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Thread: Recent Golden Age Tuners

  1. #1

    Default Recent Golden Age Tuners

    Have any builders used the Golden Age tuners from Stew Mac in the last twelve months? I have read as many golden age threads as I can find, but they all seem to be from a couple of years ago. Stew Mac's ad language indicates re-engineering at some time. I really like the look, but am concerned as to performance. I'd specifically like to hear from builders who have had good or bad experiences in the last year. Thanks in advance.

  2. #2
    Registered User sunburst's Avatar
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    I too have read some bad reviews, but I've used GA tuners off and on for several years and each set has performed well.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    Thanks John.

  4. #4
    Adrian Minarovic
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    I still have few sets left from my order from 5-6 years ago and all the sets I used so far worked well, the sets in my closet seem to turn well OK as well (those threads about GA being faulty made me have a look).
    Adrian

  5. #5

    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    Thanks Adrian.

  6. #6
    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    My dad just gave me back a set I gave him a few months ago the A style black button Arrowheads and well one gear stripped right out when tuning it up on the mando! So I don't know if I should contact them or not? I've had good luck as he has putting them on using the F-5 style?
    "he just told me he only used 1 screw in the middle so that may have had something to do with it?"

  7. #7
    Teacher, repair person
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    I have used their restoration tuners recently with no problems. They should be lubricated before installation [and correctly installed]. This will reduce the possibility of any problems.
    If you do get a faulty set, call Stew-mac and they will take care of it. Their customer service is excellent.

  8. #8
    Registered User Glassweb's Avatar
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    Quote Originally Posted by rcc56 View Post
    I have used their restoration tuners recently with no problems. They should be lubricated before installation [and correctly installed]. This will reduce the possibility of any problems.
    If you do get a faulty set, call Stew-mac and they will take care of it. Their customer service is excellent.
    Agree with above in that StewMac's customer service is excellent...

  9. #9
    Mandolin & Mandola maker
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    I have used 2 sets of restoration tuners and probably around 5 sets of golden age tuners recently with no problems. After the re-engineering they are a vast improvement over the older golden age tuners.
    Peter Coombe - mandolins, mandolas and guitars
    http://www.petercoombe.com

  10. #10
    Registered User Steve Sorensen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    I don't know, guys . . . every time I've tried using Golden Age tuners, I'm reminded why it's worth it to pony-up for Waverlies.

    Sometimes savings comes at a cost.

    Steve
    Steve Sorensen
    Sorensen Mandolin & Guitar Co.
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  12. #11
    Adrian Minarovic
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    Quote Originally Posted by peter.coombe View Post
    I have used 2 sets of restoration tuners and probably around 5 sets of golden age tuners recently with no problems. After the re-engineering they are a vast improvement over the older golden age tuners.
    Any idea what is the difference between old and new?
    Adrian

  13. #12
    Registered User bbcee's Avatar
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    My Silverangel Econo turns two this month, and while the GAs are solid and haven't given me any trouble, they're stiff, and I'll likely swap them out for Rubners shortly.

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    rock in rôle Paul Statman's Avatar
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    Thumbs down Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    I have not had good experiences with GA tuners. After a replacement of the first set was no better, I replaced with another brand.
    Their vintage replacements for the old A models are also ridiculously stiff and on a shorter backplate than the originals, so the old 'wiggle end' marks still show. As no-one else currently makes a replacement with those earlier post spacings and gear configuration.
    A few months ago Stew-Mac kindly agreed to send a replacement set for the OE tuners on an expensive F model, as they were so stiff that I could hear my finger joints crack (pop) when turning them. The replacement set is just as bad. On the up side - they look closest to 'traditional', but I'm now on tenterhooks for the next gen Rubners.

  16. #14
    Certified! Bernie Daniel's Avatar
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    My experience with GA tuners is limited to two sets. Both were A-style with black buttons and silver "arrowhead" plates.

    Both were near unusable. The gears seem poorly turned or mismatched?

    Thus they were both very stiff and combined with the fact that the buttons are very much on the small side, makes tuning to pitch near impossible.

    I have stronger than average hands I would guess and I could barely use them.

    I would recommend avoiding them unless the newer ones are much better?
    Bernie
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    Due to current budgetary restrictions the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off -- sorry about the inconvenience.

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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    It would be useful if somebody could explain the difference between the “old” and the “new” GA tuners - photographs? I have personal experience of the old GAs and the “restoration” ones and wasn’t actually aware that there that there were any new ones available.

    My experience with the old GAs is negative and, living on this side of the Atlantic, I wouldn’t risk buying the GA tuners new or old - StewMac’s warranty isn’t a lot of good if I’ve already paid shipping, tax and handling charges and would be likely to cop for them again if they needed replacing.

    Fortunately, I have no issue with the restoration tuners as these are the only ones available with the correct dimensions for teens Gibsons.

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  20. #16
    Registered User seankeegan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

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    All of the pegs came off on my newly built mandolin. I had to super glue them back on.

    I had GA restoration tuners put on my A1 Gibson. One of them got so stiff I could barely turn it. And one of the A string tuners is really loose. Spins without the string slacking, then it jumps down in tuning.

    I've Rubners waiting to install on the Girouard. I'm probably gonna get the original tuners for the Gibson cleaned and put back on. I won't be using any Golden Age tubers ever again.

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  22. #17
    Registered User sunburst's Avatar
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    Quote Originally Posted by seankeegan View Post
    ...one of the A string tuners is really loose. Spins without the string slacking, then it jumps down in tuning...
    That is usually caused by a tight nut slot and may not be the fault of the tuner at all.
    When tuners are difficult to turn it is sometimes caused by misalignment of the holes in the peghead. Mandolin tuners being "4-on-a-plate", that means four holes must be drilled with accurate alignment and accurate spacing. The closer the tolerances in the tuners the more critical alignment becomes because it takes less deflection of the string posts to cause binding.
    That is one of the reasons my former favorite moderately priced tuner set was Gotoh deluxe. They were made with extra clearance so they were more forgiving of hole misalignment. Often, customers would complain of the apparent looseness of the tuners when they weren't under string tension, and I suspect that is one of the reasons many tuner manufacturers (and particularly tuner designers) make them with such close tolerances that they tend to bind and become difficult to turn when installed in poorly aligned/spaced holes. Poorly cut nut slots are another source of tuning problem that often get blamed on the tuners.
    I'm not saying that there are no faulty tuner sets and all tuner problems are caused by poorly drilled holes and/or poorly cut nut slots, but both are common problems in new and old mandolins, and it can't be known how many tuner sets have been changed because of problems in the peghead/nut rather than in the tuners themselves.

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  24. #18
    Adrian Minarovic
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    I agree with John and have repeated it few times here on MC, that I only once met with really bad tuners. It was Schaller set where the worms were turned offcenter, meaning the worm was less deep on one side and one half of the turn was much hard, other easy. But using grinding paste and turning them with electric drill loosened them (I heard this used to be normal procedure used by Mike Kemnitzer for his mandolins). I've seen crude bass tuners handmade (hand filed from round stock) and they have worked well for almost century.
    I posted year or so ago when I restored F-9 the tuners (Grovers) were really tight and on CNC cut neck one would assume tuners are faulty, but even though the holes were well aligned the person who mounted the tuners drove all the mounting screws closer to one edge of mounting hole and that forced the plate so far north that the post got angled and did bind in the holes badly and even the plastic washers under cogs and worms were completely destroyed by use. Once I replaced the spacers, filled mounting holes and pre-drilled new holes the tuners where they should have been, the tuners work well...
    Adrian

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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    I too have only come across one set of modern bad tuners and those were GAs. I suppose that the holes could have been drilled wrongly but I suspect that Austin Clark who built the instrument would dispute this. Keith Robson, who manufactured the replacement tuners, produced a replacement set which work perfectly.

    I would still like to know what they’ve done to improve matters.

  26. #20
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    Have those of you who are having trouble with modern tuners tried lubricating them and adjusting the tension screws?

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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    As has already been pointed out, most tuner problems are due to the way they have been mounted. Either the holes are mis-aligned or the holes have been drilled off centre thus pushing the tuner out of alignment. The difference between the old and new golden age tuners is the old tuners tended to be quite stiff. Stiff when turned off the instrument and even stiffer when mounted and strung up. However, I found that lubrication and a bit of turning loosed them up enough to make them usable, but I still didn't like them. I don't know what Stew Mac did when they re-engineered these tuners, but they are no longer stiff, and if mounted correctly, work quite well. If a set of tuners turn fine when off the mandolin, but when mounted are quite stiff then it is not the fault of the tuners, it is the fault of the installer. I have used Rubners as well as the new GA tuners on similar mandolins and there is not a great deal of difference, so replacing with Rubners might not solve the stiffness problem unless of course the GA tuners are the old ones. I think Rubners work slightly better than the new GAs, but blindfolded I would struggle to tell the difference. I have never had any buttons come off.
    Peter Coombe - mandolins, mandolas and guitars
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  28. #22
    rock in rôle Paul Statman's Avatar
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    Unhappy Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    In my case; I believe that the fastidious Collings builders drill correctly aligned tuner holes. The replacement GA set I got was less than a year ago, so I can only assume that they are the newer version that some folks have been writing about here, though there was no discernible improvement gained by switching the new for the original. No amount of lubrication and electric drill rotation made any difference, either.
    On the bright side, they do hold strings to pitch after I win the torque fight, and they look good..

  29. #23
    rock in rôle Paul Statman's Avatar
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    Question Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    I really don't understand how a company can go to the trouble of reproducing a correctly spaced, vintage replacement, but literally stop short of getting it just right. Note the footprint from the original wiggle at both plate ends.

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  30. #24
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    Quote Originally Posted by mandopixie View Post
    I really don't understand how a company can go to the trouble of reproducing a correctly spaced, vintage replacement, but literally stop short of getting it just right. Note the footprint from the original wiggle at both plate ends.

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    That is pretty amazing unless the originals came in different sizes.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  31. #25
    rock in rôle Paul Statman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Recent Golden Age Tuners

    "That is pretty amazing unless the originals came in different sizes".

    The different sizes theory is interesting. Being such a small difference, I imagine it would have had to have been an evolution, rather than a length option. *This is not even a photo of mine, but it looks exactly like this one!

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