Yamaha ukulele no.80

beeploop · Jul 9, 2011

just bought an old Yamaha ukulele no.80 probably 50's/60's model. solid spruce top, solid maple back and sides and neck. wooden tuning pegs.

but i encountered some problems using the wooden pegs. it's so hard to turn the pegs making it difficult to adjust and to stay it in tune. is it advisable to change the wooden pegs with modern friction or geared tuners? or keep the original for vintage look...

267424_249987511683559_100000169372855_1211339_2129541_n.jpg

peewee · Jul 9, 2011

Beeploop,

Looks very nice. Keep those wooden pegs. Nothing is lighter and nothing looks cleaner IMO.
You can buy peg dope (for violins) which is a mixture of maybe wax and chalk, or you can go the skinflint route like I did and clean the friction area with an alcohol swab if necessary, and apply some wax crayon of a matching color to the friction areas of the pegs. Tiny amounts, little by little. Your binding problems will be over. Too much and they get too slippery, so be judicious in application. Also always tune up to the note.
Pretty soon you'll be a wood peg snob like me

SuzukHammer · Jul 9, 2011

ye pirates and ye wooden pegs. aye!

beeploop · Jul 10, 2011

Thanks a lot for the advice guys. I'm gonna keep the wooden pegs

salukulady · Jul 10, 2011

beeploop said:
Thanks a lot for the advice guys. I'm gonna keep the wooden pegs

Good, those are beautiful.

ichadwick · Jul 10, 2011

Geared. Geared tuners are modern, efficient and great looking. Pegs are cute but inefficient affectations today.

hmgberg · Jul 10, 2011

I have violin pegs on one of my ukuleles. I have to pull the pegs out just a little to tighten them, and then push them back in to hold them in place. It's a pain, and I wonder about the stress on the neck, but it does work.

Pukulele Pete · Jul 10, 2011

ichadwick said:
Geared. Geared tuners are modern, efficient and great looking. Pegs are cute but inefficient affectations today.

I really hate seeing geared tuners on a soprano. There should be a law against it.

SailingUke · Jul 10, 2011

Peg heads tuners are the way to go, geared, but look traditional.
Keep your wooden pegs in case you ever want to sell it to a collector.
New Peg Heads won't require any hols to be drilled and are light weight like the pegs you have.

Yamaha ukulele no.80

beeploop

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peewee

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SuzukHammer

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beeploop

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salukulady

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ichadwick

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hmgberg

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Pukulele Pete

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SailingUke

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