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no tyme flat
Feb-24-2005, 7:23pm
Thanks to that mando guy at joe val fest in framingham last weekend ,i have discoved your message board.Yeah ,the guy who let me play his new f model and would'nt let me give it back.Thanks. I am looking to upgrade my tuners on my flatiron A5Jr. The thing just would"nt stay in tune.Any suggestions? Also looking for a new tail piece. Anybody been to mandolin camp north? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif Pat

b.pat
Feb-25-2005, 2:20pm
Hey ! You can't be Pat . I B.Pat

But seriously, you might want to look into the new Gibson Grovers. Lots of good things have been said lately here at the cafe. # # Take a peek (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=8;t=21331;)
#Welcome. You came to the right place.
And like I said I
# # # # # # # # # #B.Pat # # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

Paul Hostetter
Feb-26-2005, 2:56pm
Your problem may have nothing to do with the tuners. I'd have a good luthier check the condition of the slots in the nut first, then check the status of the post tension and lubrication of the gears you have.

My favorite gears are Gotoh's A gears, which are unfortunately a little hard to find. They're what Gilchrist, for example, uses on his instruments. Stew-Mac sells them only in the F version, not the A:

http://www.stewmac.com/catalog/images_1sm/0730_1sm.jpg

So you want a variation of this for an A (it's the only picture I could find). Allparts or Saga do offer the A. They are very smooth, and the buttons are held on with a screw so you can upgrade to ebony or ivoroid, or even real pearl.

But before you dive into any of this, get the details of your setup sorted out. 99% of the time, it's not the gears at all.

no tyme flat
Feb-26-2005, 11:23pm
Thanks ph, I have tried tighting up on the center screw on the tuners but the nut and post tension. Well I am not sure what post tension is .Nut wear on a 83 flatiron a 5jr. moderatly played is not unusal?

mandroid
Feb-27-2005, 3:39am
Screw holds the gear on the string post, and thus against the wormgear. nothing more., tension adjustment on uke friction tuners, but for gear tuners its almost all installation and accurate headstock machining as far as i understand.

jim_n_virginia
Mar-13-2005, 3:50am
May not be tuners at all. Are you locking your strings down when you change strings? Here's good pictoral on how to do it. http://www.frets.com/FRETSPa....g3.html (http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/Mandolin/MandoString/mandostring3.html)

Please excuse the post if you are already doing so, just thought I'd check.

Good luck finding what you need to stay in tune! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

no tyme flat
Mar-13-2005, 11:43am
Thanks Jim, His pictures on the wrong way to string a mando look just like my flatiron!http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif