Waverly Tuners

[mlolya]

Does anyone use Waverly tuners? I was looking at them on StewMac and they look really nice, but they cost almost $150! That’s almost four times more than Grovers!
What’s the deal with these? Are they really that good?

 

[BigJackBrass]

I have a couple of sets, one with ebony buttons and one with koa, but I bought them years ago and they were nowhere near so expensive. I mean, they're terrific tuners, but that seems over the top.

You have to be sure that the thickness of your headstock matches the specs, then there's the countersink to get right, but with a little care they're not difficult to fit. I've found them to be extremely smooth and reliable; they look terrific.

$150 though…

 

[Papa John]

I use them on most of my ukuleles with the exception of the Gotoh's on my Char and original Schaller's on the Kamaka. I think they are the best out there for fit, appearance and function.
I'm thinking this thread is about the Waverly guitar style pegs rather than their friction units. The Grover 18 to 1's are nice and smooth too.
A $1500 ukulele that comes with $35 tuners drives me nuts. I have a file under my sink for friction pegs.
Now...if only Stewmac would ditch the slot head screws...

 

[Mike $]

The style BigJackBrass shows are only $78 at StewMac. They have the traditional look of uke tuners and are worth considering. I'm not a fan of the guitar style tuners on a uke. Waverly tuners are as good as it gets.

 

[mlolya]

I was looking at these.



The frictions are much better at $78



I was thinking of using the guitar style ones to replace a faulty set of Grover’s.

 

[EDW]

I love the Waverly friction pegs. They look like the old style that were on early Martin and Gibson and other quality instruments in the 20s and 30s. They work great and I particularly like that they are smaller and lighter than most all other tuners out there.

They are a bit more expensive than other basic fiction tuners, but I think the quality is worth it. If they are a pleasure to use each time you pick up the instrument, overall that is a small price to pay.