Gotoh vs. Koaloha Friction Tuners

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KaminTheWeaver

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Hello, all!

I am preparing to buy a Koaloha Opio Acacia Soprano, and am considering upgrading to Gotoh geared tuners. I've heard good things about the Koaloha friction tuners, but have also heard that friction tuners in general should be avoided.

Can anyone who owns an Opio with friction tuners share their experience? Also, any general wisdom regarding the question of whether or not it is worth the extra $$$ to upgrade to Gotoh tuners is appreciated.

Thanks!
 
The Koaloha's work perfectly; best friction tuners I have ever used.

How much do the Gotohs weigh?
If it adds even a smidge of weight to the headstock, I probably wouldn't do it.

The Koaloha's are so incredibly light weight and perfectly balanced, it would be a pity to mess with that. They even use friction tuners on the concert models too, unlike a lot of other brands, because of the weight.

Bad friction tuners are bad; good friction tuners are a joy to use. :)
 
Both are about as good as friction tuners get. I would consider neither an upgrade over the other. I agree with Camsuke. I replaced my KoAloha friction tuners with the UPTs and consider it a great improvement in performance. Notice no difference in weight or balance.
 
I replaced 2 KoAloha's friction tuners with the Gotoh UPT. I did not feel any interference with the balance. The original friction tuners are fine but the Gotoh UPTs are a HUGE improvement over the friction tuners. UPTs just make tuning a joy.
 
I thought I disliked friction tuners completely, but that was before I got a KoAloha Opio. I thought I would surely want to replace the tuners w/Gotoh UPTs, but I really don't feel the need to. I do like the UPTs on my Famous soprano a lot; and if money, time and skill were no object I might replace the KoAloha tuners. But I definitely do not feel the NEED to replace them, which is a pleasant surprise. And I like the unique color of them and the KoAloha etching.

I think of myself as an advanced beginner-intermediate player. I have not played lots of ukes w/friction tuners. My advice would be to give the KoAlohas a try before replacing them. You might find that they're plenty good enough for you.

G'luck.
 
Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of friction tuners. I replaced the friction tuners on my National Resonator with Gotoh UPTs. I have Peghed tuners on my Magic Fluke instruments, and my custom-built Donaldson. The only instruments I have that came with friction tuners that haven't been changed are the Harmony my later father-in-law gave me, my 1920s Stella banjo uke, and my Ken Timms soprano Martin SO reproduction. I have a set of Gotohs for the Timms, but not sure about changing them - the Timms is the only uke I have ever had with friction tuners that I have no problems with, once I get it tuned; the others are constantly changing. (and I've replaced the cracked buttons on the Harmony with identical, not cracked, and still can't get it to stay in tune longer than about 20 minutes....).

Basically, what I am saying is, try the Opio with the friction tuners for a while, and see what **you** think. If you are not 100% satisfied, change the tuners. Including installation, it should cost less than $125. (On my National, the local shop charged me $25 to install, and I had purchased the tuners from HMS). If it is a case of purchase with one or the other, then yeah. go for the Gotoh tuners. You will not be disappointed, and you won't have the future expense.

Good luck, have fun, and remember that whatever decision you make, it will be the right decision. You can always change your mind later.

-Kurt​
 
Sure, you can get most friction tuners to work properly. But it will always take more time and skill to get them to hold tune, to re-tune etc. I'd never buy another uke with friction tuners, but have them exchange for Gotoh UPT right away. Personally, I wouldn't want to install them myself, as there is some reaming involved. Have HMS do it for you for a minimal upcharge that is well worth the money.
 
friction tuner fan

I read the friction vs. gear tuner debate when I started playing ukulele. My first uke that was given to me came with friction tuners. My second was a KoAloha and it came with friction tuners. They both stay in tune and are easy for me since I am used to friction tuners. Since then I've acquired a few more ukes. Only one has gear tuners the Mainland. I am so used to fine tuning friction tuners that with the Mainland I forget it requires more turns to get precise. At this point I prefer friction tuners because they look better and they are lightweight. The balance in the instrument matters to me a lot. I find a heavy neck big distraction in my comfort. In fact I switched out gear tuners on the Kala Travel to friction.

KoAloha's stay in tune. They are perfectly balanced. Maybe UPT's are a huge improvement for some but I'm not needing improvement. I do know they add a tad of weight, and I think they look bulkier. I wouldn't risk that on a perfectly balanced Koaloha. Personally I really don't understand the problem with friction tuners. If they are good they keep the instrument in tune. if you start with friction tuners that's what you learn to use and it shouldn't be a problem. That's my opinion. Oh and yes I also owned a Koaloha Opio for a while.
 
I’ve had the Opio and KoAloha sopranos and both stayed in tune so well I rarely had to tune them. I mean like weeks, and I play daily and check them before I play. I wouldn’t upgrade, or at least I would try the frictions to see if you like them before dropping the cash on Gotoh. Plus, I really like the way the originals looks.
 
Stock Koaloha friction pegs are about as good as they get. They are either Grover 4's or modelled on them (copies) - but they blow the myth that friction pegs are difficult or 'sticky' out of the water. They dont need any specific skills to use them, and they turn like butter and hold brilliantly (much like Grover 4's).

Gotoh UPTs are a different beast, but a beast I also love. I don't get quite so enamoured by them as others, as I genuinely don't have an issue with friction pegs when they are GOOD friction pegs (like Koaloha's are). But each to their own.
 
I have a longneck Opio soprano - when it arrived it had friction tuners and I used these for a while as I took the Opio on one of my trips. These friction tuners are about as good as it gets, BUT they are friction and I prefer planetary tuners. So I replaced them with the Gotoh - in this case uptl as the headstock was a tad too thick for the upt tuners. So now I have the Gotoh, white chrome with amber buttons. I listed the original friction tuners for sale and had almost no interest. The improvement is perfect for my playing tastes. The reamer I purchased from Amazon and also is perfect for installation.
 
frianm said:
I have a longneck Opio soprano - when it arrived it had friction tuners and I used these for a while as I took the Opio on one of my trips. These friction tuners are about as good as it gets, BUT they are friction and I prefer planetary tuners. So I replaced them with the Gotoh - in this case uptl as the headstock was a tad too thick for the upt tuners. So now I have the Gotoh, white chrome with amber buttons. I listed the original friction tuners for sale and had almost no interest. The improvement is perfect for my playing tastes. The reamer I

purchased from Amazon and also is perfect for installation.
Click to expand...
I would love to know which reamer you bought from amazon...
 
I'd go with the UPT. I have ukes with both UPT and Koaloha friction, I like the UPT best. We have wild humidity changes here in the Florida panhandle which causes the headstock to swell/shrink in thickness so you have to frequently adjust the screw tension using friction, not so with UPT. Depending on the cost of the uke,I thinkthey are worth the extra $80 .
 
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Thanks, everyone! I am going to try it out with the friction tuners and then make the switch if I think it's necessary.
 
KaminTheWeaver said:
Thanks, everyone! I am going to try it out with the friction tuners and then make the switch if I think it's necessary.
Click to expand...
Good strategy! I tried the same strategy with a new Timms soprano I recently bought. After a couple of months, I decided to have a local luthier install Gotoh UPTs. I couln’t be happier. To each his own, but for me the UPTs are vastly superior.
 
I just swapped out my friction tuners for the Gotoh's - couldn't be happier! Finally, I can fine tune this uke and it stays in tune. I ended up doing the installation myself, which I was quite nervous about, but fortunately there is some tolerance there, where you don't have to be absolutely perfect with the reaming. In fact, the original tuners look like they were slapped in there without a great deal of care.
 
Wingnutz said:
I just swapped out my friction tuners for the Gotoh's - couldn't be happier! Finally, I can fine tune this uke and it stays in tune. I ended up doing the installation myself, which I was quite nervous about, but fortunately there is some tolerance there, where you don't have to be absolutely perfect with the reaming. In fact, the original tuners look like they were slapped in there without a great deal of care.
Click to expand...

Well done Laurence, the Gotohs are awesome. That's the funny thing about doing your own installations, whether it's tuning machines or pickups or whatever else the first couple are the hardest :D after that it's not quite as daunting.
 
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