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Thread: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

  1. #26
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    The 'Pearl' could look very nice. My current 'Ivoroid' buttons look a tad 'flat' in appearance,they don't do my Ellis justice in the 'looks' department. I've not seen any mandolin headstock to outclass the headstock with Black tuner buttons on the "A" style built by John Hamlett - i'm hoping that mine will come close !,
    Ivan
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  2. #27
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    I fitted the new Black Gotoh buttons to my Ellis yesterday & it looks great (IMHO). The plastic used isn't of the hard,brittle type,it's more of the slightly rubbery, Nylon type. The fixing screws are maybe a tad overlong, & the 3 buttons that wouldn't come off were being forced down onto the round part of the tuner shaft, & simply jamming up. I eased them off with a pair of snipe-nosed pliers braced against the side of the headstock,& as soon as they moved,i was able to pull them off with my fingers & with no headstock damage either,it was that easy.

    I did e-mail Allparts UK to ask if these Gotoh buttons are freely available from stock, as they're NOT on the Allparts website in the UK or the USA - i've not had a reply.

    Here's a pic.,
    IvanClick image for larger version. 

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    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
    Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.

  3. #28
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    Looks great!
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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  5. #29
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    Hi Mike - The original Ivoroid buttons looked plasticy & a tad cheap to be on such a high grade mandolin. It was seeing John Hamlett's "A" style headstock that set me off on my 'Black button' quest,
    Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
    Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.

  6. #30
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    I asked Allparts UK if the Gotoh button sets were freely available from Allparts US,this was the reply from AP US :- "Allparts say:

    He (me) is correct that Gotoh does not agree to sell them separately. We happen to have that set here from years past, either something they sent as replacement, or did a one off order to us. Unfortunately it’s not something we have more of, or can get."


    Bad news for anybody else hoping to get a set - but at least we know,
    Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
    Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.

  7. #31
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    We'll have to until white button become the rage. Last set! thx Ivan

  8. #32
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    Mark - Gotoh won't supply 'spare / replacement' buttons of any colour. IMHO - That would put me off using them if i was a builder. If you loose / break a button,it's a whole new set or nothing. Would you buy any car, where,if your steering wheel bust,you had to buy a whole new interior ??.

    A very bad policy IMHO ,
    Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
    Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.

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  10. #33

    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    Hi Ivan. Did you get fixed up with your black buttons ?

    Jimmy Powells
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  11. #34
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    Hi Jimmy - Yes i did. I'd asked Allparts UK about them,drew a blank,then forgot all about changing them. I was surprised when i got an e-mail from Allparts nearly 2 weeks later,saying that Allparts US had come up with a set. I was more or less obliged to buy them - i'd have looked a bit of a jerk if i'd said no,& a bit discourteous as well. I managed to remove the 3 that were 'jammed'. It seems that the screws are a bit overlong,allowing the buttons to be forced over the round part of the shaft if you tighten them up too much,so they'd jammed. I got them off by levering them with a small pair of snipe nosed pliers, braced against the side of the headstock. As soon as they moved,i easily removed them - see my posts #27 & #30,
    Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
    Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.

  12. #35
    Registered User akjed's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    Hearing that Gotoh won't replace just the knobs, and you have to buy the whole tuner, is infuriating. My KM-1050 came with the pearloid ones and three of them have split. I ordered a set of waverly ivoroid ones from Stew Mac not realizing they wouldn't fit. I'm tempted to drill them out, see if that will work.
    "No animal, according to the rules of animal-etiquette, is ever expected to do anything strenuous, or heroic, or even moderately active during the off-season of winter." Kenneth Grahame

  13. #36
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    The first thing you need to know is that Saga didn't use just Gotoh tuners they used their own fake Gotoh tuners that have a larger stem than Gotoh. The Waverly buttons will fit only very old Gotoh tuners that had a square post. I'm assuming yours has two flats and two rounds. See if you can find a digital caliper and get the size of the flat to flat and round to round measurement. I can probably help you out. I think I have a few left from a set I tore down but you need the sizes.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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  15. #37
    Registered User akjed's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    I just ordered a set of pearloid ones for $75 from a seller on ebay. I'm really not psyched about it. Pearloid is really nothing but cheap plastic, and I'm annoyed that Gotoh doesn't seem willing to sell just the buttons as replacements. I made the mistake of ordering a set of Waverly ivoroid knobs from Stew Mac. They were cheaper than the Gotoh's and I rather like the feel better than the pearloid. I might just tinker with them, break out the needle file and dremel tool and see if I can modify them to fit my Gotoh pins. Anyone have experience doing this or advice?
    "No animal, according to the rules of animal-etiquette, is ever expected to do anything strenuous, or heroic, or even moderately active during the off-season of winter." Kenneth Grahame

  16. #38
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    One more time, they may look like Gotoh tuners but they may be Saga tuners. Gotoh button sources come and go. We've had two or three over the last several years. Are you looking for ivoroid buttons to fit Gotoh or maybe Saga? Some of us have them. Good luck on your search. Without checking the size I can't help you.

    https://www.elderly.com/products/got...-nickel-finish
    Last edited by MikeEdgerton; Nov-17-2020 at 8:50pm.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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  18. #39
    Registered User Mandobart's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    I bought both mini-Gotoh and mini-Grover ebony tuner buttons recently (this year) from Guitar Parts Factory.

    The mini-Gotoh's work great (as do the mini-Grover's).

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  20. #40
    Registered User akjed's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    Thanks, Mike. Not sure why I didn't see your first reply before my second post. Sure enough, my eBay order arrived and the buttons don't fit. You are correct that the posts are two flat and two round. I'll work on finding a digital caliper to get an accurate measurement. This whole thing is driving me mad. The variety of tuners and compatibility reminds me of the battle a few years ago over cell phone chargers. Every manufacturer made a different kind.
    "No animal, according to the rules of animal-etiquette, is ever expected to do anything strenuous, or heroic, or even moderately active during the off-season of winter." Kenneth Grahame

  21. #41
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    Just let me know what they measure out at.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  22. #42
    Registered User akjed's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    Looks like 0.1455" (3.68mm) on the rounded edge, and 0.1185" (2.83mm) on the flat edge.
    "No animal, according to the rules of animal-etiquette, is ever expected to do anything strenuous, or heroic, or even moderately active during the off-season of winter." Kenneth Grahame

  23. #43
    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    There was a seller on evilbay that sold real pearl tuner buttons for around 75 bucks a set? I got a few sets awhile back?

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  25. #44
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    Quote Originally Posted by akjed View Post
    Looks like 0.1455" (3.68mm) on the rounded edge, and 0.1185" (2.83mm) on the flat edge.
    It appears you have the Saga "Fake Gotoh" tuners. How many buttons are broken?
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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  27. #45
    Registered User akjed's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    Ugh. Fake Gotoh? Three buttons have broken. I glued one. A few more have cracks and will go at any moment. The more I uncover about this problem, the more grossed out I get. These pearloid (cheap plastic) replacements are so hard to find. I'm wondering if I'm heading toward just replacing the tuners completely. There appears to be quite the range of tuners out there. Are Waverlys really in the $500 range? And Grovers $30-60? Certainly quite the rabbit hole I've fallen down.
    "No animal, according to the rules of animal-etiquette, is ever expected to do anything strenuous, or heroic, or even moderately active during the off-season of winter." Kenneth Grahame

  28. #46
    Registered User akjed's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    Last edited by akjed; Nov-24-2020 at 3:03pm. Reason: Missed quote
    "No animal, according to the rules of animal-etiquette, is ever expected to do anything strenuous, or heroic, or even moderately active during the off-season of winter." Kenneth Grahame

  29. #47
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Gotoh Replacement Tuner Buttons

    Quote Originally Posted by akjed View Post
    You have two ways to go, maybe three.

    You can replace the broken buttons.

    You can replace all the buttons.

    You can replace the tuners with real Gotoh's.

    I'll send you a Personal Message.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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