Viewing a thread - Replacing slothead machine heads

Posted 2010-05-22 9:19 PM (#371269)
Subject: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736

Location: Sunshine State, Australia

I'm not too enamoured with the tuners on the folklore. They just don't 'feel' right.

Anyone replaced their stock slothead tuners? If so, what did you use? Grover? Gotoh? Schaller?

2ifbyC

Posted 2010-05-22 10:11 PM (#371270 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268

Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast

Originally posted by muzza:
They just don't 'feel' right.

muzza,

In what way? I've had no issues with my FL.

Gallerinski

Posted 2010-05-22 11:39 PM (#371271 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996

Location: Phoenix AZ

Gotoh make a nice open gear slothead tuner. Enclosed tuners are just too damn heavy.

Posted 2010-05-23 2:41 AM (#371272 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736

Location: Sunshine State, Australia

Iffy, they feel 'cheap' compared to my other guitars with Schallers and Grovers - even the Pings on my '05 feel more... quality.

They're inconsistent.

Thanks Dave. I know you're a big fan of the open gear tuners.

Posted 2010-05-23 9:15 PM (#371273 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736

Location: Sunshine State, Australia

Looking on feeBay, I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. Are they the same as a normal Classical guitar tuner?

I found some Schallers which are 6 individual tuners, not 2 sets of 3 joined together like I'm used to seeing. Would they fit? I'd imagine the screw holes wouldn't line up.

Posted 2010-05-23 10:01 PM (#371274 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR

Hey Muzza... What you really want is tuners for Slotted Steel-String guitars, not classical.

TRY HERE.... Stewmac!

These look Particularly Cool!

Just be sure to click "specs" and make sure that you get the measurements right.
Just shop around amongst all the choices.

I hope that this is your answer. :cool:

TAFKAR

Posted 2010-05-23 10:51 PM (#371275 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 2985

Location: Sydney, Australia

Muzz,

Mine are individual ones:

Are yours all joined together like the photo OMA posted?

(And before someone complains about Macs and the size of the photo, I managed this destruction entirely on a work PC)

Posted 2010-05-24 1:04 AM (#371276 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR

The one that TJ is sending me has on-the-rail tuners...
I think that is the original design.

But I have been wrong before. :p
--------------------------------
And you can resize pics! :eek:

Just kidding... :D

Posted 2010-05-24 6:23 AM (#371277 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736

Location: Sunshine State, Australia

Mine look like OMAs, except my Folklore has plastic sleeves on the shafts. I notice OMAs doesn't. Maybe that's why mine isn't as good as it could be.

The Schallers I found on feeBay look almost exactly like TAFKARPs. I notice his also doesn't have any plastic sleeves.

bburg

Posted 2010-05-26 3:50 PM (#371278 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
August 2009
Posts: 1137

Location: Germany, where delicious wine is growing (Rheinh)

I 've changed mine on the 1624 to these ones:
http://www.thomann.de/de/schaller_mkge_concert_machine_head.htm

That are the same as the originales, but in gold finish and ebony buttons, not really cheap!

Bernie

Posted 2010-05-26 4:04 PM (#371279 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR

Originally posted by muzza:
Mine look like OMAs, except my Folklore has plastic sleeves on the shafts.
I notice OMAs doesn't.
Maybe that's why mine isn't as good as it could be.

The Schallers I found on feeBay look almost exactly like TAFKARPs.
I notice his also doesn't have any plastic sleeves.

I am not positive, but I believe that the plastics sleeves are for nylon strings. :confused:
I had an Academy that had plastic sleeves, but rumor had it that I coulda put nylon strings on that one.
I also don't know if that would affect the tuning, cuz my Academy worked fine with metal strings.

A 1624 is a nylon string guitar...

I Think that the plastic sleeves will come off.
But you might have to destroy the sleeves to do that.

2ifbyC

Posted 2010-05-26 4:28 PM (#371280 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268

Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast

Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
I Think that the plastic sleeves will come off. TRUE

But you might have to destroy the sleeves to do that. TRUE

Posted 2010-05-31 7:13 AM (#371281 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736

Location: Sunshine State, Australia

I think I now know why they didn't 'feel' right. I pulled the tuners off and the bushes are missing on the A and B. I reckon someone converted it to these non original ones at some stage and lost 2 of the bushes in the process.

Posted 2010-05-31 9:03 AM (#371282 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394

Location: East Tennessee

You can get the bushings from Stewert MacDonald.

Tuner Parts

Posted 2010-05-31 9:11 AM (#371283 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736

Location: Sunshine State, Australia

Thanks for that CG. I've decided to replace the tuners with the proper steel string ones. Just got to choose which ones.

Posted 2010-05-31 10:04 AM (#371284 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394

Location: East Tennessee

I am looking at replacing the tuners on my slothead as well. That's how I knew Stewmac has the bushings.

Mark in Boise

Posted 2010-05-31 11:01 AM (#371285 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759

Location: Boise, Idaho

Muzza, what year is your Folklore? For the first few years, at least through 1977, Ovation used the same tuners for the nylon strings and steel string slotheads. They all had the plastic sleaves. The posts have too much diameter for the steal strings and make it harder to keep the strings from slipping. About 1978 or so they switched to the narrower posts for the steel strings, but they are basically the same tuners.

bburg

Posted 2010-05-31 3:20 PM (#371286 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
August 2009
Posts: 1137

Location: Germany, where delicious wine is growing (Rheinh)

Muzza, I've my old tuners from my 1624 incl. all the bushings and screws. They have chrome buttons, too, no pearloid. All is Schaller original. They are still working very well. I changed them because the "goldies" are looking better (in my opinion) and I get them very cheap. If you are interested, PM me.

Bernie

Posted 2010-05-31 5:17 PM (#371287 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736

Location: Sunshine State, Australia

Thanks Bernie, but the country artist has the nylon sleeves, doesn't it?

And, like you, I prefer the gold ones (Love the ones on TAFKAR's '08)

Mark, I think mine's a '73, so maybe they are original. Still gonna replace them with a better set though.

Posted 2010-06-01 12:42 AM (#371288 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736

Location: Sunshine State, Australia

I wanted TAFKAR'S Schallers, but couldn't find any. So I ended up buying these. (the gold ones...)

Grover Sta-Tites

The 18/1 ratio clinched it for me. Capo Guy, I'll let you know what I think of them when they arrive.

Anyone got any clues on how to remove the old bushes?

Trader Jim

Posted 2010-06-01 5:08 AM (#371289 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 7307

Location: South of most, North of few

I'm sure Stew Mac has a tool for that, but when I changed out the tuners to Waverly's on my Martin, I made a tool to pull them. I started out with a "bugger hook" (o ring removal tool) and bent the end to 90 deg. With a little grinding to clear the inside of the hole, it was just a matter of inserting the end of the tool, hooking onto the bushing, and using a steady pressure (pulling) to remove the bushing from the hole.

Used to look like....

Looks like now.....

BTW, if you change out the tuners from Schallers to any open gear type, you will need 12 bushings. One set for the inner rail and the other for the outer rail.

Posted 2010-06-01 6:50 AM (#371290 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736

Location: Sunshine State, Australia

TJ, the ones you replaced look just like the ones I wanted...

Posted 2010-06-01 7:45 AM (#371291 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR

Wow... They do look much better with the open gears. :cool:

Posted 2010-06-02 9:28 PM (#371292 - in reply to #371269)
Subject: Re: Replacing slothead machine heads

Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394

Location: East Tennessee

Muzza,

You'll like the 18:1 tuning ratio.

This is what I ordered;

I'm putting them on a Martin 000-15S so I wanted to keep that old vintage look. I got the black knobs.