Replacing GOTOH UKBs with Grover 6 tuners on Ohana SK-21

Junie Moon

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In hopes of getting smaller buttons for my Ohana sopranino (2011-ish) I've researched the Web until my eyes burned. I have measured and remeasured. I have converted inches to millimeters, and millimeters to inches.

Factoring in costs, value of my uke and my skill level (with tools as well as the uke) I decided to give Grover 6 tuners a try. I could not find a smaller GOTOH button that I could be sure would fit.

If I've measured and understood correctly the only challenging part of the task will be reaming the post hole: SK-21 is 7.4, Grovers are 8.27, I think.

I won't get the smaller buttons I crave, but I'll get a smoother tuner. (I was ready to plunk down the dough for the Waverlys, but the post hole in the sopranino is too large. Doweling and redrilling are beyond my ability.)

Before I start cutting I thought I should ask: has anyone made this swap? Anyone see any glaring errors in my thinking?

Many thanks.
 
I've done several swaps with. I Grovers and Gotohs. I bought a reamer, but an electric drill worked much better. A reamer is tapered, so the hole will be tapered, too. With one uke,mi had to enlarge both top and bottom sides of the eholes different amounts. With another, the top hole was fine, only the bottom half needed enlargement.

If you use a power drill, be careful that it doesn't zip right brought the head. You might try using small bits and working your way up to the correct size. You might even try turning the drill bit by hand.

Yes, it can be frustrating trying to find the right tuners. I wanted a set of Grover 8 in black, but no one had them, so I went with the shorter 9. Gotoh wasn't any easier. I had to wait two months and pay $89 to get them from Japan. HWS listed what I wanted, but they we're out of them. I later bought a set from HWS, not being too particular about anything bu the Long type for $59.

It's worth the effort to get tuners that look and work well.

EDIT: I typed is on my iPad, which is a challenge, Nordic Track corrected all the typos I could before my patience ran out You see that "Nordic Track" above? What's the story with that? ;) stupid autocorrect!
 
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Thanks Jerryc41, for sharing your experience.

I am swapping the pegs now, and I took a shortcut in the installation, that I'm not sure will work. The Grover 6 posts fit easily through the front-side collars of the Gotoh UKBs. Perhaps too easily. Rather than reaming/drilling the peghead holes right away to accommodate the larger Grover front-side collars, I am going to see if it works to use the Gotoh collars w/the rest of the Grover parts.

The Grover shaft is quite a bit smaller than the Gotoh. When everything is tightened up all seems okay. Though I'm wondering if I have to tighten the screw too much to get the things to hold.

I'm trying to figure out how important the fit between the front collar and the shaft is. I suspect it's quite important, but before I go reaming and drilling I don't see a problem w/experimenting in this way. If the pegs don't hold w/out overtightening I'll enlarge the danged holes.

Thanks for the idea about using small bits and turning the drill by hand. Very helpful. As a former bike mechanic I understand the importance of having the right tool for the job, but a good reamer for this purpose seems a bit too pricey for a $100 uke.

Thanks again for taking the time to right ... rite ... write. (Where's my Auto Correct?)
 
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