Friction tuner help?

So I've had my pono MS for about a week, and the friction tuners are driving me nuts! I know pono uses quality friction tuners, and they don't go out of tune very easiliy, but getting them right on pitch is maddening! The slightest touch can take it from just flat to a quarter tone sharp.

Any advice, or will I just have to get used to the micro fine sensitivity of these tuners?

Yeah, that was my experience with the friction tuners that came on my first uke. I wish I had a solution for you, but the only remedy I found was to switch to geared tuners on subsequent ukes.

On the bright side, you have a very well-made uke! I have a Pono MTD that I absolutely love.

Yeah this uke does sound amazing and has far better tone and projection than my kala longneck. Unfortunately since I am in a ukulele wasteland I can't really play any of the instruments I want unless I drive at least two hours. So it took me $300 to realize that the regular short scale sopranos are just too small for my preference. You'll probably see this one on the FS/FT page soon.

The best advice I've read about friction tuners was to "pinch" rather than "turn" them.

It sounds like you probably have them adjusted a bit too tight. You want friction tuners to be just tight enough to hold the pitch. Too tight and they become very touchy because it is difficult to move them in small increments.

Ralf also has a point - once you get close to pitch you don't so much turn the tuners as put a little pressure on the knob.

Finally, I don't have a problem with decent friction tuners, and in fact I hate high-ratio geared tuners especially when changing strings, but I have put UPT tuners on a couple of my ukes within the last two or three weeks. If you really can't get the hang of friction tuners I highly recommend that you look at the UPT tuners as an alternative. They are only 4:1 gear ratio (which is really all you need on a low-tension instrument like a uke) and are as light as friction tuners.

John

Thanks for the tips guys. I was thinking about changing them out, but they are very good quality tuners, and as I said I'm probably going to put this little guy on the trading block for a guilele or another uke.

Also remember it's generally easier to tune up to the right note than down, so if you're too sharp, drop it down a bit first then tune up again.

If you like the look of friction tuners, but want certainty of a 4:1 geared tuner which weighs no more...and maybe even less, check out www.ukeeku.com for Tim's evaluation of PEGHEDS. They are entirely made in the USA of USA material. The outer shaft is anodized aluminum, but the inner shaft and gears are high grade tool steel. You can see specifications-applications and prices on www.pegheds.net