Ledzendrix1128 Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Ok, Heres the deal, I have a strat neck thats drilled for kluson sized tuners (simply bc its the smallest hole). I shouldn't have a problem drilling bigger holes into the neck, but thats besides the point. I was just wondering which tuners are overall better. Kluson Tuners or Schaller Tuners Both = same price, and both offer them in 6 in-line gold... So i was jsut wondering if one has better quality than the other. If the schallers are better, is it significant enought to risk chipping wood out when redrilling bigger holes for them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarGuy Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Schallers will give you a tighter feel... depends on the look you're going for. Everytime I see kluson I think cheap japanese LP knockoff. I know thats not the case but thats just what comes to mind when I see them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 I added Schaller lockers to my Strat 6 years ago and never looked back. They're awesome and definitely worth the upgrade. If you don't want to worry about chipping, just use a reamer to enlarge the holes. I used a drill press myself, but a reamer will work just as good if you don't have access to one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Have you thought about sperezles? They're high quality, come in a variety of finishes, and can be had for about $55. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitefly SA Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 i would also suggest sperzels, for 75 dollars they better tune themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Warmoth's got good prices on locking mini schaller tuners: http://www.warmoth.com/hardware/tuners/tun...n=guitar_tuners Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 My favorites are these Gotoh Vintage Locking Tuners But that's because I like locking tuners and I like the vintage look. Otherwise, I always use Grover locking tuners (because my guitars all have a larger hole). So obviously I recommend locking tuners I think anyone of the name brand tuners will be perfectly acceptable. I just can't believe there's any significant difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivin Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 So you liked those gotoh's eh idch? I'm happy for you, but I am never buying them again Two sets, both ..... bad - Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Huh. I mean, I don't really like the look of vintage tuners, so I don't go for those, but Gotoh's regular machines, and certainly their 510 series of 'modern' machines are very high quality, excellent tuning machines that at least match Schaller quality, sometimes outdoing Schaller, even. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivin Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Huh. I'm not saying that Gotoh is a bad company and that all their products are bad. I know that the fact I have used other sets of gotoh's on other guitars since my bad experiences logically goes against my position, but I don't think its that crazy to understand that if I bought two sets of the same tuners and they both had the same problem, then I would not buy those tuners again. Maybe I was just really unlucky, but I don't have enough money to find out I know I know, its a little stupid. Its good to hear that idch liked them enough to make them his tuner of choice - maybe that will convince me to try them again one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 You don't need to pay $75 for Sperzels http://www.specialtyguitars.com/tuners/sperzel.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egdeltar Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 You don't need to pay $75 for Sperzels http://www.specialtyguitars.com/tuners/sperzel.html ← No one said Sperzels are $75. Reread........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 oh crap I really screwed up this time. Now the forum is ruined forever. (anyway, I think Stew-Mac sells gold sperzels for $73.85) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank falbo Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Let's ignore the brand name and country of origin for a minute (although it's still important) and establish a basic premise. The die cast tuners (like the Schallers you've pictured) are enclosed, with lubricant sealed in. They also have screw-on knobs that act as a tension adjust. finally, they don't just sit in place by a set screw from behind like a kluson variant. They are locked down from the top with a nice, big nut and washer. So they're a far superior design. I have klusons, too, but I'm just pointing out the differences between the designs. If you put a locking mechanism on the enclosed tuner you're even better off. I like Idch's Gotoh locking kluson style tuner. That's a great tuner, although the Gotoh die cast locking tuner is my favorite of all time. That combines everything good in the world of tuners IMO. AND it's less expensive than the Schallers you've posted. As for quality variances between countries and brands, I think anything from Germany, Japan, or America will be fine. Taiwan & China have been making most of the factory tuners for a long time now, and even those are okay nowadays. I guess I don't really have "tuner snobbery" unless the tuner is so bad that it doesn't hold tune. But actually, that's what a Kluson design can do, since it's just sitting in the wood, with a little mushroom anchor on top. In case you can't tell, I'm saying if you don't need a vintage look, get the Schallers, Gotoh (locking or otherwise) or Sperzels perhaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 That's a great tuner, although the Gotoh die cast locking tuner is my favorite of all time. That combines everything good in the world of tuners IMO. AND it's less expensive than the Schallers you've posted. ← I know of these things, but I don't believe I've ever found a place that actually sells them. Got a source to share? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledzendrix1128 Posted November 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Ok, kluson and Gotoh i sorta ruled out, now im looking at the style of tuner like the schaller, and the sperzel that you guys recommended. I like the idea of a washer and nut on top of the peghead vs. screwing wood screws into the back of the neck. So for a set of 6 in line gold tuners, would i be better going with the sperzels, or the schallers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 I didn't say I've used those Gotohs, only that I like them --that is, I like the look of them, and if I wanted to go for a 'vintage' looking 6-inline guitar with the smaller diameter hole, I'd consider those first. Both my strat and tele have 10mm tuner holes, so I bought Grovers. And for my other guitars, I always buy Grover mini locking tuners--because I like the look of them (they're also lighter weight because they're smaller) and the price is right. But for the 350 I'm building I'm planning on converting the Rickenbacker knockoff tuners I have here into a variation of the Wilkinson EZ-lok. If I can pull it off, cool. If not, I'll put in Grovers. Ledzendrix, my only advice is that you chose the tuners that have the LOOK you need. Both of your choices are fine tuners and they're both going to work fine for you. So it comes down to which set you want to SEE on your guitar. At least, that's my humble opinion. Unless some Tone Witch Doctor wants to express his thoughts on the effect of tuners on tone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Ok, kluson and Gotoh i sorta ruled out, now im looking at the style of tuner like the schaller, and the sperzel that you guys recommended. I like the idea of a washer and nut on top of the peghead vs. screwing wood screws into the back of the neck. So for a set of 6 in line gold tuners, would i be better going with the sperzels, or the schallers? ← Both are fine, quality tuners. I've used both, and right now, I slightly prefer the mini Schaller locking tuners in terms of looks, but both of them are perfectly suited for the job they have to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledzendrix1128 Posted November 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Just how "mini" is a mini schaller tuner? Ive always wondered that. Does anyone have pictures of them on a neck, i only see them with a white background and i cant tell how big they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Um, kinda normal sized, really. Fit nicely next to each other on a 6-in-line headstock. Knob size in line with a standard vintage type tuner, as 'full size' schallers would have knobs that are entirely too large. If you really want I can take a picture of one for you next to a Gotoh M6-type tuner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledzendrix1128 Posted November 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 What about the Planet Waves auto trim tuners? Have anyone used these? They seem like a cool concept... but all that extra junk means nothing if they cant hold a tune. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 What about the Planet Waves auto trim tuners? Have anyone used these? They seem like a cool concept... but all that extra junk means nothing if they cant hold a tune. ← The red guitar I entered in the GOTM last month is fitted with Planet Waves auto-trim locking tuners. They're...OK. The auto trim feature is awesome, and leaves a very, very clean look, very easily, but they don't feel quite as 'positive' as schaller or sprezel locking tuners. This said, they kept the guitar in tune perfectly. There's no 'extra junk' on them, really; they've got a standard thumbwheel on the back, and the hole the string goes through is angled and and the bit the shaft runs through has a hardened/sharpened edge that snips the excess string length off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledzendrix1128 Posted November 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 so if cost wasnt an issue, sperzel of planet waves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackburncustomguitars Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 I totally agree. I've used the 510's on a number of guitars for my customers, and the customers have been unanimous in their approval. (They look cool, too.) Peace, DaveHuh. I mean, I don't really like the look of vintage tuners, so I don't go for those, but Gotoh's regular machines, and certainly their 510 series of 'modern' machines are very high quality, excellent tuning machines that at least match Schaller quality, sometimes outdoing Schaller, even. ← Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 so if cost wasnt an issue, sperzel of planet waves? ← Schaller. Otherwise, bit of a tie. Sprezels are lighter than Planet Waves, which are fairly big/bulky tuners. So if weight matters...Sprezel. Otherwise, kinda depends on the instrument. I really have no qualms about using any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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