Question on KoAloha Friction Pegs

the.ronin

the.ronin

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I just got a KoAloha Concert (KCM-00) build date June 2008 in the mail. It was an eBay auction so it is used but evidently as a store display.

First thing I noticed was that the friction pegs were very loose. I took off what looked like fishing string that it came with and put Worth BL's on them. I tightened the pegs but some of them are not as tight as I would like. They are holding their tune though. Is this normal or a source for concern?

All my other ukes use geared pegs so these friction pegs are all new to me.
 
YAY! It came, awesome man! Apart from the tuner issues i hope its all good for you! Happy Birthday for tomorrow!!
 
ukerazy said:
YAY! It came, awesome man! Apart from the tuner issues i hope its all good for you! Happy Birthday for tomorrow!!
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Thanks so much, uke!! Yeah it came just in time. :D

I'm just a little paranoid because it's used.
 
ukerazy said:
Is it in good condition otherwise though?
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Not just that uke ... this is one beautiful instrument. It's true what they say that the pictures online don't do it justice. When I finally got all the bubble wrapping off, I nearly peed in my pants.
 
the.ronin said:
Not just that uke ... this is one beautiful instrument. It's true what they say that the pictures online don't do it justice. When I finally got all the bubble wrapping off, I nearly peed in my pants.
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That made me LOL!! haha, i hope i don't when i get mine! Enjoy that uke my friend!
 
Congratulations on your new baby! To answer your original question...there is a screw on the back of the friction tuner that you can tighten to make the tuner tighter. You only want this as tight as it needs to be to keep it from slipping. Only tighten them a little at a time (about a 1/16th of a turn) until it's as tight as you want.
 
KC8AFW said:
Congratulations on your new baby! To answer your original question...there is a screw on the back of the friction tuner that you can tighten to make the tuner tighter. You only want this as tight as it needs to be to keep it from slipping. Only tighten them a little at a time (about a 1/16th of a turn) until it's as tight as you want.
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Thanks KC8 ... I was using those micro screwdrivers (like the ones for eyeglasses) and was only able to tighten them so much. Right now they are holding their tune. I guess this is par for the course for friction tuners?
 
the.ronin said:
Thanks KC8 ... I was using those micro screwdrivers (like the ones for eyeglasses) and was only able to tighten them so much. Right now they are holding their tune. I guess this is par for the course for friction tuners?
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i gotta say, im a geared tuners kinda guy, but our friction tuners are hands down the easiest of their kind ive ever used.
 
Kaneohe til the end said:
i gotta say, im a geared tuners kinda guy, but our friction tuners are hands down the easiest of their kind ive ever used.
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Good to know, Kaneohe. I'm new to ukuleles and only have geared tuners on my other ukes. I need to get used to how sensitive these friction tuners are.

Did have to tighten yours a bit? I've tightened mine and the C and E have a tendency to "unwind" slightly. So far they are holding their tune well though.
 
the.ronin said:
Good to know, Kaneohe. I'm new to ukuleles and only have geared tuners on my other ukes. I need to get used to how sensitive these friction tuners are.

Did have to tighten yours a bit? I've tightened mine and the C and E have a tendency to "unwind" slightly. So far they are holding their tune well though.
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you may need to tighten them, but thats just common maintenance on any uke. my advice would be to go try a uke with other frictions and feel the difference. literally every other friction tuner ive used, whether it be on my risa, my old kamakas, or friends ukes that ive tried, literally every one has been unpleasant to tune. alot of times the plastic peg would warp from the string tension and start to slide, meaning you have to go buy another set of pegs.
Question, do you have the red pegs or the white pegs? i know the white pegs have had that problem but the red ones are friggin awesome. ive never heard of the red tuning pegs having that problem and i havent experienced it on any of the ones ive played, at home or at the shop.
 
the.ronin said:
I'm pretty sure they are the red ones, no? ...

picture.php
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yup, those are the ones. if they keep slipping even after you tighten them, try untuning it almost all the way, clip off a little bit of the end and re-tune it. that way theres less to wrap around the pegs. sometimes if they're wrapped around too much they start to overlap at the bottom and slip.
 
Hey Ronin glad to see that your KoAloha arrived. On my Concert I had to tighten the screws just a little bit (you may want to get a slightly larger screw driver) and they worked great. One other thing to check is if the the string is fed back through the hole as this helps to keep the string from slipping(especially the GEA strings). The KoAloha friction tuners are great tuners and I have changed most of my other 'ukulele's tuners to these. Once you get them set up right these are the best, and really hold the tune.

Jack
 
Kaneohe til the end said:
yup, those are the ones. if they keep slipping even after you tighten them, try untuning it almost all the way, clip off a little bit of the end and re-tune it. that way theres less to wrap around the pegs. sometimes if they're wrapped around too much they start to overlap at the bottom and slip.
Click to expand...

Are the white and red tuners interchangeable? Could they be switched out without drilling?
 
Thanks guys ... yeah the problem I was having was that I would turn the peg, and the peg would unturn by itself!! haha ... I tightened them but a couple still unturned ever so slightly.

Perhaps I didn't tighten them enough since as pithaya9 suggested, I was using the micro screwdrivers. I'm afraid to put too much force tightening the screws for fear of breaking anything.

But yes, as of now, the tuners are holding and not unturning anymore. :D
 
aren't the white ones Schallers? I saw a picture of Schaller friction tuners and they look just like those on my Koaloha, except for the proprietary logo.
 
I personally haven't had any problems with the white versions myself. As it is about all I ever have to do is just tweak the tuning a hair whenever I pull either one out of the case.

I used a dime, I think, the last time I futzed with the big screw though because I didn't have any of your fancy screwdrivers handy...
 
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