Author Topic: gotoh vintage locking tuners (Read 9269 times)

gwEm · « **on:** November 04, 2007, 09:56:45 PM »

fitted sperzels to one of my guitars a few months ago and have been very happy with the locking mechanism.

to prevent modification and a change in appearance the mentioned tuners from gotoh seem to be a good idea. whats the reality? are they realible? still sturdy after a few years?

thanks :)

Philly Q · « **Reply #1 on:** November 04, 2007, 09:59:42 PM »

Gotohs are by far my favourite locking tuners, and they come in lots of different styles - Grover-types, Schaller-types, Kluson-types (for both Fenders and Gibsons).

They work extremely well, but I've only developed my locking tuner obsession in the last year or so, so I can't comment on long-term reliability.

Edit: Are you thinking of getting them for your Greco V? I reckon they'd be perfect. :)

gwEm · « **Reply #2 on:** November 04, 2007, 10:14:50 PM »

thanks for the comments philly

Quote from: Philly Q

Edit: Are you thinking of getting them for your Greco V? I reckon they'd be perfect. :)

yes i am :) goddamn that guitar is sweet - best guitar i've ever owned.

ordered some bkps for it, but i specified the wrong covers, hopefully tim send the recovered ones soon... aching to play the thing again.

Philly Q · « **Reply #3 on:** November 04, 2007, 10:42:34 PM »

Quote from: gwEm

ordered some bkps for it, but i specified the wrong covers, hopefully tim send the recovered ones soon... aching to play the thing again.

Mules?

gwEm · « **Reply #4 on:** November 04, 2007, 10:59:11 PM »

yes mules - i asked tim for something with the mids of the mule, with the bite of the riff raff. he suggested an A5/4 mule set or rebel yells. i liked the idea of an A5/4 mule set, so thats what i went for.

gwEm · « **Reply #5 on:** November 15, 2007, 09:49:49 AM »

they arrived yesterday, and i'm not too sure about them

on the one hand:

* tuning stability is alot improved
* no problem to fit
* looks 99% like a vintage tuner
* no need to 'stretch' string
* solid feel

on the other hand:

* twice as expensive as a normal tuner
* will there be enough meat left on the string after trimming to refit old strings?
* not certain which way to turn the tuner while its locking - the tuning post doesn't turn during this phase
* not convinced it will be faster to lightning fast change strings at a gig vs a normal tuner

i think it makes sense to fit to them to something like a vintage strat with tremolo, where the locking mechnanism is a strong benefit. need to live with them a bit more to answer my concerns before commenting more.

it is a clever design gotoh have come up with though

Philly Q · « **Reply #6 on:** November 15, 2007, 10:15:05 AM »

Quote from: gwEm

* will there be enough meat left on the string after trimming to refit old strings?

Probably not - but that's true with all locking tuners. Why do you need to refit old strings anyway, you skinflint? (

) You could always leave the ends untrimmed if it's an issue.

Quote

* not certain which way to turn the tuner while its locking - the tuning post doesn't turn during this phase

The same way you'd turn normal tuners!

Quote

* not convinced it will be faster to lightning fast change strings at a gig vs a normal tuner

That depends how small you make the hole in the post before inserting the string - if you (or your highly-paid guitar tech) can get that down to a fine art, the mechanism locks very quickly. Probably difficult in backstage lighting conditions though - I admit the Sperzel/Schaller design is quicker/easier in that respect. But you can't get them in vintage styles.

Sorry, I'm being defensive. I love my Gotohs! :)

I must admit I have sometimes forgotten which way to turn the heads of the tuners to loosen them (the ones on the plain strings have to tighten anti-anticlockwise for the design to work, which is counter-intuitive). I damaged the chrome plating on a couple by tightening them when I was thought I was loosening them.

gwEm · « **Reply #7 on:** November 15, 2007, 10:28:23 AM »

no worries philly, not to attack the gotohs :) just some initial thoughts. theres no doubt they lock and keep the strings in tune excellently. i admit i sometimes have luddite tendancies, need to get into the new design.

not knowing which way to turn the knobs is a bit of a problem though - i'll need to use my other guitars as a reference... lame that i can never remember ;)

Philly Q · « **Reply #8 on:** November 15, 2007, 10:44:29 AM »

Were the tuners a good fit with the headstock bushings? When I put a set on my LP Jr I found the posts of the non-locking tuners were a bit thicker (although I'm pretty certain they're also Gotohs), so the locking tuners were a bit loose. Being a fussy git, I popped out the old bushings and used the Gotoh ones.

gwEm · « **Reply #9 on:** November 15, 2007, 10:49:15 AM »

exactly as you said

but its a gotoh thing i think. i fitted a few non-locking gotoh sets in my time and had the same issue. i think the weighter gotoh bushing adds subliminally to my confidence ;)

gwEm · « **Reply #10 on:** December 03, 2007, 04:36:51 PM »

i changed my mind philly - those tuners rock. definately worth the extra, no more reservations.

took me a few weeks to get used to them!

Philly Q · « **Reply #11 on:** December 03, 2007, 05:19:04 PM »

Good man! :D