Gotoh Planetary Tuners.....Second Thoughts

Yes, I'm having second thoughts about these. I'm sitting at my bench with a new set of Gotoh planetary tuners (in black) in front of me. Next to it is a crow which I am about to eat……

My initial impression is that these are superbly crafted and finished tuners. (These are nothing like the Gotohs I was using years ago. In fact, I've never seen any tuners quite like these.) Even the nuts and washers are nicely machined and polished; not that clunky hardware look I was expecting. And as expected there are no seam lines anywhere. I haven't had them on a scale but they are also lighter (and a bit smaller) than I had expected. I don't have them mounted on an uke yet but they seem to operate very smoothly, about the smoothest I've seen really. And personally, I neither need nor want a tuning ratio higher than 4:1. On a quality machine head that works well I think it is the perfect tuning ratio. The only possible downside is that it looks like I'll need a maximum of 7/16" headstock thickness before I start running out of post. I'm used to a head stock thickness on my tenors of between 1/2" and 17/32" but that's something I can work around. No special tools or reamers are needed for installation, simply a 3/8" hole. I'll be trying these tuners out soon on an upcoming build and I'll have a better feel for them then. Right now though, these tuners and my ukuleles seem like a good match.
Now, anyone know of any good crow recipes? Maybe it's time to become a vegetarian…..

Are these the same Gotoh planetary tuners David Newton pictured here?
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?75330-new-Gotoh-4-1-planetary-tuners-nice!&highlight=Gotoh+Planetary+Tuners

I like them in black. They will not fit all of my applications but I do feel they definitely have their place.

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:

I like them in black. They will not fit all of my applications but I do feel they definitely have their place.

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You just increased the sales of these tuners!! You're like EF Hutton...when Chuck Moore talks, people listen

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:

Now, anyone know of any good crow recipes? Maybe it's time to become a vegetarian…..

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This recipe looks delicious...

Heh, heh. Seriously, I may have to give these tuners a look. I really like friction tuners on my sopranos but I sure would like to get rid of the "ears" on my baritones....

John

thanks Chuck. this made my day. still cant stand the pEGHED lol.

I'm glad to see such a positive initial review on these tuners, Chuck. I have been wanting these, but have been leery due to opposition from folks more knowledgable than I. I have never warmed up to friction tuners in a 1:1 ratio, and don't like the looks of "earred" tuners on sopranos and concerts....

Just know that these may not fit every head stock. If yours is even a breath over 1/2" in thickness you could have trouble. Measure first and accurately!

I like the thinner headstock, to me it just looks better. With the addition of a head plate, strength is never a problem either. If some folks wanted to add these tuners to their uke but the head is too thick, they can always recess the gear box into the back of the headstock. This would be a drastic measure, but it does work fine.

nongdam said:

You just increased the sales of these tuners!! You're like EF Hutton...when Chuck Moore talks, people listen

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Don't get me wrong, I like all the tuners I use. Otherwise I wouldn't use them. They are all good depending upon the specific application. I've just added these to the list of the good ones. (And believe me, they aren't all good!)

BlackBearUkes said:

I like the thinner headstock, to me it just looks better. With the addition of a head plate, strength is never a problem either. If some folks wanted to add these tuners to their uke but the head is too thick, they can always recess the gear box into the back of the headstock. This would be a drastic measure, but it does work fine.

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Hah! We're thinking alike Duane. That was the idea I had when I said I could work around the thickness. I tried it on a piece of scrap. I like the lower profile.

BlackBearUkes said:

I like the thinner headstock, to me it just looks better.

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On smaller ukes I like a thinner headstock. On tenors I prefer something proportionally thicker. Half inch is minimum for me.

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:

Hah! We're thinking alike Duane. That was the idea I had when I said I could work around the thickness. I tried it on a piece of scrap. I like the lower profile.

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I was thinking about that, too - and I agree, the lower profile looks nice. Thanks for checking that out!

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:

Just know that these may not fit every head stock. If yours is even a breath over 1/2" in thickness you could have trouble. Measure first and accurately!

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Don't they have a long version for head stocks up to 13.5mm thick?

nbattaglia said:

Don't they have a long version for head stocks up to 13.5mm thick?

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That would be nice, I hadn't looked into that. Thanks for the 411.

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:

That would be nice, I hadn't looked into that. Thanks for the 411.

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Yes, model numbers with L at the end

What's the weight like, compared with geared and friction tuners? Would they overbalance a soprano?

Skrik said:

Would they overbalance a soprano?

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No.

I just wanted to say that I applaud you Chuck for giving these a closer look. The all black is quite sleek. Sticking to a conclusion based on what you previously stated is never solid reasoning.

It's nice to see that the quality of your work is also reflected in your character.

AndrewKuker said:

Yes, model numbers with L at the end

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Yes, the measurements are in metric but UPT is for 10-12mm and UPTL is for 11.5-13.5mm. Google's convert tool (which is very handy) doesn't do fractions, but it ends up being 0.39-0.47" for the UPT and 0.45-0.53" for the UPTL.

Here's the diagram: http://japarts.ca/Content/News/unsized/UPT-Diagram.gif

EDIT: I should probably also mention that there is no difference in price between UPT and UPTL.

I am a vegetarian, but I couldn't resist having a look if people actually do eat crow and found these recipes.

As for the tuners, I usually avoid friction tuners (too much hassle from fiddles and ouds to consider them) but I am guessing that these tuners are a kind of hybrid between guitar style geared tuners and friction tuners, aren't they?