Members grunge782 Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 I'm not talking about a floyd setup, just normal locking tuners. This should become the standard IMO, it makes things much easier for string changes and tuning stability. All of my guitars I've changed to locking tuners and I haven't noticed any disadvantages to using them...Am I missing something here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members paul88lx Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 The only disadvantage is they've made me lazy. I have Sperzels on all of my Strats and I now refuse to wrap strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Villano Dude Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 I have used locking tuners for a while now and could not be happier with them. I have heard some say it affects the sustain of the guitar but I have never noticed that whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cibyl Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 Some of them add weight to the headstock -- that's about the only disadvantage IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Anomaly Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 I don't see any disadvantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members magh8 Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 great for strats...I have a set kicking around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sheik_Yerbouti Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 If you play in a punk band, they don't go out of tune easily enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members greg apocalypse Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 Even better - the Planet Waves locking tuners also clip your strings for you. Tell me why they should have anything different on any guitar ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cirrus Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 Is it easy to do a quick tuning change? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sillypeoples Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 Let's say you took a trip, your on an island somewhere, and that little ring on the tuner, falls off the boat into the water.... It's not a strong argument, but one that 'if it can break, it probably will'... Personally I think they are the bomb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pepi Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 Didn't know there were other kinds except LOCKING Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mamberg Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 quicker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeadManWalking Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 I use Sperzel, and they are great except for their 12:1 tuning ratio.. They must do it for a reason, but that ratio can be a bit hard to get perfecT on the first try.. Many times if I'm just a touch flaT and I barely tweak the knob, its gone sharp.. Them I have to retune and sometimes I'll have to stretch the string to get a new starting point because at times I just can not get it to get the perfect pitch.. Otherwise, the quickness of string changes and stability is impossible to argue against.. I would say I could change all 6 in under 5 minutes.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Miter Gauge Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 I haven't found any disadvantages personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dehumanize Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 There are no disadvantages. There's no reason that every guitar shouldn't have them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sahlomonic Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 Some of them add weight to the headstock -- that's about the only disadvantage IMO. Some guitarists see added weight as an advantage (some argue better tone/sustain) . . . why would more weight be a disadvantage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members codecontra Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 I have Schaller which IMO are better than Sperzels because they seem to be built better and the locking ring is much beefier and easier to turn. Some say Schallers are too heavy. They are quite heavy, but I really have not noticed any difference at all on my LP. I guess you could even argue that the extra metal would increase sustain. In any event, love them and will have them on all my guitars. I see no disadvantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elessar [Sly] Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 The only disadvantage is they've made me lazy. I have Sperzels on all of my Strats and I now refuse to wrap strings. I could see why this might happen. I have locking tuners on one of my Ibby's, but normal tuners on the right, apart from the Jag/strat which has Klusons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LaXu Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 Sperzels:- Uncomfortable locking knob in the back, they hurt my fingers when turning because they had so sharp ridges on them- Low gear ratio (not as accurate for fine tuning) Schaller- A bit heavier than normal, probably not enough to affect the balance of the guitar tho- That stupid locking knob Gotoh Magnum Lock- None, these are IMO the best on the market. They look like regular tuners, the locking mechanism is easy to open (though you need a coin or screwdriver on hand) and has no locking knobs in the back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grunge782 Posted September 23, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 I use Sperzel, and they are great except for their 12:1 tuning ratio.. They must do it for a reason, but that ratio can be a bit hard to get perfecT on the first try.. Many times if I'm just a touch flaT and I barely tweak the knob, its gone sharp.. Them I have to retune and sometimes I'll have to stretch the string to get a new starting point because at times I just can not get it to get the perfect pitch.. Otherwise, the quickness of string changes and stability is impossible to argue against.. I would say I could change all 6 in under 5 minutes.. Hmm I wasn't aware of that. I've been using grovers with no problems so far, maybe check them out. They have an 18:1 ratio according to the specs. http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/item/3933?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=2012-09-gp&gclid=CMCN576TzLICFcne4AodOUcA2g Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SexWithRobots Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 How reliable is the locking mechanism for those tuners? I don't have any on my guitars so I don't know exactly how they work. Do you not have to wrap the string around the post at all? I don't know if I trust the little ball bearing thing to hold the string without wrapping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grunge782 Posted September 23, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 Sperzels:- Uncomfortable locking knob in the back, they hurt my fingers when turning because they had so sharp ridges on them- Low gear ratio (not as accurate for fine tuning)Schaller- A bit heavier than normal, probably not enough to affect the balance of the guitar tho- That stupid locking knobGotoh Magnum Lock- None, these are IMO the best on the market. They look like regular tuners, the locking mechanism is easy to open (though you need a coin or screwdriver on hand) and has no locking knobs in the back I agree with this, I really like those Gotoh's. Have you given the Grover auto-locking ones a shot? I've been liking those too.- http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guitar,_solid_peghead_tuners/Grover_Tuners/Grover_Full-size_Locking_Tuning_Machines.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=4485 I have yet to try the planet waves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RiffDaemon Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 I have the Grover locking tuners with the wheel on the back. Other than wondering if I didn't tighten the wheel enough after stringing, there are no disadvantages. However, I still prefer normal Grovers because I like the peace of mind in knowing that I personally wrapped the strings around the posts (and that I do it correctly). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grunge782 Posted September 23, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 How reliable is the locking mechanism for those tuners? I don't have any on my guitars so I don't know exactly how they work. Do you not have to wrap the string around the post at all? I don't know if I trust the little ball bearing thing to hold the string without wrapping No wraps which saves time and creates better tuning stability (excellent for vintage tremolos for tuning stability). With the "roto-grip" (the ones with the little knob on the back you turn to push down on the string) you might need to check them rarely to make sure they are tight, but generally once you tighten the string you are good to go for that strings life. To change the string here is a demo- [video=youtube;lGbtlnUiadc] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members codecontra Posted September 23, 2012 Members Share Posted September 23, 2012 How reliable is the locking mechanism for those tuners? I don't have any on my guitars so I don't know exactly how they work. Do you not have to wrap the string around the post at all? I don't know if I trust the little ball bearing thing to hold the string without wrapping No need to wrap. Just pull the string through and hand tighten the knob on the back and it will lock the string tightly. They work incredibly well and make string changes SO much easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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