Some more love for Dale and Phyllis.
I wanted to upgrade the standard tuning pegs on my Flea, Fluke, and Firefly and wound up with Grover 6s. According to the Grover website, the post holes for the 2 and the 6 are the same size. The swap should have been no sweat.
But it was.
For my Fluke, which may be a 2010 vintage, the new hardware dropped right in and I made the switch in less than 30 minutes.
The Flea (new Koa-topped) and Firefly (2015?) were other matters. The post holes were 1/64 of an inch smaller, maybe? And the hardware for the 6s is just that much larger than the 2s.
I used a tapered reamer to make holes and replace the crappy geared tuners on my Makala with vintage-looking Grover 85s, but couldn't really do much with it on the MFC's slotted headstock.
So, I emailed MFC. Phyllis (and then Dale) got back to me within a couple of days. Dale said they had been using a local shop to produce some of the necks on newer instruments, and occasionally the post holes may be a little small for an upgrade. He suggested using a round file to open the holes just a little, and maybe even bevel the inner holes just in case the hardware was too crowded during installation.
To make a long story somewhat longer, the file worked like a dream! A little gentle elbow grease, and I'm fully upgraded.
The new tuners adjust SOOO much more smoothly than the 2s, and they look pretty spiffy, too. (see below)
As always, Dale and Phyllis are the best. Always generous with their time and advice. Plus, making some fantastic instruments as well.
I wanted to upgrade the standard tuning pegs on my Flea, Fluke, and Firefly and wound up with Grover 6s. According to the Grover website, the post holes for the 2 and the 6 are the same size. The swap should have been no sweat.
But it was.
For my Fluke, which may be a 2010 vintage, the new hardware dropped right in and I made the switch in less than 30 minutes.
The Flea (new Koa-topped) and Firefly (2015?) were other matters. The post holes were 1/64 of an inch smaller, maybe? And the hardware for the 6s is just that much larger than the 2s.
I used a tapered reamer to make holes and replace the crappy geared tuners on my Makala with vintage-looking Grover 85s, but couldn't really do much with it on the MFC's slotted headstock.
So, I emailed MFC. Phyllis (and then Dale) got back to me within a couple of days. Dale said they had been using a local shop to produce some of the necks on newer instruments, and occasionally the post holes may be a little small for an upgrade. He suggested using a round file to open the holes just a little, and maybe even bevel the inner holes just in case the hardware was too crowded during installation.
To make a long story somewhat longer, the file worked like a dream! A little gentle elbow grease, and I'm fully upgraded.
The new tuners adjust SOOO much more smoothly than the 2s, and they look pretty spiffy, too. (see below)
As always, Dale and Phyllis are the best. Always generous with their time and advice. Plus, making some fantastic instruments as well.