Will deluxe Gotoh friction tuners fit Ohana SK-39

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moonlessbag

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Hi all! This is my first post on these forums.

I bought my first ukulele about a month ago, an Ohana SK-39. I really love it but I'm contemplating upgrading the friction tuners from the entry level Gotoh fricton tuners (model UKB) to the deluxe ones (model UKA). I've found the friction tuners I have pretty good, but they do stick a bit which makes precise tuning a bit fiddly.

Looking in the Gotoh catalogue, it seems the posts for the deluxe tuners are very slightly wider in diameter than the entry level ones. Or at least I think that's what the diagram in the catalogue below is telling me.

I was wondering if anyone has had experience changing the pegs on an Ohana SK-39, and could tell me whether the new pegs will fit into the existing holes, or if I'll need to make them a bit larger? I haven't been able to find information anywhere about the diameter of the holes in the headstock.

A link to the Gotoh catalogue - the diagram is on page 15:

https://g-gotoh.com/dl/files/Catalog-2018-En.pdf

Thanks so much! :D
 
The bushings on the UKB are .5mm wider than the UKA. That's a very tiny amount of difference. Depending on the hole size, the UKB may fit without mods. If the existing holes are exactly 7.5mm for the UKA, it's a snap to ream out a tiny bit more on the top holes to fit the 8mm bushings of the UKB tuners.
 
My SK-38 had to be reamed a bit to fit Grover 6’s, although they’re a bit wider at 8.1 mm. Let us know how it works out.
 
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Okay, thanks for the information! I must admit I was hoping that someone had already done this exact mod so that I knew whether or not this would be a simple, do-at-home job. There are fairly hardcore lockdown restrictions in Melbourne where I am, so even dropping my uke off at a shop to have a minor thing done to it is a bit of a hassle. I might take the plunge anyway and order the fancy UKA tuners.
 
I've considered planetary tuners. For some reason the friction tuners appeal to me for this uke! I don't mind how precise you have to be with friction tuners and something about their "traditional"-ness appeals to me. A very subjective preference. Essentially I want to keep what I've got basically the same, but have something that moves a bit more smoothly, as they can stick a bit which can drive you nuts when you're just below the note, then just above it, then just below it again, etc. I had also assumed that the UKAs would be a bit lighter than the planetary tuners.
 
*EDIT - I confirmed the specs and my Grover's are 8.1 mm and didn't fit, so very likely 8.0 will require reaming too*

I'm not sure why pegs from the same brand wouldn't be standardized. From recollection, it seems pretty typical for other brands to have different diameters between models too.

I'm not noticing a big improvement with my Grovers (but maybe it needs adjustment). Maybe I should have gone with the UKAs. Waverly's are supposed to be really nice, but are expensive, and sound like they need a pretty precise installation with countersinking.

I have UPTs on one ukulele, and while they're functionally awesome, they're not nearly as pretty as a friction tuner. Quite chunky looking on a soprano. The UKA's are probably lighter, but some friction tuners are just as heavy as UPTs.
 
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An update to this query! The upgraded Gotoh tuners needed larger holes to be cut in the headstock, a job for which I had neither the tools nor the skills. So I took my ukulele to my closest ukulele shop in Melbourne (Lord Uke) and had the tech there do it for me. It was a very simple job that took 20 minutes or so. It was pretty cheap, too - $35 AUD all up.

I've just put the new strings on (after giving the fretboard a bit of an oil and a clean - first time in 2 years). It looks great! And the tuning experience is definitely much nicer now - the higher-tier Gotohs are much smoother and more 'luxurious'-feeling. (And for what it's worth, the ukulele now seems to weigh 8 grams less than with the old tuners!) The cream buttons suit the aesthetics of the instrument better as well.

I'd recommend this upgrade to anyone who was considering it. The upgraded Gotohs weren't that cheap but they make tuning less fiddly.
 
moonlessbag said:
An update to this query! The upgraded Gotoh tuners needed larger holes to be cut in the headstock, a job for which I had neither the tools nor the skills. So I took my ukulele to my closest ukulele shop in Melbourne (Lord Uke) and had the tech there do it for me. It was a very simple job that took 20 minutes or so. It was pretty cheap, too - $35 AUD all up.

I've just put the new strings on (after giving the fretboard a bit of an oil and a clean - first time in 2 years). It looks great! And the tuning experience is definitely much nicer now - the higher-tier Gotohs are much smoother and more 'luxurious'-feeling. (And for what it's worth, the ukulele now seems to weigh 8 grams less than with the old tuners!) The cream buttons suit the aesthetics of the instrument better as well.

I'd recommend this upgrade to anyone who was considering it. The upgraded Gotohs weren't that cheap but they make tuning less fiddly.
Click to expand...
Would love to see a photo!
 
The UKA looks alot like Grover 6, so I assume it has a few different washers inside, like the Grovers, did you see that on yours? Also, were the tuner buttons as large as the UKB? (I've always found the UKB buttons rather large)
 
Ukecaster said:
The UKA looks alot like Grover 6, so I assume it has a few different washers inside, like the Grovers, did you see that on yours? Also, were the tuner buttons as large as the UKB? (I've always found the UKB buttons rather large)
Click to expand...
The buttons on the UKAs are a bit smaller than on the UKBs and they weigh a bit less. They're more pleasingly proportioned overall, I'd say. The ones I've got are a cream colour that matches the binding on the SK-39 a bit better, too.

There were many, many washers inside the tuners - it was quite a complicated little mechanism. They came with a nice little Japanese diagram which showed how you should install them.
 
moonlessbag said:
The buttons on the UKAs are a bit smaller than on the UKBs and they weigh a bit less. They're more pleasingly proportioned overall, I'd say. The ones I've got are a cream colour that matches the binding on the SK-39 a bit better, too.

There were many, many washers inside the tuners - it was quite a complicated little mechanism. They came with a nice little Japanese diagram which showed how you should install them.
Click to expand...
NIce...more washers equals smoother operation. Also, nice to have a cream color option, the UKB were stark white looking to me, I have a couple sets of UKB in my parts drawer.
 
As promised, here are some photos of my Ohana SK-39 with its new deluxe Gotoh tuners (as well as a freshly-conditioned fretboard). I think it's looking nice!
 

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