UPT tuners

RafterGirl

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I just got a ukulele with Gotoh UPT tuners. Most of my ukuleles have had guitar style geared tuners. I have one other uke with old style friction tuners. The old style ones are pretty tight to turn, one little squeeze usually does it, if they need any adjusting at all. Is it a good idea to tighten the screws on the ends of the UPTs? Once the new strings settle in, will tightening the screws help them stay in tune better? Or should I leave them alone?
Thanks
 
I regularly install new UPTs and find that I usually have to tighten the screws to keep them from unwinding. No need to overdo it, just enough to make them hold.
 
Leave them alone. UPTs may look like friction tuners, but they are completely different. They are geared tuners, and the screw on the end does nothing more than hold the button on.
 
Rich, this surprised me so I took a new set off the shelf and tested one. It's true that tightening the screw doesn't seem to have a linear effect upon tightening of the shaft and gets it only so tight and but loosening it past a certain point allows the shaft to turn nearly freely. Interesting. My guess is that RafterGirl will be fine if she tightens the screws a bit.
 
Actually, I stand corrected. While the screw does not serve the same purpose as it would in friction tuners, I've found several sources (including Japarts and HMS) that advise snugging the screw after installation to guarantee proper operation of the gears. As saltytri observes above, it isn't "tighter=works better," but rather "too loose=won't work."
 
Well, Rich, thanks for teaching me that there's no point in reefing down on the screw! I'll take it easy from now on. :)
 
OK, so it sounds like a little tightening is ok, but don't do too much. Too loose is bad. Thanks everyone. I put new Living Waters strings on earlier in the week and they are settling in as expected, except the A string always is more out of whack that the others.
 
Out of the box I find that UPTs require about one half turn or so of the screw depending on the strings used.

This has been my experience as well.

Seems to vary a bit with actual string tension once tuned to concert pitch.
 
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