I have a really nice uke that has friction tuners on it which I really dislike. They are harder to turn for me. I was wondering if I could take it to a guitar store and have them replaced or would it probably have to be re drilled and done by a luthier?
Changing Friction Tuners To Planetary?
- Thread starter CYN
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AustinHing
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Please emphasize on the planetary tuner installation to the shop. Although the planetary tuner been around for some time, not all of them catch up to the trend and may just install it just like a regular friction tuner without even looking through the installation instructions. I have heard such stories.
Really depends on what's currently in the headstock and what's going in. Personally, I have swapped out the friction tuners for Gotoh UPTs on a KoAloha Noah and a DJMorgan Mini Pineapple. The Gotoh has a slightly wider diameter than the friction tuners they replaced. That meant a drill.
And a drill is freakin' terrifying. So I was going to slowly ream out the headstock to widen the holes. It would have taken me hours.
My father-in-law is a carpenter, has a drill press, and had other ideas. Secure, drop the drill, rinse and repeat. One the holes were widened, I finished up the installation. Whole thing took maybe 10 minutes.
Bottom line - it doesn't much matter who does it, so long as they have the right tools and follow the directions.
Good luck!
And a drill is freakin' terrifying. So I was going to slowly ream out the headstock to widen the holes. It would have taken me hours.
My father-in-law is a carpenter, has a drill press, and had other ideas. Secure, drop the drill, rinse and repeat. One the holes were widened, I finished up the installation. Whole thing took maybe 10 minutes.
Bottom line - it doesn't much matter who does it, so long as they have the right tools and follow the directions.
Good luck!
RafterGirl
Well-known member
I had the friction tuners switched to UPTs on two KoAlohas. My locally owned acoustic guitar & ukulele shop did the work. They are getting more ukulele customers & are expanding their uke offerings & tech support. Their tech did a great job.
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WhenDogsSing
Well-known member
You can get a tapered reamer and do it yourself. Get a set of Gotoh UPT planetary tuners. Just go slow reaming the tuner holes from the backside of the headstock. Check the fit of the UPTs as you go and don't take out too much wood. Easy-peasy.
strumsilly
Well-known member
I have done it on 2 vintage Martins. I bought a tapered drill bit and put it in an old drill chuck and reamed by hand. just go slow . Not hard at all.
Jerryc41
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YogiTom
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If you like the lighter weight of the friction tuners (UPTs are notably heavier, more-so on smaller instruments), then you might consider switching to Pegheads instead. They look like old-school, wooden friction pegs, but are actually geared inside like the UPTs. For me, on a vintage instrument, I would likely go for them over UPTs for both function and form.
Regardless of which option you choose, whether you have a luthier do the work is up to your comfort level. It is pretty simple to ream the holes and install them yourself, but that might not be true for everyone. Also, a good reamer ain’t cheap! I opted for a nicer model that set me back around $120. But I know it’ll last my lifetime and it cuts through wood like butter, so I’m pretty happy with it as an investment.
Regardless of which option you choose, whether you have a luthier do the work is up to your comfort level. It is pretty simple to ream the holes and install them yourself, but that might not be true for everyone. Also, a good reamer ain’t cheap! I opted for a nicer model that set me back around $120. But I know it’ll last my lifetime and it cuts through wood like butter, so I’m pretty happy with it as an investment.
Yes! A tech in a well-respected repair department at a guitar store I take my ukes to did not realize the pegheads on my Martin tenor were threaded, and that the threads were right and left-handed. He tried to force them and ruined the headstock. The store was very gracious and replaced my T1 IZ, even though it had finish problems when I brought it in.
The head of the department personally installed the Gotoh UPTL planetary tuners that I much prefer. Still have pegheads on my Cocobolo tenor. I'll probably replace them eventually with Gotohs if they fit the thickness of the headstock.
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Jerryc41
Well-known member
I would think that anyone who deals with ukes would know about Pegheds. It was good - and expensive - of them to replace that Iz.
