New! Plus, Tuning Pegs?

therowdydog

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Hey everyone! I just got my very first ukulele this past Saturday and I am really excited about it.

I just got a cheap Hilo model to test the waters with. The guy at the store tuned it for me but he was having some trouble. He said that nylon strings tend to stretch and got it as in-tune as he could and sent it home with me. When I got home and pulled it out of the box it sounded AWFUL. I went out and bought a tuner and after fiddling with it for a while I noticed that the tuning pegs were not tight enough and were slipping, so the uke was immediately un-tuning itself.

I think these are what I have now. I feel like I had to tighten them a lot so they won't slip, but I'm kinda afraid of having them too tight. Plus it's harder to tune every time I pick it up (which I assume I'm having to do because of the strings stretching).

SO my question is: how much do tuning pegs matter and how do I pick the right ones? I am going to buy some new strings online anyway (I picked up some GHS strings today but I like them less than what my uke came with), so I don't mind getting some new pegs while I'm at it.

Just thought I would ask before I go spending my money. :)

Thanks!
 
It was only $32, so I am not too upset about it. I thought about returning it at first but now I am kind of attached to it ... ;)
 
The strings may takes some time (several days to a couple of weeks) to "settle." Until then, you'll be doing a lot of tuning.

If one of the strings seems to be slipping more than the others, tighten the little screw on the end of the knob just a little bit. You can tighten them quite a bit, but it's better to do a little at a time, so you don't make it too hard to turn them.

I am a tuning peg baby, and need to have geared tuners (please don't growl at me Howlin' Hobbit), but it probably wouldn't be worth the expense/effort to put geared tuners on a $32 ukulele.
 
... but it probably wouldn't be worth the expense/effort to put geared tuners on a $32 ukulele.

I agree. I know you're attached. By the time you pay for strings, tuners and shipping, You may as well have bought this.
 
When it comes to tightening those screws, I'd like to agree with everyone here that a little dab will do ya... or that's how it should be. If the only to keep the pegs from unwinding is to have it really really tight (friction tuners will feel tighter than geared anyway), you might just have to take it back in. The guy at that shop was right about nylon strings, they'll stretch a bit, but the tuners should work with you, not against you.

"Don't fight her!"

"I'm not, she's fighting me!"

- Airplane II
 
I've got similar tuners on a couple of mine, and I don't have any problems. Just tighten the tension screw (on the end of the button) to 'just enough' to hold 'em in place, plus maybe an 1/8th turn. Beyond that, a soft touch/nudge when you're tuning will help. As mentioned above, it will take a while for your strings to 'settle in' so you'll be retuning alot especially for the first few days.

Have fun!
 
Thanks guys.

I just ordered some new strings from MusicGuyMic, so I'll give it some more time to settle in once I've got them on. If I am still having some trouble with the tuning/pegs after that, I might return the uke. The store will apparently take it back as long as I have the receipt and it is still in "sellable" condition. Doesn't look like they really have a time frame. If I do end up returning it I'll probably go back to eBay and get another one from MGM.
 
Welcome Rowdy Dog!

Just talking from experience here. I bought a Hilo ukulele a few years ago as a first uke too. My personal opinion - if you can refund it I would. Put the money into an Ohana SK-10 instead. Or the Kala in the eBay link that deach posted above. The Hilo (at least the one I had) doesn't really have much quality - even as a starter uke and you'll just get frustrated trying to learn on it.
 
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