Upgrading tuners for Mikro?

[cslabs]

Just picked up a GRGM51HP Mikro Sonik for my kids... was initially very disappointed, it was constantly unplayably out of tune. Closer examination revealed at least three causes: (1) intonation was way off out of the box (2) stock tuners are crap and (3) neck (or neck joint?) is easily bent; small amount of pressure will bend it enough to change the pitch.

Fixed (1) and keeping a light touch solves (3) but the tuners slip so bad it's necessary to re-tune after every song. This is a recurring theme in reviews on the Mikros, with lots of folks expressing an intent to replace the tuners... but I have yet to see a followup from someone who has actually done it.

Do standard Ibanez Gotohs (MB500**) work without modification to the Mikro headstock? Obviously they are one screw/tuner rather than the stock two screw, but will the posts fit in the existing holes? Anyone want to share their experience upgrading tuners on one of these?

-Frank

[TMatt142]

Holy crap CS.....Ditto on the same problems with my daughters. I agree, I think the main cause are the purely Sh*t tuners. It's hard to even get it in tune without going sharp or flat. I was meaning to take a tuner off my S series but ended up trading off the guitar. I plan on doing a pickup swap on one of my 7's in the next few days. When I have it apart, I'll check. Until that time hopefully someone has already tried it and fesses up!

[nuno]

i think no, standard tuners wouldn't fit the holes in the Mikro headstock. you gotta enlarge them with a 10mm reamer. i've got a Mikro myself, gave one to my nephew and another one to my GF's nephew, and have the same problem on all of them. tuners are sh*t, but the rest is ok.

[Lefty Robb]

What about those old school behind the nut nut locks found on old school floyd'd out Fenders?

[nuno]

Originally Posted by Lefty Robb

What about those old school behind the nut nut locks found on old school floyd'd out Fenders?

it would work but i think it's not worth, as you would be adding a further step in the strings path, and you'd also wouldn't have better working tuners. they're sh*t not only because they won't hold the tuning, but also because they have a cr*ppy ratio as you would turn it by a millionth degree while altering your pitch by full steps each time. they're also stiff to turn, and not smooth at all. so, instead of adding something intricate to a simple and straightforward guitar, just replace the tuners. you don't need boutique tuners, a standard, average 30$ set would work fine.

[cslabs]

Thought I'd follow up...

This weekend I finally got around to upgrading the tuners on my son's Mikro. I used a set of (new) Gotoh sealed inlines with Schaller buttons. The peg holes do indeed need to be enlarged from stock to 10mm (13/32") and I would recommend a reamer rather than a standard drill for the best possible results (to minimize damage to finish & tear-outs). Orienting the tuners perfectly perpendicular to the headstock edge would require filling the old mounting screw hole on the back of the headstock and drilling a new one. However, if you are OK with having the tuners at a slight angle, it is possible to reuse an existing hole to secure the new tuners.

I restrung it with EB Slinky (10's) and the difference is *ASTOUNDING*. The guitar used to be nearly unplayable because it would fall out of tune immediately... but with the new tuners it now holds tune very well. The neck joint is still flimsy, but at least you don't have to retune after every song any more.

I'll try to take some pix shortly, but I think the $35 for a new set of tuners makes a world of difference in the playability of the Mikro, and is well worth it.

-Frank

[nuno]

great, thank Frank, i'll be doing this mod soon in my Mikro too!

[TMatt142]

purchasing new tuners for my daughters as well as we speak...can't wait for the results!