Friction Tuners - seriously; why?

SamWise

SamWise

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Is it just tradition? I've now played ukes from £30 to £200 or so with friction tuners, and all have the same problems to some extent - you're always walking the line between slippage and the peg being so tight that it won't move smoothly. On top of that, the direct drive makes fine tuning really really hard. Geared tuners work great and have no downsides that I'm aware of, so why all the friction tuners?
 
SamWise said:
Is it just tradition? I've now played ukes from £30 to £200 or so with friction tuners, and all have the same problems to some extent - you're always walking the line between slippage and the peg being so tight that it won't move smoothly. On top of that, the direct drive makes fine tuning really really hard. Geared tuners work great and have no downsides that I'm aware of, so why all the friction tuners?
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I agree with everything said here. I would never buy a uke with friction tuners. Tradition can kiss my ass.
 
Tradition, preference, and weight.

Geared tuners totally weigh down your headstock, and no one wants a top heavy uke.

Plus, in my opinion, they makes sopranos look stupid, just like tie bar bridges on a soprano, which is why I'll never buy a Kala/Lanikai soprano.
 
The way I understand it, friction tuners and the ability to use them correctly and accurately is not only a necessary rite of passage for every ukulelist, it also brings you as close to the Holy Grail as any ukulele-related activity can. By performing the right moves and making your friction-pegged uke sing, your fingers will start to glow a faint pink and they will start running over the fretboard like Usain Bolt over the finish line.

Not to mention they are the coolest thing since sliced bread and clip-on sunglasses.
 
I've only got concerts and tenors here with geared tuners, but I'm not finding balance or weight a problem with them. Then again, my first instrument was my Dad's pre CBS Fender Jazz Bass; everything has seemed light as a feather since that.......
 
Looking around other boards, I now see that I might have hit on a bit of a sore point. My apologies - this wasn't intended as flamebait.
 
SinisterDom said:
Tradition, preference, and weight.

Geared tuners totally weigh down your headstock, and no one wants a top heavy uke.

Plus, in my opinion, they makes sopranos look stupid, just like tie bar bridges on a soprano, which is why I'll never buy a Kala/Lanikai soprano.
Click to expand...

That used to be the case but now you can get the geared peg heads that look like the original wooden pegs, work great and are light as a feather. The pic shows pegheads I installed on Hobbit's soprano.
hh_sop_2.JPG


They are a little pricey at $80/set but they are well worth it if installed on a decent instrument. Probably wouldn't want them on a intonation deprived Hilo ;).
 
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In my experience, by slipping repeatedly out of tune.
 
Having just bought a Bruko soprano, my first instrument with friction tuners, I have no complaints with them at all. They hold tune well, take very little getting used to. I don't get what all the fuss is about, for an instrument like a uke they seem fine to me.
 
You have your purists and your practicalists<--(not sure if thats a word but you get my point) and never shall the two meet!!!!

I like the little ears on my Soprano's they make it way eaiser to adjust when going from the sunshine to the basment and I have them both ways.
And then there is the Flea.....

If you want to hear bitching about friction tuners talk to a (new) fiddle player!!!!!
 
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I don't mind them that much. The ones that come standard on quality sopranos are a lot better than the no-name ones that render souvenir ukes unplayable. After playing violin for 12 years and struggling with the awful traditional wooden pegs, I've learned to appreciate the Schallers and Gotohs a lot more. There's definitely a learning curve, though.
 
I like em a lot.

I have some on my concert Kamaka. I find it never going out of tune (well at least not any quicker then my other ukes!) and I think the friction tuners are easier to tune up the way you want because they are so sensitive.

They also look better. :D
 
i prefer geared tuners, for tuning purposes. but friction tuners arent that much of a prob to me. ive found that by using a lever of some sort, i can make fine adjustments. yah it requires an extra tool. but either way works for me. aesthetically speaking though, i still prefer the mickey mouse ears of the geared tuners.
 
deach said:
They don't but you said -



So you wouldn't buy a Kala because of the looks?
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Oh, well no lol. So yeah I guess you're right, I do sometimes choose looks over sound. I just don't think sopranos look right with geared tuners. :?
 
I think the use of friction tuners has more to do with tradition/looks than anything else. There are people who thinks ukes look bad with "ears". Some builders, such as Dave Means of Glyph Ukulele, would not build a uke with ears sticking out (he does do slotted headstock where the pegs point backwards) because of personal preference.

I personally much prefer geared tuners since they make it easier to tune the uke, and I have no issues with "ears" on a uke. I think the head-heaviness of geared tuners is overrated. I have a couple of super-sopranos with geared tuners with no issues with head-heaviness. However, the KoAloha Pineapple Sunday, which is a super-concert, does have a very obvious weight bias toward the headstock.
 
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