Pingwell or Gotoh tuners? (Eastman 505 or 805)

[MartieChick09]

Hey all! I'm trying to decide between the Eastman 505 or 515 models (Pingwell tuners) and the 805 (Gotoh). I was looking at F-style models but I really like the As too so I'll probably get one of the 05s but I'm not sure about the tuners. Which ones are better? I'm also wondering about the woods used. I think the 500s use spruce and maple and the 805 is Adirondack and maple? Which do you like more and why? Let me know your thoughts!

[Steve 2E]

I bought a used 505cc a few months ago and couldn’t be happier. It’s become one of my favorites. Actually, it’s my current favorite. The Pingwell tuners have worked out fine so far. No complaints or tuning issues. I wasn’t totally happy with the look of the pearloid buttons so I swapped them out with ebony ones. Overall I’m really pleased with the look, feel, and playability of this mandolin. I’m not sure who did the initial setup, but I only needed to lower the bridge a little bit to get it to where I like it and plays clean and easy up the neck.

[robhanesworth]

I bought a used 505cc a few months ago and couldn’t be happier. It’s become one of my favorites. Actually, it’s my current favorite. The Pingwell tuners have worked out fine so far. No complaints or tuning issues. I wasn’t totally happy with the look of the pearloid buttons so I swapped them out with ebony ones. Overall I’m really pleased with the look, feel, and playability of this mandolin. I’m not sure who did the initial setup, but I only needed to lower the bridge a little bit to get it to where I like it and plays clean and easy up the neck.

Where did you find the ebony buttons for the Ping well tuners, please?

[MediumMando5722]

A bunch of my guitars have Gotoh. My mandolins have Schaller and Stewmac’s brand. My new Eastman guitar has Ping. They all work fine.

[Steve 2E]

Where did you find the ebony buttons for the Ping well tuners, please?

I used StewMac’s buttons for Waverly’s. Not a simple swap, but they’ve worked out so far. It took a bit of filing and sanding to make them fit on the Ping shafts. I knew the measurements weren’t the same, so I took a bit of a gamble. I tried to force the first one on and it split.(Glad I bought a few extras) I took my time to fit the rest and it all worked out. I’m happy with the results!

[Rob Roy]

I've heard no complaints about the Eastman 500 series mandolins. They seem to be pretty high up there in the bang-for-buck ratio. I have an Eastman dread with Ping open back tuners and bought it expecting to upgrade the tuners. It turns out with a little lube they work fine. I use a tiny amount of bike chain lube (applied with micro-tips) to all the friction points. I considered Gotoh 510s because they are such a joy to use, but for some reason they are only 1:15 ratio? At any rate, I don't think you'll have issues with the tuners on 500 series.

Can't address the comparison on adi tops as I've never played a mando with one, it doesn't seem to get used in mandolins as much as in guitars. If you're going to get closer to the $2k price range you may want to consider used instruments by American builders. Occasionally you'll find a Pava or Girourd (sp?) in that range.

[RobP]

I bought a 515V last month. I am quite happy with the tuners... all of them are very smooth and it's easy to tune - they work as well as the Rubners I put on my Collings MT. I cannot comment about the wood difference, but I'm very happy with the tone of the 515V.

Good luck!