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Hi folks,

My Dad brought me his Martin Ukulele for repair. It is a 1950's version (probably 1954, given that he bought it to woo Mom -- who married him anyway). It is in pretty rough shape. It's been dropped more than once, has a crack running the length of the treble side rib, and the friction pegs no longer frict. In its current condition I'm pretty sure it has little monetary value, but it has enough sentimental value that I'd like to get it set right again.

I've never worked on a uke before. I'm pretty sure I can fix the crack by closing it with a few gentle clamps and wicking in some CA glue. But I have no idea if I should try and fix the friction pegs, or replace them with geared tuners.

Any suggestions or advice would be warmly appreciated.

--Paul

Old loofers secret...dried out bar of soap. Rub on pegs.
Or just buy some violin peg paste or dope.
Make sure the string, as the last wind leaves the peg, is rubbing up against the head plated or cheek plate. This last wind is the one to stop the peg from sliding out. Bet you didn't know that!
As a last resort if they are still slipping. Go find a violin loofer and ask him to ream the peg holes and sharpen or resurface the pegs. This will only cost a few bucks and be way cheaper than buying the reamer and sharpener. (about $150.)

blessings

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Are the tuners stuck or they just don't hold any more? Try adjusting the screw in the knob to tighten or loosen them. Maybe take them apart and clean them up if they look all gunked up.
If you have to replace them, I'd go with new friction tuners. I think they're more appropriate for soprano ukes.
Good luck on the crack. I hope it closes up for you

What Padma said, peg dope for the pegs. The cracks if they have been open for a while may not close on thier own even with humidification. If this is the material can be added.

We see old Martin Ukes regularilly and they are always fun to work with and can sound pretty good too when all tuned up and set up.

Have fun!

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Ann Arbor Guitars

. I have a different pt of view . If the friction tuners can/t be brought back to life .You can use recycled ebony vln or viola pegs. Most vln makers keep a box of used pegs around . should be dirt cheap. Second alternative is to follow through on the repair if you can, and get the new grover 4n open back tuners from WD music products they are uke tuners and a way better option than the ebony pegs or the friction pegs . Think they were abt $ 12 for a set of 4. PS I would not use CA on the cracked sides instead opt for 325g test hide glue or 192 and close the sides vy gently with spoolclamps. clean up is with hot water. CA might smudge the old varnish and might open later in dry weather.or when bumped again HHG is a lot more durable , repairable , and if you screw up you can always add more HHG.

Hmm...

Ok ernie,

Brand new violi/viola pegs start @ $1 EACH. So why waste time on used ones ? Makes no sense ernie. Non the less if the dope or soap don't work then them pegs need to be refitted...weather they be the originals, or leftovers form some loofers junk box or brand new...they must be fitted properly. Reamer and shave job.

Stay tights, eh..."way better option" eh...seems someone bought the advertising program...

If this were true ernie...then every violinist, violist and cello player in all the string orchestras on the planet would have switched over long time ago by now. But, alas it ain't happened. And don't come back with tradition...thats just another crock or we wouldn't be seeing/hearing carbon fiber being strung up with gut and horse hair and screeching on each other.


New, modern, fast, state of the art fart, gassed up, at the curb, keys in it, press hard three copies and yer down the road approach to looferin just ain't good enough reason to part with me money when the old ways work just as good if not better, and are way cheaper. All though me sure do like sty tites for some applications.


blessings.

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Ummm, errrr...

Friction pegs...

Does that mean violin-style pegs? I doubt it. Martin didn't use them on anything I've seen other than some cool guitars with ivory violin-style pegs.

Those would more likely be so-called "patent" friction pegs that have screws and plastic buttons and metal shafts and possibly leather friction washers. They are often restorable, though too many folks change them out for new ones.

This is yet another case of "photos please!"

As for cracks on vintage instruments...I'd use hot hide glue and do it correctly.

Your right by golly!

Yup the O soprano Uke did come with mechanical friction tuners and in most cases are repairable although most just replace them.

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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I have a Martin soprano uke with violin style friction pegs. I believe it is from the 1920s. Without digging for info,I could be wrong about the date, but... It does have the violin pegs.

pad , hang loose man .Thought if the guy was on a budget, he could get some recycled ebony pegs .I/ve used them on old harmony ukes with wallowed out holes.The sta- tites can be repaired , but if not , or you want to replace them .Have had gud luck with the grover 4n open back tuners which I prefer on my ukes.

John, I'd put money on those violin pegs not being original on that pictured uke. Just look at the chipouts on the back of the peghead; that is not Martin factory work. And the tuners are really too large to be appropriate. It just looks all wrong.

I highly recommend that anyone jumping into real vintage instrument repair or restoration start with some deep homework on how the instruments were originally made and what parts they came with before hacking them up with inappropriate substitute parts.

BTW, there are small post "patent" tuners available for restoration of ukes that do not require drilling out the original holes. I just put some cheapies from Saga on a Sears/Regal/MonkeyWards banjo uke that are fine and work well. A lot of the "friction tuners" that are available just don't fit vintage ukes. Now I just have to leave the buttons in coffee for a while.

Thanks for the tip abt post patent tuners from saga rick. I get their catalog, but aren/t they Wholesale ? or do they also sell retail now ??

That is entirely possible. They are quite a bit larger than the violin style friction pegs that were on my Kamaka Pineapple Uke, and they are an extremely tight fit in the canvas bag case the Uke came in. I had read that the early '20s ukes had rosewood friction pegs which means even IF that were true, these are replacements.

Well, here's a '22: https://www.google.com/search?q=1922+Ma ... B500%3B750

Thanks Rick,

I think this is the site that lead me to believe they were originally wooden. Of course that is just something off the internet so it might not be true at all.

http://www.geocities.com/~ukulele/martin2.html
Style 0 specifications:
•Wood friction pegs 1922-1926.
•Patent pegs: 1927


I have been avoiding doing a tuner swap on that uke trying to keep it historically accurate. You know, in the spirit of not messing up the vintage vibe. Of course, I'd also like to play it and those mega violin tuning pegs are not a great fit for keeping it in tune.

Is there a specific tuner you would recommend for replacement on an older martin? I know you mentioned the cheap SAGA, but are those the way to go?

Wow, I didn't expect so many to chime in. They are in fact mechanical friction pegs, with screws on the back of them. I removed them, cleaned them up, and re-installed. They now work perfectly! Sixty years or so of gunk had them unusable.

I am going to take Ernie's advice on the glue. If hot hide glue lets me fix the crack without a lot of damage to the finish, then that's what I'm going to do.

I'm going to remember the soap trick though. Mom's violin may need some attention soon.

Thanks again!

--Paul

Paul have some hot water handy after the hhg gels , clean it off vy carefully , otherwise whatever is left over will mar the old finish. PS the older harder and nastier the soap the better. I use peg dope on vln ebony pegs it/s a brwn paste. Check amazon? i/ve seen pegs for sale there and or a local vln shop.It/s only put on the peg where the peg contacts the scroll i.e. 2 spots on each peg