I have a ukulele with friction tuners that I absolutely dislike. Hard to turn and creaky. Wondering if there are other friction tuners that are much easier to turn and that I could swap out without having to ream them or take them to a professional. Guess I am looking for a better grade friction tuner. I was going to put in planetary ones but when I called the store they said they might have to plug the holes and re drill. I am trying to avoid that. Thanks for your help.
Types of friction tuners available?
- Thread starter CYN
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Gotoh's high end friction tuner, which used to be the standard on the Kiwaya Artist series (I think they now provide UPTs standard) are very good. When I've had them, I saw little need to switch to UPTs, they are smooth and accurate.
I'll second Ziret. The Gotohs are on the Kiwaya Eco series, too.
Grover 6s and 85s are quite good. They have silicone washers rather than cardboard or metal ones, and they hold well and can be adjusted easily. The 85s are a bit more gaudy than your basic frictions, but that can offer a different look.
Grover 6s and 85s are quite good. They have silicone washers rather than cardboard or metal ones, and they hold well and can be adjusted easily. The 85s are a bit more gaudy than your basic frictions, but that can offer a different look.
Handsome Gianni
Member
Before you make the decision to swap them out, you might want to try some Hill Peg Compound. It's used mainly for violin/viola/cello tuners but also works on any friction tuner. It lubricates and makes it smoother to turn but also provides enough friction to hold it in place. I worked at a shop where we worked on all kind of stringed instruments and had a lot of success with "resurrecting" troublesome tuners. Just a small amount on all mating surfaces. Apply and tighten as needed. A small tube runs about $10 and lasts a lifetime.
Jerryc41
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Jerryc41
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PetalumaRescuke
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Jerryc41
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Several people have offered KoAloha tuners here after swapping them for geared tuners. Maybe you can make an appeal in a separate thread. The KoAlohas are very good (and beautiful), and I have no intention of changing mine.
EDW
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I have heard that the Waverly pegs are really nice
https://www.elderly.com/collections/all/products/waverly-friction-uke-pegs-set-of-4-ivoroid-buttons
https://www.elderly.com/collections/all/products/waverly-friction-uke-pegs-set-of-4-ivoroid-buttons
glennerd
Well-known member
Yeah, if I could go back in time, I wouldn't have ordered my Opio with UPTs. They work superbly but for my tastes, they look a little chunky on my soprano.
I'm changing out the (mid-level?) Gotohs on my Ohana for Grover 6's, but they require a tiny bit of reaming so I'm letting a pro do it, while I get a bit of other work done. Maybe if I went for the high end Gotohs I could have just done a straight swap.
(edit: nope, they're slightly different)
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