his is my scratch mandolin for learning and so investing a lot in tuners would not make sense for me either. I decided to go for a slight upgrade into tuners made by Ping. The buttons are integrated and chrome plated as the rest of the tuner assembly. When the package arrived, I was pleasantly surprised just how much smoother the tuners turned. I have a photo here of the original tuners and the new Ping ones, side by side. Original on the left. New ones on the right. You couldn't tell much by looking at the photo but this upgrade is recommended, not only by myself but by most who have built this kit.I completed filing open the tuner holes through the new ebony plate and did a dry fit of the tuners. Everything seems to fit well. The photo shows the new tuners in. No screws yet. That will come once the whole instrument is assembled.
By the way - the ebony is not pitch black but has some dark brown streaks through it. Many builders dye the ebony so that it's completely flat black but I'm not sure I want to do it. Right now I like the variations in the wood. It adds some character.
