Locking tuners... worth it? + which ones?

[sambo]

hmm well im sick of my Gibson going out of tune (a bit too often than it should imo)... do locking tuners really do the job? and if so which ones would you guys recommend?

ive looked at Sperzel initially... but theyre more expensive than the likes of Gotoh and Grover... bearing in mind they need to be 3 a side... (oh and as its a melody maker theyre the 'Deluxe' ones... weirdy shaped.)

and also... as far as trem axes go... how would locking utners compare to a locking nut? and easier to use? i hate locking/unlocking the nut on my ESP all the time... so surely in theory getting locking tuners for that and then not using the locking nut would still work just as well right?

cheers.

[Dakine]

Cannot help much.
But have had/do have sperzel and LOVE em, LOOOOOOOOOOVE em.
On the 'Pet it has wilkerson type trem with sperzels.
Dunno if locking tuners with floyd type trem would work so well (though no experience) as that kinda trem is designed to go with locking nut.
Also, maybe, by time ya finished modding it (less ya love it) it might be cheaper to buy a different guitar bud.

[sambo]

mm maybe so... which one are you talking about here though? lol


gibson or esp?

esp youd be right definately as its cheap.. no point doing it up.

Gibson though... hmmm i dunno... they retail £550+ ish... they aint cheap... with the bareknuckle... and locking tuners (they would be the only upgrades i probably COULD make easily)... then itd be £600+ worth of axe... and i dunno what i could get instead with a boutique pup, top-notch locking tuners and is as good as the guitar in general... for that price.

needs some thinking.

[Dakine]

meant the floyd one.
Some LOVE floyd type trems, I LOATHE them!!!!!!! Too much agro IMO.
But then I don't like trems in general.
Your Gibbo is unique to you, but the other may be worth changing rather than spending cash on.
Tuners for the Gibson (again IMO) need pro. fitting due to hole spacing which is extra cost.

[sambo]

ahhh yup... yer i think your right... need to look into budget and what im after though i guess.

and im starting to agree with you on the whole trem thing.. im so used to the gibsons ease of string-changing+tuning i just cant be arsed with all the hassle.

and yer pro.fitting could be costly im guessing.

[Jp.]

lockin tuners dont necc. help with tuning stability, other than the fact tha they are usually a high qulaity tuner an therefore should stay in tune better.

Lockin tuners are mostly for making it easier and faster for string changes
and at that they are mint. I have them on 2 guitars. One set of schaller the other are genuine fender. If your going to gig regularly.... GET EM

Cant recommend them enough. hows a 15 sec string change sound. Thats 1m 30 sec total string change..... in a hurry.

[maliciousteve]

better quality tuners will help quite a bit with tuning stability. But it won't completely irradicate the problems. Keeping the nut lubricated also helps as it reduces friction. The same for the bridge as well.

[Dakine]

Try the old pencil lead in the nut groove trick Sam, see if that helps with tuning.

[jt]

:D OK Sam i`ve had normal regular tuners & now have Sperzels. No contest get the Sperzels or any of the locking tuner jobs. String changing is a peice of P*** !

They don`t necessary help with tuning stability when used with Trems but they are better than no locking systems at all. If your gonna be doing Vai type of Trem control then you need a Floyd/Khaler type. If your gonna do basic trem moves every now & then then locking tuners should do you.

AS for the Melody Maker sounds like a nice guitar don`t get rid of it, but Pup upgrades & locking tuners will certainly help the sound & string changing

 :D  8)

[Bainzy]

You don't need locking tuners, they're just a nice thing to have. I've got a guitar with locking Schallers and a graphite nut/saddles, and a few without all that stuff. All my guitars are able to stay in tune without lots of hassle. You should be able to minimise tuning issues by changing the way you wrap the strings around the tuning pegs, but also bear in mind that strings can get caught in the saddles and nut too - so remove any burrs on saddles and make sure your nut is cut to a decent standard (many Gibson ones aren't from the factory).

[froglord]

Another vote for the Sperzels. I've got them on my Eggle and they're great - a really nice bit of engineering.

Sam, a couple of thoughts about tuning stability:
1. Are you stretching the strings in when you change them?
2. Have you left the strings on for ages (like I do)? That can cause problems.

[Sifu Ben]

Yeah, locking tuners may well help, but also consider your nut and saddles. Wilkinson do a locking Tune-a-matic with roller saddles for ridiculously little money, which will also help with intonation. If you do loads of bends etc it may well be worth getting a graphite or tusq nut. Again, if you get something like the Earvana it'll help your intonation as well.
 Sperzels are good, but the Grovers are really good value for money. Again, the Wilkinson EZ LOK tuners are REALLY cheap (like cheaper than non locking Grovers).

[sambo]

woooooooooooooah!


cheers guys, thanks for all the info, its ALL really helpful...

ok so... from the beginning:

bainzy: you mentioned how the strings are wrapped round the pegs makes a difference... is there a particular method you use then? and ill look into the nut e.t.c. thanks for the heads up.

j.t- cheers- i probably will be gigging regularly and the fact that it makes re-stringing really easy is a good thing to know.

froglord: i used to stretch them by winding the pegs on (i.e. tuning them really high before tuning them properly)... but have recently found out its better to just physically pull/stretch them... ??? and i used to leave strings on for yonks but have started changing more regularly.  cheers.

steve- what do you use to lubricate the bridge + nut?

ben- cheers for all the info... ive seen the roller saddles bridge around... youd recommend them then? and i thought about an Earvana ages ago but couldnt find anywhere to get one from i dont think...

oh and nick- what the hell is that pencil lead  trick thing...?


cheeeers guys.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Sperzel locking machineheads are well worth the money -even if only for massively speeding up string changes.

They do help with tuning a lot as there is much less slack string to deal with
They also help because they prevent issues caused by people not putting strings on right- as you just thread the string through, lock and tune.

They are about £55-60 a set unless you want gold ones.

But I agree that a well cut nut is essential too

See below - Graphtech have teamed up with tone-pros for a locking tunamatic bridge with graphite saddles.
Stability and tuning all in one - bonus



They said:
Graph Tech Guitar Labs and TonePros Sound Labs International have combined forces to create the SuperBridge, a TonePros® signature Tune-o-matic locking bridge featuring Graph Tech’s patented String Saver™ saddles.

Graph Tech’s String Saver saddles, made from a superior chemically-grafted polymer that includes Teflon, produce a 15% increase in sustain over standard steel saddles while virtually eliminating string breakage. The Tune-o-matic locking bridges designed by TonePros also improve sustain and acoustic coupling to the guitar while improving intonation. This is an unbeatable combination for players and manufacturers looking to improve guitar performance.

[Dakine]

pencil lead trick, rub a pencil lead into the nut, the shavings help to lube.