angusdegraosta
Well-known member
Soprano (and Concert) Players - Poll About Friction and Geared Tuners
I have never seen a ukulele with friction tuners up close and personal. The music stores on Long Island carry all the usual brands in all the usual sizes, which means I don't see any friction tuners, and not too many solid wood instruments or sopranos. I haven't been to every store in the area - that would be tough. If you know of a good store, I'd be glad to take a ride.
But generally, from what I've seen, the sopranos that are available are 70 bucks or less, the intonation is off (a little or a lot), and they all have geared tuners. I picked up a Makala Dolphin myself, which is a dream for $35 compared to even some of the more expensive ones in some of these stores. I switched the strings to Aquila and am happy to play it every day, even though the intonation is off.
What I am noticing: the headstock is heavy. I don't even know what a lighter headstock would feel like. So I'm going to post this as a poll for soprano enthusiasts who have tried both types of tuners. Concert players with friction tuner experience are also welcome to share. I figure many tenor users don't care one way or another, because the majority use geared, but if you have thoughts, experience, or even a tenor with friction tuners, go ahead and share. Tenors necks are really an awesome thing, but I'm digging the littler sizes right now for some reason.
When playing a soprano or concert ukulele, what is more important to you?
- the lightness/weight balance of well-functioning friction tuners
- the convenience and accuracy of well-functioning geared tuners
- no preference/both are fine once you get used to them
Assuming you have a preference, here are more questions...
Do friction tuners make the headstock of a soprano so light that it practically defies gravity compared to geared tuners?
Are friction tuners difficult to tune on the fly in public, even after a little practice?
Do you use friction tuners on a concert and love it? Is the size of the body on a concert big enough so that gears are just AOK?
Are geared tuners really more "accurate"?
And last, am I asking too many questions? Probably... but more important, am I missing anything? I know planetary tuners are a gift from heaven, but $$$.
I am going to get a good instrument most likely in the near future, either a soprano or a concert. Maybe down the road I'll collect the whole set of sizes. (Love picking up the baritones too; the mellow sound is cool.) Right now I'm just really curious about friction tuners, especially good ones, because as I say, they're just not mass market material around these parts... and neither are sopranos.
I voted no preference to be neutral, by the way...
I have never seen a ukulele with friction tuners up close and personal. The music stores on Long Island carry all the usual brands in all the usual sizes, which means I don't see any friction tuners, and not too many solid wood instruments or sopranos. I haven't been to every store in the area - that would be tough. If you know of a good store, I'd be glad to take a ride.
But generally, from what I've seen, the sopranos that are available are 70 bucks or less, the intonation is off (a little or a lot), and they all have geared tuners. I picked up a Makala Dolphin myself, which is a dream for $35 compared to even some of the more expensive ones in some of these stores. I switched the strings to Aquila and am happy to play it every day, even though the intonation is off.
What I am noticing: the headstock is heavy. I don't even know what a lighter headstock would feel like. So I'm going to post this as a poll for soprano enthusiasts who have tried both types of tuners. Concert players with friction tuner experience are also welcome to share. I figure many tenor users don't care one way or another, because the majority use geared, but if you have thoughts, experience, or even a tenor with friction tuners, go ahead and share. Tenors necks are really an awesome thing, but I'm digging the littler sizes right now for some reason.
When playing a soprano or concert ukulele, what is more important to you?
- the lightness/weight balance of well-functioning friction tuners
- the convenience and accuracy of well-functioning geared tuners
- no preference/both are fine once you get used to them
Assuming you have a preference, here are more questions...
Do friction tuners make the headstock of a soprano so light that it practically defies gravity compared to geared tuners?
Are friction tuners difficult to tune on the fly in public, even after a little practice?
Do you use friction tuners on a concert and love it? Is the size of the body on a concert big enough so that gears are just AOK?
Are geared tuners really more "accurate"?
And last, am I asking too many questions? Probably... but more important, am I missing anything? I know planetary tuners are a gift from heaven, but $$$.
I am going to get a good instrument most likely in the near future, either a soprano or a concert. Maybe down the road I'll collect the whole set of sizes. (Love picking up the baritones too; the mellow sound is cool.) Right now I'm just really curious about friction tuners, especially good ones, because as I say, they're just not mass market material around these parts... and neither are sopranos.
I voted no preference to be neutral, by the way...
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