Ohana geared tuners?

iDavid

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I recent got a Zebra Soprano uke and it sounds great, build is perfect, set-up outstanding and the service I from Ukulele Republic was FANTASTIC!

However, I do not dig the friction turners. They seem like good quality, but I just don't like the one to one ratio.

I am serioulsy lookinvg at a Ohana concert with geared tuners. They seem to look a little odd and large. I am wonder how the quality and weight is.

thoughts?

david
 
After looking at the Ohana site, it looks like they use 4 different tuners on the concerts: Friction, open geared, and two styles of closed geared, depending on the model.
I just got a tenor and it seems to have the largest tuners that they use. They are very smooth and precise and are not at all heavy. Hopes this helps.
 
No, mine are the round ones. I have two other ukes (Applause not Ohanas) with the square ones and those have worked just as well. My soprano gets hauled around quite a bit and the tuners have never been an issue. I'm assuming that the new Applause and the Ohanas probably use the same tuners as both are made in China. Older Applause ukes (like mine) were Korean. Ohana's website lists the open ones as "geared tuners", the square ones as "precision geared tuners" and the round as "premium geared tuners". For what that's worth.
My new Ohana (TK 75 CG) has really large knobs like you might find on guitar tuners. The concerts in the same model are smaller. I doubt you'd notice the weight on any of them.
 
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My altered Zebrawood Ohana, with geared tuners. The nice people at Ohana, Louis Wu and Danny, installed these geared tuners at their warehouse in Long Beach CA. So, they do have geared tuners that will fit the Zebrawood Soprano. You might contact them and see if they can sell you the tuners, or tell you what size to buy.

–Lori
 

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I recent got a Zebra Soprano uke and it sounds great, build is perfect, set-up outstanding and the service I from Ukulele Republic was FANTASTIC!

However, I do not dig the friction turners. They seem like good quality, but I just don't like the one to one ratio.


david

I hear you on the friction tuners. I whined a great deal about mine at first. I do prefer geared, and my Mainlands are geared. I actually--gasp--have gotten used to the frictions. Once the strings settled in and I learned how to tune-UP (or UP tune), while it takes me longer, they really haven't bugged me nearly as much as they used too. I still prefer the geared (both my Mainlands have geared) I have gotten sufficiently used to the tuners on the Ohana SK21 to have ordered an SK35.

To speak to your question, if MGM sells the concert with geared tuners, then they are good quality tuners. He doesn't sell junk.

Take it from the biggest, kvetcher on Earth--you can get used to the friction tuners. But you're still allowed to hate them.;)
 
My altered Zebrawood Ohana, with geared tuners. The nice people at Ohana, Louis Wu and Danny, installed these geared tuners at their warehouse in Long Beach CA. So, they do have geared tuners that will fit the Zebrawood Soprano. You might contact them and see if they can sell you the tuners, or tell you what size to buy.

–Lori
SO EXCITING! I will contact them today!
Can you post a picture of the back?

So, you didn't have to drill?

COOL
 
I remember when Louis told me that more of their ukuleles would be available with geared tuners. To me, that was a very positive bit of news. Friction tuners drive a lot of people crazy. I have ukes with both, but geared tuners are easier.
 
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