Replacing machine-head tuners with peg tuners

John A

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Hi Guys

I'm just thinking about replacing some cheap & nasty guitar-like machine-head tuners on my uke with peg tuners. I was going to ask if both types of tuners are the same size and if one can simply swap them over… but then I just read this article…

http://www.pohakuukulele.com/pages/t_pegheds.html

and I see that they are not! Also that headstocks are different thicknesses and different types of wood require different depths of reaming, etc.

The Pohaku article however, seems to be referring to starting from scratch, whereas the holes are obviously already drilled if replacing other tuners. I haven't removed my old machine-head tuners yet so I don't know the size of the holes, but what can you do if the holes are too big? Do other makes of peg tuners come in different sizes?

I also want to ask which brand/type of peg tuners would you guys recommend… which peg tuners would you consider the best?

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I look forward to any advice or info that you might have on the subject!

Cheers, John
 
Hi Guys

... but what can you do if the holes are too big? Do other makes of peg tuners come in different sizes?

I also want to ask which brand/type of peg tuners would you guys recommend… which peg tuners would you consider the best?

Not seeing a response, I'll pipe in.

If the holes are too big, you can fill with epoxy & fine sawdust or other thickener and redrill. You'll be doing that with the screw holes too.

I see the pegheds like a 7.5 mm hole, that's smaller than most gear tuners, and they get threaded into carefully tapered hole. There is info from West System about filling holes with epoxy then tapping for screws for marine use so it may work for the pegheds. I'd speak to them at Pohaku before buying or drilling anything.

I've only worked with one kind of pegs, the old style Waverlys. They seem to work just as well after 90 years as the brand new ones - I like that. They use a very small hole, and they rely on a good mating contact of the metal tuner against hole chamfers that are different on the top than the bottom. I'd be leery of having that contact area be made partly of a filler, but it might work.

All in all this might not be the best idea, in my opinion.

-Vinnie in Juneau
 
Thanks very much Vinnie for your help… in the mean time I've been searching around for information concerning replacing machine-heads with pegs and I've found a few interesting articles, although nothing really helpful. Your advice has given me something to think about and, and maybe, as you say, it might not be worth all the trouble… I guess the obvious thing for me to do is to take off one of the machine heads and check the size of the hole before I do anything else! If it's too large I think I'll give it a miss…

Thanks again for your help, it's much appreciated… cheers, John
 
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