Grover 309 Shortage?

**Bill Drellow** · Jun-19-2021, 12:19pm

I've been all over the web looking for a set of worm-under F-style 309 tuners in nickel. Stew-Mac only has some in gold and it doesn't appear they're taking back orders for the other three F-style configurations. I've emailed them asking if they'll be restocking them but haven't heard back yet. I've checked all the other parts suppliers I've dealt with and some I haven't with no luck. Instrument Alley (new to me) seems to have a set but their website is weird and they want $18 for basic shipping. I have an offer in via Reverb to a dealer in Gainesville who is asking $119 for a set. I've tried LMII, Allparts, Sweetwater, eBay and Amazon. I'll post a classified here in a little bit. Any other recommendations? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

UPDATE: The Reverb seller has accepted a much more reasonable offer than $119, so the quest is ended but the question regarding the availability of Grover mandolin tuners remains. Is it going to be this difficult to find Grovers (or HanChangs, as it were) going forward.

I'll be changing my classified ad to one offering a set of worm-under F-style Grovers.

**Doug Edwards** · Jun-20-2021, 12:46pm

International Violin

**Rob Roy** · Jun-20-2021, 8:34pm

309s are great machines. I recently read that rotomatics are actually made by Ping. Seeing as they went for $65 not that long ago, I wouldn't be surprised if they're made in China, which would explain why they're in short supply. I had to put $200 down in January to reserve a Trek bike not due to arrive until Oct 1.

**Bill Drellow** · Jun-21-2021, 5:33am

Originally Posted by Rob Roy

309s are great machines. I recently read that rotomatics are actually made by Ping. Seeing as they went for $65 not that long ago, I wouldn't be surprised if they're made in China, which would explain why they're in short supply. I had to put $200 down in January to reserve a Trek bike not due to arrive until Oct 1.

I think it's been established here that Grover mandolin tuners are made by Hanchang in Korea. In fact, a Weber official referred to the machines on my Yellowstone as "Hanchang tuners," in an email despite the fact that they're clearly the same 18:1 tuners we know and love as Grover 309s.

And, thanks to Doug Edwards for the tip on International Violin, an outfit I had never heard of. It's interesting that they don't refer to Grover 309 tuners by their model number on their page listing guitar and mandolin tuning machines, nor do they use "309" on the product page for the 309 F-style worm-under tuners I was seeking. That probably accounts for the fact that International Violin never came up in my web searches.

**Bill Drellow** · Jun-21-2021, 6:47am

I have heard back from Stew-Mac, in a brief email saying that they "no longer are carrying these tuners." I don't know if this applies only to 309 tuners or Grovers in general, although they seem to have a supply of Rotomatics in stock.