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Thread: Drop-in replacements? MD-515, El Rey

  1. #1
    Quietly Making Noise Dave Greenspoon's Avatar
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    Default Drop-in replacements? MD-515, El Rey

    I'm interested in swapping out the Pingwell RM-1583N-26A tuners from my MD-515 and El Rey. My search on the Cafe has not revealed a slam-dunk solution so far. The Rubner's everyone raves about aren't accessible yet. The Grover 309F seems like it might be a solution. Do they drop right in?

    Any other options I should be considering?
    Axes: Eastman MD-515 & El Rey; Eastwood S Mandola
    Amps: Fishman Loudbox 100; Rivera Clubster Royale Recording Head & R212 cab; Laney Cub 10

  2. #2
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Drop-in replacements? MD-515, El Rey

    I can't seem to get to the ping-well site. This thread has the dimensions of the tuners, or what they were at one time. They are listed as having a spacing of 23.0mm on the posts. The Grover's are listed as having 23.01mm. I haven't made this switch but I can't imagine that difference being all that much. The Ping-wells I had on an earlier imported instrument actually had plastic bushings. I have no idea if yours are metal or not. I also have no idea if the bushings on the Grovers would drop right in. Where you might have a problem is the screw holes. Usually the new tuner plates will cover the old screw holes that don't line up (not always) but sometimes you do need to patch a hole to drill another.
    Last edited by MikeEdgerton; Apr-26-2020 at 3:52pm.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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  4. #3
    Quietly Making Noise Dave Greenspoon's Avatar
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    Default Re: Drop-in replacements? MD-515, El Rey

    Thanks, Mike!
    Axes: Eastman MD-515 & El Rey; Eastwood S Mandola
    Amps: Fishman Loudbox 100; Rivera Clubster Royale Recording Head & R212 cab; Laney Cub 10

  5. #4
    Mando-Afflicted lflngpicker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Drop-in replacements? MD-515, El Rey

    Good to know Mike. You never know when an MD515 might show up used for a great price. A very nice hand-carved mandolin, but a tuning machine upgrade might become needful. Dan
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