Slotted headstocks

Ukecaster said:
Anyone know if the D'addario NS micro tuners will fit on the thicker slotted headstocks of ~20mm?
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Just barely. I’m annoyed by this as my clip on tuner that would have fit stopped working and it’s not fun to move it between my several ukes. The micro tuner is best when not having to move it in the best of circumstances.

My slot head uke is a Kala cedar top tenor, BTW.
 
rorym said:
Just barely. I’m annoyed by this as my clip on tuner that would have fit stopped working and it’s not fun to move it between my several ukes. The micro tuner is best when not having to move it in the best of circumstances.

My slot head uke is a Kala cedar top tenor, BTW.
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How about sanding the contact points of the tuner a bit? That one thing D'Addario could change to make that little tuner more usable.
 
spookelele said:
Others will argue that the added weight throws off balance... but I really wonder about that, because alot of those same people leave the clip tuner on it.
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Back when I played bass for a living, I had an acoustic bass guitar where the "A" note on the high G string sounded dead and had no sustain. Turns out the body of the guitar was resonant at that frequency and sucked the life out of that note. I bought a device called a "Fat Finger" which was a heavy weight (12 oz or so) that clipped onto the headstock like a tuner does. That shifted the resonant frequency by adding mass to the headstock and fixed the problem, in addition to improving the sustain of ALL the notes.

So, I wonder if taking mass away by using a slotted headstock does anything to reduce sustain. Not that ukes are great in that department to begin with...
 
rorym said:
Just barely. I’m annoyed by this as my clip on tuner that would have fit stopped working and it’s not fun to move it between my several ukes. The micro tuner is best when not having to move it in the best of circumstances.

My slot head uke is a Kala cedar top tenor, BTW.
Click to expand...

D'Addario makes a great little soundhole tuner for ukuleles PW-CT-22. It's display is like the micro tuner's.

The only downside is the exposed battery being held on by only a small clip. I almost always knock it off when I remove the tuner.
 
Personally I think slotted headstocks look really weird on Ukuleles, so I’m glad there’s another option!
 
RosieKamozie said:
Personally I think slotted headstocks look really weird on Ukuleles, so I’m glad there’s another option!
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I agree that it doesn't fit smaller ukes like sopranos and concerts, but I really like the look of a slotted headstock on tenors and baritones. I would've preferred a slotted headstock on my baritone when I was looking for one but ultimately it wasn't a deal breaker.

Also, I have to say that the ultra thin headstock some Kanile'a ukes have are absolutely stunning looking, especially with the tiny Gotoh stealth tuners they use. That headstock looks excellent even on a soprano.
 
The thin slotted headstock on some Kanile'a's are just insanely thin and a real marvel of engineering (especially with the tiny tuners) but I think that thinness is terrifying, especially since those headstocks don't come cheap. When I was trying them out, I couldn't help but constantly think about it.

But in general, I love slotted headstocks. They look super classy.
 
RosieKamozie said:
Personally I think slotted headstocks look really weird on Ukuleles, so I’m glad there’s another option!
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I am glad I'm not the only one!

I know that a lot of folks love their slotted headstocks, and that a number of high end ukes will come with slotted headstocks as a "feature", but I absolutely hate them. I don't like the way the look, I don't like changing strings on them, I just plain don't like them.

That said, I really am glad that they exist. Others love them, and that is great, I'm glad they do.

As an aside, the only reason I have never bought the often praised Kala cedar topped, acacia back and sides model that is so highly regarded as being a gem of the Kala line is because it is a slotted headstock. I took one look and immediately knew it was not for me.
 
Cluze said:
I am glad I'm not the only one!

I know that a lot of folks love their slotted headstocks, and that a number of high end ukes will come with slotted headstocks as a "feature", but I absolutely hate them. I don't like the way the look, I don't like changing strings on them, I just plain don't like them.

That said, I really am glad that they exist. Others love them, and that is great, I'm glad they do.

As an aside, the only reason I have never bought the often praised Kala cedar topped, acacia back and sides model that is so highly regarded as being a gem of the Kala line is because it is a slotted headstock. I took one look and immediately knew it was not for me.
Click to expand...

That's interesting. I'm that way about bridge pins. I have no issues with the way slotted headstocks look (I haven't tried changing strings on one), but I can't get over bridge pins. Sort of similar to your Kala story, I remember thinking the Platinum Pineapple (that sounds funny) by Kanile'a was really beautiful right down to the pineapple side port. But the bridge and pins looked so out of place to me, like a giant spoiler on a sedan.
 
snowdenn said:
That's interesting. I'm that way about bridge pins. I have no issues with the way slotted headstocks look (I haven't tried changing strings on one), but I can't get over bridge pins. Sort of similar to your Kala story, I remember thinking the Platinum Pineapple (that sounds funny) by Kanile'a was really beautiful right down to the pineapple side port. But the bridge and pins looked so out of place to me, like a giant spoiler on a sedan.
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Haha, I’m the same with bridge pins too!! ��
 
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