I've replaced the tuners on all my ukes, to either Gotohs or GraphTech, and the process really makes you feel like the uke is yours. I bought an inexpensive luthier's reamer, which makes forming cylindrical holes of consistent diameter both quick and easy. I also use a fill stick to cover old screw holes. The variety of color and shape of the Gotoh buttons give you lots of options to make an instrument your own.
The only two suggestions I would make on your project: 1) They sell a hand reamer which is probably a better tool for making a tuner hole a little larger. 2) New Kamakas come with Gotoh UPT tuners, so it probably would be more in line with the value and current history of the instrument to install those rather than the Graphtech tuners. I have a couple of ukuleles with the Graphtech, and they are great…but the UPTs look better. They also cost more, and the best price on Gotoh UPTs I have found are at The Ukulele Site.
Thanks for the tips! I actually bought a set of the Gotoh tuners that I'm planning to use on my Grandmother's old Martin. I bought these a while ago and wanted to use them. The Graph Techs are about a third of the cost - not that it's a major factor, but I already had these and think they'll be great.
I like Music Nomad Guitar Wax on my uke. It seems to preserve wood, and remove smudging, fingerprints, paint scuffing, and other things that adhere to the finish. It also seems to make scratches and dings less visible. I have never had it harm an instrument. The only downsides I find are that some matte finishes become less matte. Also, it makes it somewhat smooth or slick. So it may make it a little more difficult to hold on place. But I prefer the clean and smooth feel. Whenever changing tuning pegs I always look at that as an opportunity to wax and clean the head more effectively than when the pegs are installed.
When I want a very light geared tuner I go with pegheds. They were created for the violin family and resemble carved violin tuning pegs. They are very light, I would imagine in the vicinity but lighter than the graphtechs. But they have a much cleaner look. I have always been put off by the look of the graphtechs and would probably only use them on an inexpensive laminate instrument that I want to play, that has friction tuners. Especially a soprano or concert because weight matters most on them. But lightening the headstock of a tenor never goes amiss!
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I've replaced the tuners on all my ukes, to either Gotohs or GraphTech, and the process really makes you feel like the uke is yours. I bought an inexpensive luthier's reamer, which makes forming cylindrical holes of consistent diameter both quick and easy. I also use a fill stick to cover old screw holes. The variety of color and shape of the Gotoh buttons give you lots of options to make an instrument your own.
The only two suggestions I would make on your project:
1) They sell a hand reamer which is probably a better tool for making a tuner hole a little larger.
2) New Kamakas come with Gotoh UPT tuners, so it probably would be more in line with the value and current history of the instrument to install those rather than the Graphtech tuners. I have a couple of ukuleles with the Graphtech, and they are great…but the UPTs look better. They also cost more, and the best price on Gotoh UPTs I have found are at The Ukulele Site.
Thanks for the tips! I actually bought a set of the Gotoh tuners that I'm planning to use on my Grandmother's old Martin. I bought these a while ago and wanted to use them. The Graph Techs are about a third of the cost - not that it's a major factor, but I already had these and think they'll be great.
I like Music Nomad Guitar Wax on my uke. It seems to preserve wood, and remove smudging, fingerprints, paint scuffing, and other things that adhere to the finish. It also seems to make scratches and dings less visible. I have never had it harm an instrument.
The only downsides I find are that some matte finishes become less matte. Also, it makes it somewhat smooth or slick. So it may make it a little more difficult to hold on place. But I prefer the clean and smooth feel.
Whenever changing tuning pegs I always look at that as an opportunity to wax and clean the head more effectively than when the pegs are installed.
Great tips and advice. Thank you for sharing!
When I want a very light geared tuner I go with pegheds. They were created for the violin family and resemble carved violin tuning pegs. They are very light, I would imagine in the vicinity but lighter than the graphtechs. But they have a much cleaner look. I have always been put off by the look of the graphtechs and would probably only use them on an inexpensive laminate instrument that I want to play, that has friction tuners. Especially a soprano or concert because weight matters most on them. But lightening the headstock of a tenor never goes amiss!
What I was calling Bezels or Sleeves, are more commonly called BUSHINGS.
Link to this product: graphtech.com/collections/all/products/ratio-tune-a-lele-machine-heads-pru-4004-bk