Small Ukulele Tuner pegs?

UkeyLukey

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I'm building a very small ukulele, (it is only 13 inches long), and need to find some tuner pegs that will fit on my headstock. Regular sized soprano gear tuners are just a bit too big. I'm open to both purchasing ideas and building ideas. Any suggestions?
 
I've made two very small ukes (11.6" scale and 7.5" scale). I used friction tuners. Here is what I have learned:
1) If you scale the headstock down so that it looks right then it becomes a very tight fit for the tuners (you've already figured that out).
2) For me the E7 chord form is the toughest - my hand hits the A peg on that chord.
3) Make a mock headstock out of plywood with about the first three frets of a fake neck. Try your actual tuners on that to make sure everything fits and you can make chords without your hand hitting the pegs.
4) I have cheated the tuner pattern a bit off of center to make things work.
5) I have also filed down knobs to make them smaller so they clear each other and your hand. Work up to 3000 grit sandpaper to make the knobs shiny after you file and sand them.





Note that the pegs on the smallest uke are in a pattern that is off center. On the second-smallest uke they are moved out towards the far end, but pretty much centered. This is all purposeful and was tested on a false headstock/neck. And everything barely fits.
 
Consider friction tuners.
 
Gotoh Stealth Tuners, very small but elegant and does the job.........
 

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I used 1/16 violin pegs on these, which have a 7 inch scale. The pegs don't get in the way, but they're still barely playable. BTW, never go smaller than 1 inch nut width - I speak as one who knows.


IMAG0316 by profchrisreed, on Flickr

IMAG0320 by profchrisreed, on Flickr
 
I used 1/16 violin pegs on these, which have a 7 inch scale. The pegs don't get in the way, but they're still barely playable. BTW, never go smaller than 1 inch nut width - I speak as one who knows.

My smallest uke was inspired by the professor. I used a 7.5" scale because that was the smallest size I could make work on the fake headstock and fretboard. Smaller than that caused the E7 chord form to be unplayable for me. My neck is just over 1". So I encourage you to mock it up on plywood if it s not too late.
 
Zither Pins

Zither pins are a compact alternative to tuners. I've used them on several instruments. They hold a tune well and don't take up much space. An added bonus is that you get to make a zither pin tuning tool to match your new ukulele.

-Mark
 
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