Tuning Machines

MKFAN

Junior Member
Messages
65
What do you guys think of locking tuners? Schaller, PWs, etc?
Are the worth it? Gimmick? Better to stick to plain old regular tuners?
 
Of what's available from the Warmoth site, I prefer the PW autotrim tuners; very handy, worth the extra $$$.
 
i haven't used the PW tuners but i've heard a lot of good stuff about em from the people on this site.  My choice was the gotoh tuners with the magnum lock feature and they definitely deliver the goods....even when my strings were too high a gauge for the nut slots and the bottom E would pop out all i had to do was just bring the E to pitch and the rest of the strings followed.  it's really pretty crazy but now i can't have it any other way.....i'm sure all locking tuners do that at least to some degree...
 
Locking tuners probly matter more to heavy trem users.  FWIW, on my strat I have a $20 pair of non-locking tuners I bought from GFS, they're very smooth and the guitar stays in tune for weeks.  I'm playing with the Schallers I just got on my first Warmoth and they're cool and all, but I don't really see how they're a big upgrade over the GFS on my old strat. Little faster to change strings I guess. Like I said, with a tremolo and associated tuning issues I may have a different opinion, but who knows?  Haven't used PW but they look cool.
 
It's not that they necessarily stay in tune better; the locking/auto-trim mechanism just makes quick string changes a snap; that's worth an extra $20-30 bucks over a cheaper set over the life of a guitar...
 
I have actually never used locking tuners, but I have stayed away from them because I use some different tunings, and always thought they would be a hassle.  Non-locking tuners on all three of my guitars, and I don't usually have many tuning issues.  
 
Maybe I don't understand what some of you are refering to about locking tuners.  I have PW locking tuners, the only thing I see that they do is clamp the string, the tuner itself does not lock, tremelo use would not be any better with these tuners over anything else.

I do likehow fast it is to change strings

Maybe some of you dont know how to properly wrap a string on a normal tuner, Check this out
http://www.tothestage.com/MediaLibrary.Page?ActiveID=1142

If this isn't how your winding your strings, it should be

Also, I can retune to any key I like, the locking tuners don't stop me from doing that.  But why would you, your guitar should be setup for one guage of string and one pitch anyway. That's why we have multiple guitars

 
But why would you, your guitar should be setup for one guage of string and one pitch anyway. That's why we have multiple guitars

Because the chicks in the audience get bored while your switching out guitars and go hang out by the bar.
 
I dont think anyone was confused between locking tuners and locking nuts, at least I am not.

Guitlouie, you need a strap on each guitar, and organize your setlist in a way so you dont have to keep changing guitar back and forth. What's it take to set a guitar in a stand, and strap on the other? 10 seconds- including the cord change.

and if the girls are at the bar while you do it, maybe they are thirsty. Or the entertainment at the bar is better?  LOL sorry couldn't resist
 
It's cool man, I was just telling the man that I have never had a problem that I thought locking tuners could fix, and I just don't subscribe to the theory that If it ain't broke, fix it till it is.  But yeah, the chicks walk away for many reasons....
 
The thing with locking tuners....

IF they are properly strung, and IF the nut is something like an LSR roller nut, THEN they are almost as good as a locking nut, without the weight and without the fugly looking nut.

I've got Sperzels on a Strat neck and I just dont see the big deal.

To me, the best tuners I've use lately are modern Grovers, with screw in bushings, that are just smooth as silk.  The two sets of Kluson Kopy tuners from Gotoh that I recently installed are some tough sobs to turn, but I'm sure they'll loosen up with use... in 10 or 20 years.
 
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