jane_doe13 Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 i'm working on a custom tele project that requires black tuners. my neck is a standard MIM maple. unfortunately, these necks require tuners of the two-prong, screwless variety, and fender only makes them in chrome and gold. more unfortunate for me, fender makes the only tuners that will fit this neck (schaller does make a screwless, 10mm, two-prong tuner in black, but the two prongs are just ever so slightly too close to the peg). if i want to modify the neck, i can get just about anything to work. but i want to avoid drilling holes, plugging holes, etc. basically, i just don't want to mod this neck. that leaves my only option to paint the tuners. i'm not sure how well this will work out. i'm concerned about what type of paint to use for small, metal, moving parts, too. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewu22 Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 i'm working on a custom tele project that requires black tuners. my neck is a standard MIM maple. unfortunately, these necks require tuners of the two-prong, screwless variety, and fender only makes them in chrome and gold. more unfortunate for me, fender makes the only tuners that will fit this neck (schaller does make a screwless, 10mm, two-prong tuner in black, but the two prongs are just ever so slightly too close to the peg). if i want to modify the neck, i can get just about anything to work. but i want to avoid drilling holes, plugging holes, etc. basically, i just don't want to mod this neck. that leaves my only option to paint the tuners. i'm not sure how well this will work out. i'm concerned about what type of paint to use for small, metal, moving parts, too. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am not a paint expert but, if they are made of metal, it would be strip, prime, and paint. are they able to be disassembled? That would help a lot. I am thinking poly for this, for durability. Just my 2 cents. I am sure someone with more experience will chime in soon. Got any pics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibsonsg26 Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 you could plug the tuner holes with dowels then redrill for the tuners you want it might show up though so use a dowel of the same wood as the neck to make it less noticeble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
low end fuzz Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 you could plug the tuner holes with dowels then redrill for the tuners you want it might show up though so use a dowel of the same wood as the neck to make it less noticeble thats the right way to do it, but he wants to avoid that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perhellion Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Anything is possible, but painting the tuners would be way harder than plug and redrill for the tuners that are already black. To get paint to stick to the tuners, all the chrome has to be removed, like by beadblasting. For beadblasting, complete disassembly of the tuner first would be the best way to go. Maybe you could get a cool look by replacing only the knobs with ebony or black ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 why not just buy some sperzels? They come in oh, maybe 20 different colors. Do a google search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jane_doe13 Posted June 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 why not just buy some sperzels? They come in oh, maybe 20 different colors. Do a google search. yeah, i love sperzels, but a mod would be necessary to make them fit. trying to avoid that. the only screwless ones sperzel makes have the one-prong system... fender uses a two-prong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibsonsg26 Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 you could plug the tuner holes with dowels then redrill for the tuners you want it might show up though so use a dowel of the same wood as the neck to make it less noticeble thats the right way to do it, but he wants to avoid that oops didnt read that part sry bout that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jane_doe13 Posted June 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 ah! found a local metal painting company that will paint the chrome fender tuners professionally for me for $50. seem like a deal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 I guess it will be tough luck for you if their pro paint job flakes off later. Those tuners are not worth putting another penny into. I don't know what's so bad about putting new pin holes for new better tuners ($50.00 is 90% of the cost of a set of new, better (and black) tuners). Here's my mexican strat neck with Sperzel sound-lock tuners. The neck still has the double pin holes for the fender tuners left unplugged. I think you can still see the unplugged holes a slight bit. I guess that makes it really look like crap. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v398/soa...undlok11061.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibsonsg26 Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 i agree with soapbarstrat you could also risk them messing them up and having the tuners stick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 The paint shop can do them, but will they get all of the sand or glass or whatever grit out of the tuners? Will the put the tuners back together properly if they even take them apart? Will they gaurantee the paint job? Metal is not any easy medium to get paint to stick to. If not done 100% properly, the paint will flake real easily. If you're spending $50 on the paint job, spend the %60 on quality tuners that are annodized black and won't chip and do it properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim_ado Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 i dont know i think you would have to get them dipped or somthing i take it theres a cover over the gear....yes?? i agree with the others. theres nothing like the feel of new tuners. but there is something like the look of flaking black paint.....*imagination takes over* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jane_doe13 Posted June 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 I guess it will be tough luck for you if their pro paint job flakes off later. Those tuners are not worth putting another penny into. I don't know what's so bad about putting new pin holes for new better tuners ($50.00 is 90% of the cost of a set of new, better (and black) tuners). Here's my mexican strat neck with Sperzel sound-lock tuners. The neck still has the double pin holes for the fender tuners left unplugged. I think you can still see the unplugged holes a slight bit. I guess that makes it really look like crap. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v398/soa...undlok11061.jpg that doesn't look bad at all. where'd you get sperzels for under 80+ bucks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibsonsg26 Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 my local music store sells them for like 60 bucks in chrome but i think your right that black are more expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Those on my neck are the *sound lock* Sperzels. The original and still more popular Sperzels are the *trim lok* ones. He's got black sperzel trim lok's for $60.00 : http://www.specialtyguitars.com/tuners/trimlock.html But he doesn't seem to have the *sound lock* Sperzels in anything but gold now. Bought my nickel ones from him a while back. I made a "drill jig" to drill the holes for the pins, but the jig was all plastic and not made that well, so those on the photo of my MIM neck are actually slightly crooked. Last time I put Sperzel trim loks on a customer's guitar, I built a better drilling jig that seems to have worked great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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