Outdoor Soprano with Ratio Tuners

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https://www.pohakuukulele.com/store...-string-nickel-ivoroid-9mm-tuners-y4h2m-5979b

Bought a set of Ratio Tuners from Pohaku. Installed them on my Outdoor Ukulele Soprano. Works nice.

Used the stock metal busings. Original tuners can be easily installed again.

New tuner has a tapered shaft. Grinded a bevel in the headstock so tuner fits flush against the back of the headstock.

Reamed out the screw hole on one side of tuner to use a larger screw with the existing mounting hole.
Drilled pilot hole in headstock for the included small screw.
Used a new screw for the larger side. Done.

Easy to use
Holds tune
Lighter headstock
No ears
"futuristic, jet-black, space-age plastic! Textured for superior grip!"

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Thanks for sharing this and congrats on a successful installation!

Maybe the ODU people should start offering these as an option, and that way all the concerns about the tuners getting rusted out over time from exposure would simply no longer be a concern?
 
Nice job. You may want to just put one of the screws from last set in holes left. Keep crap out and makes holes less obvious. I’ve done that on guitars before works well.

Also, can’t help but wonder why graph tech don’t do a slight mod on design so the holes fit spacing for Grover standard open back, that way no holes.

I think tuners look great and if I were outdoor ukes, I do as previous poster suggested and just put these on as standard.. they are Perfect.

I will try a set on my TT solid top/laminate.

I also suggested to Magic Fluke in email that if they just made their head stock a hair thicker, these would be perfect for their ukuleles. Nice clean design that I’ve read tune well and are very smooth.

Thanks for sharing.
 
Also, can’t help but wonder why graph tech don’t do a slight mod on design so the holes fit spacing for Grover standard open back, that way no holes...I also suggested to Magic Fluke in email that if they just made their head stock a hair thicker, these would be perfect for their ukuleles. Nice clean design that I’ve read tune well and are very smooth.

If I were you, I'd send a note to Graph Tech to make the suggestion. I'm not sure if the imports all use the same dimensions as the Grovers, but the ability to swap these out on a Kala without drilling would be pretty remarkable, and there's quite a market there...

I also suggested these to Magic Fluke a while back. I do get a sense that they are a bit defensive about their choice of Grover friction tuners, as well as offering Peg Heads. The company is celebrating 20 years right now, and I personally think there's nothing wrong with looking at your product and saying, "When we started, this was the best solution that we had at the time...but now that this exists, let's try it." And considering how the marketplace has changed as well (so many competitors), it might be a good time to expand and offer Gotoh and Graph Tech as a solution. While I don't own a Magic Fluke, I will someday. It's on my short list of ukuleles to acquire.
 
..."futuristic, jet-black, space-age plastic! Textured for superior grip!"

I think this is an excellent way to describe these tuners.

...I personally think there's nothing wrong with looking at your product and saying, "When we started, this was the best solution that we had at the time... but now that this exists, let's try it."

Agree 100%


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 9 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 34)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
If I were you, I'd send a note to Graph Tech to make the suggestion. I'm not sure if the imports all use the same dimensions as the Grovers, but the ability to swap these out on a Kala without drilling would be pretty remarkable, and there's quite a market there...

I also suggested these to Magic Fluke a while back. I do get a sense that they are a bit defensive about their choice of Grover friction tuners, as well as offering Peg Heads. The company is celebrating 20 years right now, and I personally think there's nothing wrong with looking at your product and saying, "When we started, this was the best solution that we had at the time...but now that this exists, let's try it." And considering how the marketplace has changed as well (so many competitors), it might be a good time to expand and offer Gotoh and Graph Tech as a solution. While I don't own a Magic Fluke, I will someday. It's on my short list of ukuleles to acquire.

I thought of putting them on a Magic Fluke product, but as someone else said, they are too wide and protrude a bit past the headstock. I'd rather not have that protrusion on mine. Of course, Magic Fluke could redesign their headstocks, but I don't see that happening.
 
Also, can’t help but wonder why graph tech don’t do a slight mod on design so the holes fit spacing for Grover standard open back, that way no holes.

That would be great. It would probably make them even more attractive too many.
 
That would be great. It would probably make them even more attractive too many.

Or, why not design them without screw holes, like Gotoh UPTs? They could use a point to anchor it in the wood, and a washer and nut on the top of the headstock.
 
That looks great! The aesthetic really fits well with the Outdoor. Definitely something they should offer as an upgrade, and that'd solve the extra hole problem.

The extra holes can be plugged (just a drop of epoxy or thick CA? might not even need dye), and making the tuners larger to fit them would also make them larger for everyone else. As Jerry points out: that's the opposite of what some people want! To make everybody happy they'd have to modularize the anchor and that's make it more complicated and more expensive. Just looking at the two ukulele's I have at hand, on already has smaller footprint tuners and the other has much larger (ironically, it's the tenor with the small ones and the soprano with large open-geared tuners).

The extra holes won't be so noticeable in person as they are in the blown up image focusing on them. My wife's quilting group has a "25-mile-an-hour rule": any flaw that you can't see when walking by at 25-miles-an-hour (quilters are FAST ;) ) doesn't count. If you call out minor issues like that unasked and you're not the artist, the teacher, or the judge then you're out of line.
 
M3Ukulele,
Originally I tried to use a screw in the open holes, but the open holes are too close to the new tuner to use a screw with any kind of head. Thanks for the suggestion. Making them Grover compatible would move a lot of them.

Kohanmike,
I quoted the "futuristic, jet-black, space-age plastic! Textured for superior grip!" line from glennerd in the Graph Tech Ratio Tuners thread:
. . . It's just surprising to see a description that hasn't been spun by the marketing department. "futuristic, jet-black, space-age plastic! Textured for superior grip!"
Arcy,
If I decide these are the final tuners I could plug the holes with some clear adhesive. Not a big deal. Thanks for the suggestion

Thanks for the comments everyone!
 
If I decide these are the final tuners I could plug the holes with some clear adhesive. Not a big deal. Thanks for the suggestion

It would be good to know what works and what doesn't to fill those holes. Whenever Gotohs replace direct pegs, holes remain.
 
I thought of putting them on a Magic Fluke product, but as someone else said, they are too wide and protrude a bit past the headstock. I'd rather not have that protrusion on mine. Of course, Magic Fluke could redesign their headstocks, but I don't see that happening.
The ones on my tenor Fluke are not obtrusive to me at all, if they came on the uke when I bought it, I wouldn't have even paid any attention to it.

Also it is highly likely that Graph Tech marketing staff have already contacted as many ukulele makers as possible.
One thing that I don't like is small metal screws under tension in hard plastic that is vibrating. I think this may be a weak area in the pictures shown in this thread. I have had the unfortunate experience of plastic disintegrating and or suddenly crumbling when stressed. It just falls apart and can't be repaired. The photos show what could be a stress crack starting at two of the Gotoh holes, look at the lower holes in photo five. So I would recommend caution when you are making the holes in the plastic and doing stuff with the screws.

Graph Tech told me at NAMM that they did contact many manufacturers for feedback during development, but never contacted Magic Fluke.

The plastic seems very durable to me, I don't see any stress fractures in those photos, and certainly not on my set. No reason to be concerned in my opinion.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 9 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 34)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
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It would be good to know what works and what doesn't to fill those holes. Whenever Gotohs replace direct pegs, holes remain.

My go to Adhesive is E6000 it dries clear and is very strong. I already used a little bit to tighten one of the screw holes. Should have no problem filling those holes. The holes don't bother me though, so I might not fill them unless it becomes an issue.

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