Eastwood Mandocaster--Upgrading Machine Heads

[AlpineDave]

Anyone know of some good machine head upgrades that fit the Eastwood Mandocaster, and where to find them?

Thanks.

[Paul Busman]

Why bother? The ones on my Eastwood work perfectly.
If I was going to upgrade anything, it would be the pickups but even those are fine for my purposes. I love that little instrument!

[AlpineDave]

Why bother? The ones on my Eastwood work perfectly.
If I was going to upgrade anything, it would be the pickups but even those are fine for my purposes. I love that little instrument!

Yes, I've ordered pickups from Moongazer--I've not been able to solve the E string volume problem with the original pickups. And I thought I'd look for high-end tuners while I'm at it, as well. The originals are ok, but I do find them to be what I would call over-geared, in that a tiny adjustment causes a disproportionate change in tone.

[Ron McMillan]

The Eastwood tuners are cheap Chinese versions of Korean-made mini Gotohs. The Korean ones are worlds apart in terms of quality, and fit perfectly.

Note that you need four 'lefts' and four 'rights', which means that you have to find a supplier who will sell you them in those specifications. Most suppliers offer them in guitar sets, either three lefts and three rights, or six-in-a-row.

I got them from Hobgoblin in the UK. They were inexpensive.

[AlpineDave]

Thanks Ron! I'll check out Hobgoblin.

[AlpineDave]

Found them, Gotoh mini 510's, at Luthier's Mercantile, roughly $12 and $15 a piece for treble and bass sides in chrome, plus of course shipping/handling.

Very excited about what this little guy is going to be like after the upgrades.

[AlpineDave]

Got the price wrong, it's same for both sides. Price is: $12 for chrome; $15 for gold.

[Ron McMillan]

Dave,

I think the 510 is a more expensive model with some kind of locking mechanism. The straight replacements I got don't lock and are quite a lot cheaper than those prices. Hobgoblin in the UK quoted 3.50 Euros, which is about $4 per piece.

Link for left models here. (https://www.hobgoblin.com/local/sales/products/GR10032L/viking-mini-diecast-lh-machines-each/)

Link for right models here (https://www.hobgoblin.com/local/sales/products/GR10032R/viking-mini-diecast-rh-machines-each/).

The 'Viking' brand confused me a bit, but they are still made in Korea, which means they are almost certainly the ones I got - which are definitely superior to the Chinese copies that came as standard on my mandocaster (which is not an Eastwood - it's a Harley Benton).

[AlpineDave]

Thanks Ron. I've already ordered the 510s--factoring in the exchange and overseas shipping, not that much more in absolute dollars, especially compared to most gear expenditures. These and the pickups should really ramp this thing up. Much obliged for steering me in the right direction on the Gotohs. I'd been looking in all the wrong places and not finding a match.

[Ron McMillan]

Thanks Ron. I've already ordered the 510s--factoring in the exchange and overseas shipping, not that much more in absolute dollars, especially compared to most gear expenditures. These and the pickups should really ramp this thing up. Much obliged for steering me in the right direction on the Gotohs. I'd been looking in all the wrong places and not finding a match.

Depending on what bridge came on the Eastwood, you might want to consider the Moongazer bridge that allows intonation to be adjusted separately for each course. It's worth the small cost. I fitted Gotohs and had Pete Mallinson at Almuse in England fit new pick-ups and wiring and a new scratchplate; along with the Moongazer bridge, the Harley Benton was transformed.

(Edit: Now I'm not certain if the photos are before or after I changed the bridge).

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[AlpineDave]

Looks nice Ron. My Eastwood came with the improved saddle bridge with individualized adjustments. I'm planning on installing the pickups myself, as I believe they will fit the original plate, and the soldering involved is pretty straightforward, with the only issue being to not overheat anything. The tuners arrived today and they look and feel tight and smooth. I'm going to wait for the pickups, then do everything at once, including switch to light strings. I'll post a few pics when it's all finished.