Tuner advice

[sitric]

Hi,

I'm looking for advice on tuners on my 1918 A3 Whiteface.
They ain't perfect, and I find I'm spending more time tuning up than I'd like to.
Can tuners be repaired, if not, what would you recommend as replacements?

[MikeEdgerton]

Generally they can be cleaned, lubed and adjusted and the problems are resolved. Paul Hostetter has a page that describes the process well.

I found Paul's page. It's here.

[Big Joe]

Randy Wood does a great job of restoring vintage tuners. He is in Savannah Georgia.

[sitric]

Thanks for the responses.
Given my newness to all of this and the small amount of research I've done since first posting, can I just clarify one thing - Is it a no no #to put a set of modern tuners on this instrument (which currently has original reverse cog tuners)?
All suggestions welcome.

My Webpage

[MikeEdgerton]

There are some people that feel that the instrument you have is not yours and you are simply preserving it for future generations. You may or may not feel that way. Generally tuners can be made to work correctly. Most of the problems I've seen with old tuners have more to do with the holes in the peghead than the tuners themselves, but that's just me. A good luthier should be able to fix this.

[John Flynn]

Is it a no no to put a set of modern tuners on this instrument

I don't think it is "no-no." Its your instrument. Do with it what you want. Even if you buy into the "preserving for future generations" malarkey, I don't see how new tuners, if they look appropriate for the instrument, mess up its "preservation." I mean, do the traditionalist police also want you leave the original strings on there? How about the original frets when they wear out?

The issue with new tuners on that kind of instrument is often that the don't fit properly. Also, refurbishing the existing tuners may be cheaper, if you do it yourself.

[atetone]

If the tuners on your 1918 are original then the post spacing on them is 15/16 of an inch. Modern tuner spacing is 29/32 of an inch therefore they don't fit.
The only exception that I know of is one particular style of Waverlies but I think they only come in F-style and cost about $500.

[sitric]

Again thanks for the replies.
I realise I was somewhat unclear in my question, but I was coming from a practical rather than moral point of view - and in that regard Atetone answered my question.
I'd have no problems putting a modern set of tuners on if that produced the best sound.
My first move however will be to bring the A3 to a really good luthier, and see if the original tuners can be re-conditioned (As I have been advised).
This for me would be the best possible outcome.
I asked my question in order to cover plan B #(where the original tuners couldn't be satisfactorily reconditioned)- now it doesn't look like there is one!
Can I just finish by saying that MandolinCafe is a wonderful site?




My Webpage

[MikeEdgerton]

I'm under the impression that you can get Waverly tuners in A style as well.

[Matt Bowe]

Here's a link to the Cafe Classifieds:
http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin....trieval