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mrmando
Dec-07-2014, 3:49am
Picking up an old Gibson snakehead on Sunday that may need replacement tuners. What would you use?

I have an old set of wiggle-ends from a teens Gibson; would they work on a snakehead?

Ray(T)
Dec-07-2014, 5:08am
Depends on the date/whether they are worm under or over. If they are worm under, the Stewmac restoration tuners are probably your only reasonable option due to hole spacing. If they are worm over, and "modern" spacing, the world's your lobster.

pops1
Dec-08-2014, 1:42am
I have used modern tuners on old Gibsons many times by cutting the tuners apart so the spacing is not an issue. Who cares if you alter a new tuner as long as the mandolin works and is not altered. They all work then.

Michael Lewis
Dec-08-2014, 2:22am
Yes, the StewMac tuners, BUT carefully measure the center to center of the string posts BEFORE you order. There can be either spacing on your 'new' mandolin. It just depends on what the factory had at the time. I recently had a customer with a '23 A model that needed the older spacing. Measure twice . . . .

Ray(T)
Dec-08-2014, 12:09pm
Did the hole spacing not change at the same time as Gibson went from worm under to worm over Michael?

I have an early "worm over" snakehead (FON='23 Serial='24) which has the, so called, '25 style tuners and the spacing is "modern".

sunburst
Dec-08-2014, 12:19pm
I have an old set of wiggle-ends from a teens Gibson; would they work on a snakehead?

Measure the posts, if they are the same spacing, the tuners will work (assuming the appropriate gear positions, as others have mentioned). It is possible that the edges of the ends of the plates might hang over the peghead surface toward the neck shaft. Gibson used wiggle-ends on some snakeheads, and they just filed the plates when they did that.

Ken Waltham
Dec-08-2014, 4:02pm
Just what sunburst said. They will work, and be more appropriate too!

DavidKOS
Dec-08-2014, 4:12pm
Please excuse a mandolinist that has been playing mandolin - sort of in a vacuum for his early years - from having to even look up what a "snake head" mandolin was. OK, I've worked in music stores since I was a kid, but I do not claim omniscience.

However, after looking a bit, if that model Gibson is the so-called snake head, I can say I always wondered why those odd simple looking Gibsons sounded so good. So it's special run of mandolins! yet, I've noted how good that sort of design, in its simple but very effective way, sounds.

Gibson made so many mandolin models that better man than I have a hard time keeping track!

mrmando
Dec-10-2014, 2:24am
Well, I'll measure and see if it matches my wiggle-ends. They have a bent shaft but I know a guy. Several guys, actually.

Right now this snakehead has recent F-tuners on it, and just looks weird.

MikeEdgerton
Dec-10-2014, 10:27am
I recently saw a Snakehead with what looked like newer Ping style tuners on it for sale someplace. I think it was on Elderly's site.

Yup, it's here (http://elderly.com/vintage/items/90U-6688.htm).

Ray(T)
Dec-10-2014, 12:55pm
As a '25 I would expect it to always have had worm over tuners and this seems to be confirmed by Elderly's photographs.