New Tuners for T1K

I want to put new friction tuners on my Martin T1K. I am looking at Waverly and Grover pegs and leaning towards the Waverlys. They are $55 at StewMac and the Grovers are about $30. Also, I looked into the Graphtech ratio tuners for about $28 (I am worried about two extra holes in the Peghead). I will probably get the Waverly tuners unless someone can convince me otherwise. Please help. Thanks.

For just a few extra $$'s, you could get Gotoh UPT planetery tuners that work much better.

I have heard lots of raves for the Waverlys

Of those 2, I'd prefer the Waverlies, but they are trickier to install than most frictions, requiring a precise cone shaped hole on the back. If paying for a pro install, that's not an issue. I too would prefer UPTs over either, cost is similar to W, and easy to self-install.

Have you looked at Peghed planetary tuners? They look a lot like friction tuners but have internal gears. Martin equipped their 1T I Z commemorative tenors with these tuners.

After 10 years with friction tuners on my LoPrinzi soprano, I finally pulled the trigger on Gotoh Planetary tuners. The tuners are a bit hard to get, especially if you want a specific look. My uke is walnut with black bindings so I wanted the black tuners with black oval buttons. The easiest to find are the white. You can order direct from Gotoh but that will take longer and with shipping, it’s probably the most expensive option. I don’t usually buy from eBay but I saw “Lucy’s store” was highly recommended (think she has a presence on Reverb too) and she had the exact ones I wanted. They were $71 +4 ship. They shipped out immediately and are scheduled to arrive 1/3-6. I’m gonna have them installed by a local luthier. I can’t wait! I play a lot outside and find lately that my tuners slip in certain weather conditions (even with the screw pretty darn tight). I think the problem has exacerbated because of the higher tension created by fifths tuning. I think planetary tuners will give me easier and more stable tuning (at least that’s the plan).

Mike $ said:

I have thought long and hard about that. I would love planetary tuners. These weigh twice the weight of the Waverlys though, and they would suck up all of my $75 budget when you add in $4.20 USPS first class shipping, leaving me without a new set of low-G strings, and I need that low G. The high G that came with my uke isn't cutting it.

Do you have a preference between the ones I mentioned in the OP?

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I just got a set from Pohaku for $74 delivered.

Ukecaster said:

Gotoh UPTL tuners on my T1K, a nice upgrade IMO

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Yes, they make tuning much easier.

Mike $ said:

The post woman delivered my Gotoh planetary tuners. I was surprised that they didn't fit in peghead right off the bat, but was relieved to find that in the bottom of one of my toolboxes was an Ace no. 120 Repairman's Reamer (1/8-1/2" dia). I don't remember ever using it before, but it sure did work fine. I swapped all four out in about an hour and restrung the Uke with the existing 3 strings and an Aquilla Red that I bought for Low G tuning. It sure sounds great now and even more so because I'm not asking myself "when will those dang tuners arrive?"

Thanks for all of your suggestions

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Good result! I was confused by your use of the term "peghead." The tuners go into holes in the headstock. "PegHed" is a brand of geared tuners.

Mike $ said:

It's not my use of the term, it's a very common usage of this term. If you take the word and separate it you can glean what a peghead is. Peg is another name for "tuner". The word was usurped by one company, but people who have been playing a while will know better. Maybe you started playing music after the Peghead tuners were invented. Long before that the term peghead meant (and still means) something other than a product of one company. Here's the online definition: "peghead (plural pegheads) (music) The part of a stringed instrument, at the end of the neck, that holds the pegs or mechanical tuners used to control string tension.

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Thanks. I learn something here every day.

They really didn't usurp the word peghead, as the actual spelling of the product is Peghed