Electric Guitars Tuners?!? We don't need no stinkin' tuners!

What kind of tuner do you like?


  • Total voters
    11

snarf

making guitars wish they were still trees
Ok, so not really tuners ((like Boss and Snark and Peterson) so much as tuning machines or tuning heads or whatever you want to call them. Those things that your strings attach to on the north side of the nut. Saw a couple of comments in another thread that made me wonder.

What kind of tuners do you prefer? Or do you have a preference? And btw, my poll is totally not biased. :ROFLMAO:

Personally, my fave are the vintage style Fender tuners. The ones that you poke the tip of the string into the middle of the post and then wind away. Oddly enough, although I've talked about putting locking tuners on a couple of guitars, I don't have a single guitar that has them on it. In fact, when I spec-ed out my ADE Strat in Corona, I chose vintage style tuners over locking tuners. I just really like them. If they made those for a non-Fender headstock, I'd put them on all my guitars if I could. I'd argue that they're almost as fast to change as a locking tuner. Cut the string to length, insert string end, bend, wind like mad. I can have the strings on my Strat changed in 5 minutes.

So what kind do you prefer and why? Do you go for aesthetic or function Do you like a particular brand? I know there are several big names (Grover, Schaller, Ping, etc) but I couldn't tell you the difference in any of them. Do you like OEM or after market? I've seen where those Ratio tuners have been getting a lot of good press the last year.

So let's start a discussion on tuning machines. Which ones do you like (or dislike) and what's so good about them?
 

Danno

Blues Newbie
I'm with you on the vintage Fender style. When I built a telecaster from Warmoth parts I specifically went with those machines even though they're a little more involved to install. I'm pretty sure those are Kluson. Aside from the speed of restringing, they're very tidy -- no string ends sticking out to stab your finger or catch your clothes.
 

JestMe

Student Of The Blues
Both of my PRS guitars have locking tuners and I do love them... the locking tuners as well as the guitars!

Regarding my acoustics, one is an open slot head with... slot head type [Waverly] tuners. I love the look of slot head guitars even though they might be a bit more cumbersome when changing strings.
 

artyman

Fareham UK
I have ordinary, Fender vintage, and Gibson locking on the Les Paul, don't have problems with any of them to be honest though the locking ones are probably the quickest to change. Best buy was a string winder, makes the take up so much faster.
 

mountain man

Still got the Blues!
I’ve put those on 4 or 5 guitars that I’ve modded for a guy. A bit pricey at $119, but I really like the way they work. Very easy to turn ergonomically, and they do not loosen. A really simple idea really.
And lightweight. If you have a neck/head heavy guitar you might loose a little and gain a slightly better balance....... Possibly good on an SG? :Beer:
 

Elwood

Blues
Lockers are just not a feature that I value much on a guitar. Smooth tuners that will hold pitch, yes. I don't use a whammy bar and I do use frets, so extreme bends don't concern me. Otherwise, I do not understand the popularity. My two new telecasters both came with lockers, they are fine.

I did break an E .010 string on one., a very rare event for me. When I was up buying some single .010 strings the clerk/player said "oh yeah, some guys take a wrap around the post anyway ( with lockers) to help with that".
 

jammoore99

Blues Newbie
I purchased a pre owned strat that has locking tuners; they work really well keeping the guitar in tune. I'd have to say based on my limited experience, I'd have to give them the nod over regular tuners.
 

Slofinger

Blues Junior
For me locking tuners are more about easier string change than staying in tune. To many variables to a guitar staying in tune, such as stored in a case versus not, temperature changes in the room there in.
 
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