View Full Version : Black turning knobs
red7flag
Nov-03-2006, 6:28am
While I was in Boston last weekend, my cousin mentioned how cool the origonal Colling MF, without the binding, would look with black tuning knobs. Are there any replacement knobs you can buy for gotoh tuners that would fit the bill? How hard are they to install? Thanks for any information.
Tony
Red Englemann
Nov-03-2006, 8:01am
<a href="http://www.stewmac.com/shop....bs.html (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Knobs/Tuner_knobs/Vintage-style_Replacement_Tuner_Knobs.html)" target="_blank">http://www.stewmac.com/shop....RL]</a>
thiggins
Nov-03-2006, 9:17am
Anyone know where I can get some black ones for Waverlys on a mando ?
Tim
red7flag
Nov-03-2006, 12:50pm
Red, I checked and Stew-Mac had only knobs for Waverlys and Schallers, none that were black. #Unless I was looking in the wrong location.
Tony
email stewmac, they can likely get anything you want in the luthier relm.
Paul Hostetter
Nov-08-2006, 12:13am
The Collings mandolins use Gotoh gears which Gotoh catalogs with ebony buttons as an option.
http://www.hosco.co.jp/HOSCO_ENGLISH/Images/Gotoh/mandolin.jpg
Maybe you need to contact Collings?
bradeinhorn
Nov-11-2006, 9:00pm
can you just buy the knobs? if so, are they hard to remove? on schallers?
Paul Hostetter
Nov-12-2006, 7:29pm
As far as I know, you can't buy the knobs, but Collings and other major suppliers can. They're held on with screws and are completely interchangeable.
Stew-Mac has sold buttons that until very recently fit Gotoh gears, when Gotoh changed a little bit (not nearly enough) about their machining and details, and started offering their own fancy buttons on a new shaft that has different dimensions, so no one else's buttons fit anymore. I go into some detail about those differences here (http://www.lutherie.net/gotoh.compared.html). I have never understood why manufacturers like Gotoh offer products that no one retails, but this has been the case for a long time.
red7flag
Nov-14-2006, 7:42pm
Paul,
As always, you are a great source of information. Thanks you. If I understand you correctly, my best option is to contact Collings.
Tony
bradeinhorn
Nov-14-2006, 8:24pm
tony, if you hear anything about black knobs to change out...let me know.
red7flag
Nov-15-2006, 6:35am
Think I will email Collings after this post. Will let you know.
Tony
red7flag
Nov-16-2006, 3:11pm
I was able to order black plastic replacement buttons from Collings for $6.00 for the set. They are on the way. They were very helpful.
Tony
bradeinhorn
Nov-16-2006, 3:37pm
are these available for schallers?
Paul Hostetter
Nov-16-2006, 3:48pm
My question as well. Plastic is fine, but Gotoh only offers real ebony buttons. Unless something's changed. That price is right, assuming they really fit. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
thiggins
Nov-20-2006, 1:00pm
I just got this reply from Stew Mac:
Dear Timothy,
Thank you for contacting us.
We do have ebony replacement knobs for the Waverly mandolin tuners. It is part
#4625. You will not be able to find them on our website or in the catalog. You
will have to call-in your order and provide that part #.
They cost is $2.90 each, plus shipping.
If you have any other questions or comments, please contact us.
Best regards,
Cynthia Riggs
Customer Service
Stewart-MacDonald
www.stewmac.com
Tim
Paul Hostetter
Nov-22-2006, 2:31pm
The buttons that fit Waverlys will fit early Gotohs but not the current Gotohs. And of course they won't fit Schallers. As usual though, there's a workaround for anything. $24/set for ebony buttons sounds like a real deal to me, I could never hand-make them for that.
red7flag
Jun-19-2007, 10:35am
When my mandola was being set up by David Harvey, he had some black ebony tuning knobs that really set the instrument off. I decided not to go with the black plastic knobs from Collings, but if I could get ebony ones for the Gotoh tuners on my MF, I would jump on it. A good friend after seeing the mandola thought that ebony knobs would look great on his Weber Special Edition. I am thinking there is a market for this product, but with different tuners used on different brands, it would be a nightmare. Any ideas?
Tony
Gail Hester
Jun-19-2007, 10:54am
They are readily available from Roger Siminoff.
http://www.siminoff.net/pages/siminoff_parts6.bridge.html
red7flag
Jun-19-2007, 10:55am
I thought some of you would like the link to the thread with the ebony knobs on the mandola that David Harvey put on.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin....=lebeda (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=15;t=43057;hl=lebeda)
The only problem I notice is that they are a bit smaller and as such, a bit more difficult to get a firm grip on. I really like the look however. Form over function, sometimes.
Tony
red7flag
Jun-19-2007, 1:44pm
Gail, thank you for the link. I am curious what tuners they will fit, if you know? Thanks.
Tony
Gail Hester
Jun-19-2007, 2:01pm
Gotoh tuners.
red7flag
Jun-19-2007, 4:01pm
Gail are there any ebony knobs that fit Webers for my friend? I assume they are easy to put on?
Tony
Get in touch with Brian Dean (on this list). He sent me a set for my Schallers. Reasonably priced and beautifuly done in ebony.