Open Back Sperzels

[Xanthus]

http://www.tkinstruments.com/sperzel_open_back_spec_.htm

I need to buy a set of Sperzels for my new project, and these open back tuners seem pretty nifty. They have a smaller footprint than the trim loks, and they look cool, but this is the first I've heard of them, and from a 3rd party website, no less. Sperzel's website, as always, is constantly under construction. The TK website is also offering a version with the same thumbwheel action as the TrimLok. The main selling point for me is that they look cool and they're tiny, but I know those aren't good reasons to buy anything so I didn't know if anyone had any actual experience using them, and how they shape up to the traditional Sperzel locking sets.

Thanks!

[Rick500]

I haven't used them yet, but I plan to.

I have dealt with Todd at TK Instruments, though, and would have no problem recommending him.

[Xanthus]

Duly noted, Rick, and thanks! I'm planning of ordering from TK no matter what, as he's the only guy I've found who sells single Sperzels by the sea shore...... er, yeah. My only beef with the Sperzels (thanks to a revelation in Koch's book) is that the 6IL only come staggered, so to remedy this I'm going to see if I can get a set of 6 tall post Sperzels from TK instead.

[Rick500]

I'm pretty sure you'll have no problem getting six of the same height. He has Sperzel drop ship them directly to you, so pretty much anything they can do, you can get. I got different buttons on mine than are standard on 3+3s.

[soapbarstrat]

I have them. Don't have a trem on that guitar, so can't tell you how well they hold up to trem use (I would imagine they don't work as well as the clamp sperzels for keeping in tune during whammy abuse)

Pin location different than on the other Sperzels. in other words, Stew-Mac little drill jig won't do you any good on the open backs.

[Xanthus]

Yeah I was thinking the same about the trem. My build is a TOM, so we're safe there. And I don't have the pin locater, I've got a straight-edge

If you don't mind, how do you feel they compare to the regular thumbscrew Sperzels? By all estimations, they're probably lighter and definitely have a smaller footprint, which are big selling points for me. I just didn't know how the new locking system compares to the old one.

[soapbarstrat]

I think the closed backs might rotate a little smoother, just 'cause the grease can't go anywhere. Don't worry about that though. Use "tri-flow" if you ever find open gears being too stiff.

The open backs are smooth enough though. I like a little stiffness in a tuner. Just seems the parts are fitting better when they're like that.

Of course they're a little lighter, don't seem so clunky to me, as the regular Sperzels do.

I'd feel like it was a little over-kill to have the thumb locks on a guitar where I don't have a heavy-duty whammy bar rigged up.

And being the lazy bastard I am, I just run the whole string though the open backs, and leave 'em that way for quite a while. I got several inches of guitar strings coming straight out the back of the headstock. I can play open harmonics, then grab the string bundle in back the headstock to raise the pitch, but not extremely effective with my rather low string action and neck relief.