friction tuners

uke142464

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so, I really like friction tuners and I dont know why. I think I just like the vintage ukulele look, and not having big elephant ears sticking out of your headstock. so, how hard would it be for me to install some into my kala spruce top tenor? has anyone else done this?
 
Some people may think that replacing geared tuners with friction tuners is like putting a Geo Metro engine in a Corvette, but it's all a matter of preference. ;)

It's not a terribly difficult job. The biggest issue is finding out the size of the hole you're working with. Not sure what kind of tuners are on the Kala, but I'm sure some Googling would get you the manufacturer and the width. Then look for some friction tuners that will fit. You might not need to drill it out at all. If the existing holes in the headstock are too big, you might have to put a sleeve around the new tuners (this would likely be included) to get them to stay in right.

Keep in mind that you'll still have screw holes in the back of the headstock after you change tuners. If this doesn't bother you, then go nuts. :D
 
I also love the look of friction tuners. It shouldn't be too hard, but you'll probably have to use the sleeve. Geared tuners are almost always bigger. As for finding the size of the hole, I reccomend using a gauge. It's like a little plastic sheet with labeled holes to help find the width of screws, drills bits, and stuff like that. I used one to gauge my Guitar tuners.
 
so, I really like friction tuners and I dont know why. I think I just like the vintage ukulele look, and not having big elephant ears sticking out of your headstock. so, how hard would it be for me to install some into my kala spruce top tenor? has anyone else done this?


If you like the looks of the knobs on the back of the headstock rather than the side you might consider banjo planetary tuners. They are geared, not the same ratio as guitar tuners, and they have the knobs on the back of the headstock. Sorta like the best of both worlds.

GotohCremeNickelFour
 
If you like the looks of the knobs on the back of the headstock rather than the side you might consider banjo planetary tuners. They are geared, not the same ratio as guitar tuners, and they have the knobs on the back of the headstock. Sorta like the best of both worlds.

GotohCremeNickelFour

Now those are sexy.
 
It's certainly a personal preference about the aesthetics of one's ukulele. I'm not fond of the "ears" of geared tuners either :)

It's not very complicated to change to friction tuners. I did it with my Lanikai that had geared tuners. You just have to measure the hole diameter and the head stock thickness. I bought my friction tuners off ebay from a seller that clearly stated the dimensions. Spend a little bit more and get some decent ones that have good bearing surfaces.

Installation is pretty easy. Just keep track of the parts and how they're assembled. You'll probably have holes to deal with from the geared tuner mounting plates on the back of your head stock. You could either leave them or get one of those moulding/trim fill crayons from a hardware store that matches your wood pretty closely.

It did take some getting used to friction pegs after using geared tuners but I don't regret the change.

Good luck!
 
Some people may think that replacing geared tuners with friction tuners is like putting a Geo Metro engine in a Corvette...

...and some may think replacing friction tuners with geared tuners is like putting training wheels on a Harley. :p

Actually, I have a uke coming my way (soonish) that has the best of both worlds. Pegheds.

(I think luthiers are using the violin size for ukes because I don't see any mention of ukulele size on their site.)
 
^^^ Mike DaSilva uses Peghed geared tuners for some of his ukes. I'd recommend those as well.
 
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...and some may think replacing friction tuners with geared tuners is like putting training wheels on a Harley. :p
Gee, I always thought of it more like replacing spotty Lucas electrics on an old Triumph Bonnie with a reliable modern wiring harness...
 
Does anyone know if the Pegheds or the Gotoh Tuners require any drilling? I'm not that familiar with building Ukes and I would be terrified to do anything like that.
 
It really depends on what kind of tuners are on there already. Each brand likes to use a different size, and the only way to know for sure if a replacement will require drilling is to compare the measurements of the tuners. Most reliable sites will tell you the size.
 
pegheads would be delicious on my uke. mmmmmhmm.

anyway here is my question.


Hypothetically, if i were to ask someone to make my uke have a slotted head, with pegheads in it, how much would that be, cost wise??
 
Hypothetically, if i were to ask someone to make my uke have a slotted head, with pegheads in it, how much would that be, cost wise??

Slotted heads are made for a different kind of tuner. If you used Pegheds it'd look sort of like the tuning head on the Flukes/Fleas, because the part the string winds around couldn't go into the wood (on the inside of the slots) like a violin's pegs do. You follow that?
 
Yeah, actually I did, lol. thats a first. So if I just wanted a slot head, what kind of tuners should I go for?
 
So if I just wanted a slot head, what kind of tuners should I go for?

I'd say a small version of the kind they put on classical guitars. Geared, but with the pegs sticking out the back (rather than the side) of the peghead and the "barrels" going all the way through the slots.
 
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