  

The Germans took over Europe and said this will not do, So all the European orchestras adopted the German standard of A = 440Hz.

Post WW2 it stayed that way, the International Standards Organisation was based in Germany post WW2.

WHY THE ABILITY TO CALIBRATE OUR TUNER REMAINS

Standard Modern concert pitch is an A note vibrates at 440 Hz.  

We have Ukuleles, Guitars, Bass Piano etc, these stringed instruments are instruments that can be tuned.

But when we play with Brass players they cant tune like we can, 

Brass have a fixed Pitch instruments, sometimes they can move their mouth pieces in and out a little to get it a little sharper of flatter, but not by much.

So if you play with a Brass player who has an instrument where the A note is Sharp or Flat of the standard A 440 Hz we can alter our tuners calibration to match the pitch of the Brass players A note.  

We then tune our instrument to match their A and all our strings are then either a little flat (or Sharp) but at least we match the Brass player.

OK that is why we have the ability to calibrate our tuners.

HOW TO GET IT BACK TO 440Hz.

The On / Off button is on the rear, 

A long press turns it on and a long press turns it off.

But quick presses alters the calibration of the Tuner in 1Hz increments.

So lets re-calibrate

STEPS TO RECALIBRATE YOUR TUNER

Turn the tuner On

Look at the Front face, 

Watch the number on the front, 

Start quickly pressing the button repeatedly and the numbers will change,

Keep pressing till it cycles back to the number 440.  

And bobs yer uncle you are back at standard Concert Pitch of 440 Hz

Come And Try Ukulele Sat 15th October 2pm – 3:30pm

Come And Try Ukulele
Sat 15th October
2pm – 3:30pm

Ukuleles Supplied
Ink Pot Arts Arts Hub
Upstairs Mount Barker Town Hall
38 Gawler Street

Booking: P: 0429 673 327 
quill@inkpot.com.au
http://www.inkpot.com.au 
facebook inkpotarts 

Ohana VK-70 Ukulele. Ohana have been playing in their Time Machine again

Ohana VK-70 Concert/Soprano Ukulele.
Solid Spruce Top and mahogany Back and Sides.

$250 
Including Postage In Australia.
FREE Headstock Tuner
FREE Lesson via Skype with Jeffrey Thomas.

With the Ohana VK-70 you get a modern well built Ukulele with modern ease of playability AND the Cool 1920's Art Deco looks.  An original Roy Smeck Vita Uke from the 1920s will set you back a heap of coin, and finding one in good playing condition is hard.

Luckily for us the good people at Ohana have been playing with their Time Machine again.  

This time they have transported us back to 1927 and The Wizard Of the Strings Roy Smecks ukulele of choice, the Vita Style Uke.  Complete with its 1920's Deco body and "Seal' Soundholes.

The VK-70 RRP in the USA is $299 USD (Before Shipping) in Australia this ukulele is VERY KEENLY priced at $250 Aussie Dollars Including Shipping.

Just like Fiat, Mini and VW have recreated modern versions of their classic cars, Ohana has, in the vita VK-70 ukulele, crafted a modern version of a 1920's Art Deco ragtime ukulele Classic. 

 A Classic Pear-shaped "Vita" style body with solid spruce top is ordained with the equally classic the "Seal Shaped" soundholes.

I always thought the Roy Smeck Vita ukes had such an interesting design, and the 'Seal' shaped soundholes were "Radical and Futuristic' for the 1920's.

WOULD YOU LIKE BITE WITH THAT LOUD TONE
The Ohana VK-70 has a wide broad top and no waist, this makes a much bigger sound than a traditional figure 8 ukulele. Like the Originals the Size of the VK-70 is somewhere between a Soprano and a Concert.

The Spruce top adds a loud bit of Bite to the Ukulele, its NOT in any way a harsh tone, just voiced perfectly to "Cut Through' a mix.

With the Ohana VK-70 you get a modern well built Ukulele with modern ease of playability AND the Cool 1920's Art Deco looks.

AN ART DECO UKULELE?
Art Deco took its name, short for Arts Décoratifs, from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes held in Paris in 1925.  The
between the wars period was all about the new and futuristic and Art Deco design cues touched seemingly everything, even ukuleles

SPECIFCATIONS OHANA VK-70
Vintage re-issue
Vintage "Vita-Uke" Pear Shape
Solid Spruce Top
Mahogany Back & Sides
Rosewood Fingerboard and Bridge
Aquila Strings, Geared Tuners
Top and Back Binding
Bone Saddle and Nut



HISTORY
Roy Smeck, born Leroy Smeck, 6 February 1900 was an American musician. His skill on the banjo, guitar, steel guitar, and especially the ukulele earned him the Nickname "Wizard of the Strings.

The Vita ukuleles were first made by Harmony in 1927 and Roy Smeck, Mr uke wizard himself endorsed them and hence the vita name, you see the "Vita" part came from the Vitaphone Movie recordings that often featured Roy.  The original style Roy Smeck Vita from the Harmony Company was from the fancier end of their Ukulele range. IMHO were the equal of any Martin or Lyon & Healy product from the era.

The Vita had a futuristic body shape that is approximately concert uke wide and with a 14" scale so the Vita is somewhere between a concert uke and a soprano uke.

ABOUT OHANA UKULELES
"Welcome to Ohana, where you will find the many hand-crafted ukulele models we offer. Our selection ranges from: soprano to baritone, mahogany to selected
koa from the islands of Hawaii, conventional to vintage models, and also unique models for those who are looking for something different.

At Ohana, our goal is to provide the highest quality product at a reasonable price.

Every ukulele that leaves our warehouse is carefully inspected and set up for maximum playability. Yes that's right — EVERY UKULELE, regardless of model
and price. Should musicians compromise on quality just because they need an entry-level ukulele? We don't think they should.

At Ohana, we believe in the basic concepts of QUALITY, PLAYABILITY, and VALUE. As a player you deserve each of these when you purchase a musical instrument.

Ohana Music markets its products primarily through a network of excellent dealers around the world. However, we are here to answer any questions you may have. So go ahead, send Ohana an email or call; we will be happy to inform you about the products Ohana offers.

Meanwhile, have fun, share the Aloha spirit with your loved ones, and Happy Strumming!"


Ohana VK-70 Concert/Soprano Ukulele.
Solid Spruce Top and mahogany Back and Sides.

$250 
Including Postage In Australia.
FREE Headstock Tuner
FREE Lesson with Jeffrey Thomas.

Aquila Red Ukulele Strings AQ-86U Concert Low wound g string

AQ-86U $14.95
CONCERT LOW G SET
RED SERIES®

A unique feeling and a strong, consistent sound. Until now, it was necessary to increase the gauge of a string for it to produce a lower-pitched note. But increasing the string’s diameter also increases internal dampening. That makes the string less bright, less responsive and more muffled; the thicker the string, the duller the sound.

Aquila's revolutionary new approach — unique to Aquila — changes the specific weight of the material, increasing it progressively to leave the gauge almost unchanged.

The result is amazing: instruments sound brighter, more powerful and more responsive through the entire range of the fret board. The strings also maintain their intonation better, because thicker strings need to be fretted harder, pulling them further out of tune.

RED SERIES® sets provide superior performance over traditional strings for musicians who love bright sounds and powerful voicing across the full scale of the instrument.

You never heard a sound like this before, simply because before it did not exist.

WHY ARE THERE DIFFERENT SHADES OF RED? 
In the manufacturing process of our Red Series strings we use different percentages of metal powder to optimise each string’s performance within the set. Because of this, the colour varies slightly with each string in a set of Reds.

LOW G TUNING
Density is in fact the secret of quality sound in a low string and Aquila are happy to announce that they managed to overcome this difficult technological challenge (tried by many others but without success).

Now, with Aquilas RED SERIES® strings you can finally tune your ukulele to Low G with the certainty of powerful sound quality and a superior intonation across the frets that is fully integrated with that of the upper treble strings.

MAIN FEATURES
The technical solution adopted was firstly to make the Nylgut elastic and then add  red copper powder in order to increase the density to about twice that of standard white Nylgut.

• Color: red-brown
• Surface: slightly rough; this texture has eliminated the squeak that sometime occurs with the Nylgut strings.
• Elasticity/Elongation: consistent with white Nylgut!
• Performances: better than the first elastic version! They do not break under tension providing rapid, stable tuning!
• Intonation: accurate past the 12th fret
• Pressing the string firmly down on the frets does not cause the note to sharpen.
• It is  not necessary to file the nut slot wider to accommodate our RED SERIES® string.
• Density: about twice than standard white Nylgut.

Katie Kitchen Sponsored Artist Uses Kala Traveller Series and Padauk Series ukulele

Welcome aboard to Sponsored Artist Katie Kitchen.  Direct from NYC USA to Australia (via Plympton)

Katie Kitchen is a Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Radio Personality, Writer, Publisher and Ukulele Player, a real Renaissance woman.  

And Now Ukulele Trading Co Australia's First Sponsored Artist. Katie K currently uses a Kala Traveller Series and a Kala Padauk Series ukulele.

Unlike Phil Spector we would never shout at Katie Kitchen on the phone.

"regardless of what I have done in my life, 

from living in other countries to drawing a lot to having kids to working various interesting jobs – 

when I meet new people (which happens often because of the lots of different things I like to do), my introduction almost inevitably includes the phrase “She plays the ukulele”. 

Except for one friend, who always introduces me with the phrase ... 

“She got shouted at on the phone by Phil Spector!” 

Which is true, but another post."

Katie Kitchen

Katie Kitchen's Official Blog sheplaysukulele.wordpress.com

CK-28 Concert Size "Vintage Nunes' Style Solid Mahogany Ukulele with FREE Hardcase Tuner, Setup and Postage

CK-28 Concert Size "Vintage Nunes' Style 

Solid Mahogany Ukulele.

Retail is $495.

Includes

FREE Hardcase,

FREE Tuner, 

FREE Set-up*

FREE Postage in Australia.

  

*Plus as per normal I bundle ukes with 

a full set-up with your choice of 

either Low or High G

The CK-28 Limited Edition Concert Ukulele is a crackingly good instrument and a

Star Seller of mine.

A sweet tone and great Playability with those Ultra Hip Retro Looks.

This Ukulele is really Rocking the look of that centre racing stripe and rope binding.  

And it is made fully of Solid Mahogany too boot. 

The Concert sized Nunes style ukulele now joins the little brother the Soprano SK-28. And it is a  Seriously Good Quality Concert Ukulele because it's an Ohana Ukulele.

"I play lots of different ukuleles every week, 

what with Personal Shoppers getting Demos 

and doing Ukulele Setups everyday. 

the Ohana CK-28 is becoming a favourite of mine, 

they are so damn sweet sounding, and they play great." CHEERS CC

ABOUT 

The 'Figure 8' or 'Peanut' body shape is a true classic, it is the closest relative of the  

Portuguese instruments brought to the Hawaiian islands.  

Dias and Manuel Nunes the earliest ukulele makers and crafted ukuleles for more than 40 years 

and are legend amongst ukulele  enthusiasts.

History tells that Samuel Kamaka and Nunes own son, Leonardo, 

were apprentices and continued making quality ukuleles. 

In 1998, the Ukulele Hall of Fame inducted Manuel Nunes  into their honorees.  

WELL DONE CREATING THIS UKULELE
Louis Wu of Ohana Music has come up with a fantastic homage to the 'original' ukulele, 

made in the traditional Portuguese / Hawaiian style.

SUMMARY

If you are serious about your ukulele playing and uke collecting then a 'Peanut' body style Concert is a must have for you. 

The fretboard is completely flush with the body, another vintage style feature - this leaves more of the top to vibrate, helping to shape the tone of the instrument.

This Concert has such a pleasing warm tone and easy playability that you soon realise that the old master Luthiers really were onto something good!

SPECS

Premium Solid Mahogany top, back and sides 

Friction tuning heads 

Rosewood fingerboard and bridge 

Vintage Nunes/Dias Style Rope Binding 

Bone nut and saddle 

14 frets Aquila Nylgut strings (or Worth) 

Limited edition

Vintage re-issue

Nunes/Dias style body shape

Solid Premium Mahogany top, back & sides

Rope binding

Vintage finish

Gotoh tuners

CK-28 Concert Size "Vintage Nunes' Style 

Solid Mahogany Ukulele.

Retail is $495.

Includes

FREE Hardcase,

FREE Tuner, 

FREE Set-up*

FREE Postage in Australia.

Tenor Electric Ukulele TK-70KE Ohana Premium Solid Spruce Top Koa back and Sides.

$649 Ohana TK-70KE Tenor Electric Ukulele. Premium Solid Spruce Top, Koa back and Sides. 

INCLUDES.
FREE Hardcase
FREE Setup with Aqila or Worth Strings Either Low or High G, Either Right Handed or Left Handed.
FREE Postage in Australia.

OHANA MEANS FAMILY
The TK-70KE Tenor Size Ukulele comes from Ohana Ukuleles Limited Edition Range of Premium ukuleles.  

Ohana means Family, and its where where you will find the many hand-crafted ukulele models being manufactured. The Ohana selection ranges from: soprano to baritone, mahogany to selected koa from the islands of Hawaii, conventional to vintage models, and also unique models for those who are looking for something different.

"At Ohana, our goal is to provide the highest quality product at a reasonable price. Every ukulele that leaves our warehouse is carefully inspected and set up for maximum playability. 

Yes that's right — EVERY UKULELE, regardless of model and price. Should musicians compromise on quality just because they need an entry-level ukulele? We don't think they should.

At Ohana, we believe in the basic concepts of  QUALITY, PLAYABILITY, and VALUE. As a player you deserve each of these when you purchase a musical instrument.

Ohana Music markets its products primarily through a network of excellent dealers around the world. However, we are here to answer any questions you may have. So go ahead, send Ohana an email or call; we will be happy to inform you about the products Ohana offers.
Meanwhile, have fun, share the Aloha spirit with your loved ones, and Happy Strumming!"

SUPERIOR  TONE-WOODS
Featuring a combination of Solid Spruce wood top with Solid Koa wood back and sides results in both a bright tone (The Spruce) Combined with the Koa you also get that big sustain and full sound.

GREAT LOOKS
The faux tortoise shell binding creates a a really upmarket look too separating the classy Spruce Top and the golden honey toned Koa Wood sides.

The quality Belcat Preamp of the Pick-up is fitted perfectly into the side of the ukulele.

The gloss finish is very good too, it will offer a strong long-lasting protection of the woods and it is applied smooth as glass.

Gold tuning Machines with small black buttons suit the look of the headstock.  Also the small head buttons are so much easier to use, a thoughtful touch.

ELECTRIC ACOUSTIC WITH PICK-UP
TK-70KE Ohana Tenor UkuleleThe TK-70KE is an Electric Acoustic ukulele and features pick-up with a 3 band eq with on-board pre-amp, output is strong and clear, with plenty of range in tones available from the Treble and Bass sliders, from Dark Smooth Jazz to Bright Country or Funk tones can be had.

QUALITY COMPONENTS
Keeping with the quality focus of Ohana the Ukulele is fitted with a bone nut and saddle.  Bone is not very easy to work with at all, shaping and cutting bone is difficult precision work , and time consuming.  Fitting plastic parts would have been much easier and quicker BUT when "ultimate tone" is the goal, then fitting quality components  is essential, no mater how much longer they take to shape.

The gloss finished applied is smooth and blemish free.  To achieve a fine glass like gloss finish takes time and lots of it, with many coats of spray and hand sanding between coats required to get a finish this smooth.

SPECIFICATIONS
Solid spruce top
Flamed koa back & sides
Rosewood fingerboard & bridge
Tortoise shell binding front, back, headstock
Active 3-band EQ
Bone nut & saddle
Aquila strings
Gloss finish

The TK-70KE Tenor Size Ukulele comes from Ohana Ukuleles Limited Edition Range of Premium ukuleles.
RRP is $649 In Australia.
FREE quality Hardcase and 
FREE Setup included
FREE Postage in OZ.

# TK-70KE #tenorukulele #ohanaukulele #electricukulele #ohanaukuleleaustralia