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New Tuner Day: TonePros/Kluson 3+3 Keystone Tuners


honeyiscool

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I just got a set of these TonePros Kluson nickel tuners from Pitch Perfect Music (eBay) for my Epiphone Inspired by Lennon Casino. The natural finish ones come with gold Grover tuners but mine's in vintage sunburst, so it seemed to have unbranded import tuners. I didn't like the chrome button tuners, they looked a bit cheap and out of place on the guitar, and the high E felt a little sticky, so I thought I'd try these TonePros since they were only $49:

TPK33_N.jpg

Installation was easy. As these are the push-in sort, all it took was, take strings off, screw the old ones off, put new tuners in. It was really just that. I didn't have to drill anything, and I just used the existing bushings, so it took maybe 5 minutes more than a string change.

I did notice one thing, though. I didn't weigh the existing and replacement tuners, but I'm guessing the plastic button tuners are a fair bit lighter, as it straighted out the neck quite a bit, so there was buzzing after the new tuners were installed. A full turn on the truss rod was needed to obtain proper relief, and then the action was the same as before. I had never experienced that before after a tuner change.

My experience with 3+3 tuners consists of Wilkinson, Grover, Gibson Deluxe, and now TonePros. I used to say that Grover Rotomatics were my favorite tuners but that I preferred the way Gibsons look and feel. As Grovers are quite heavy, they work well on Les Pauls but less well on lighter guitars. But I think these TonePros tuners might combine the best of both worlds. They look and feel amazing and the turning is just as smooth as Rotomatics while looking vintage, and with excellent ratio. I felt no resistance at all.

I've seen a lot of hype/buzz about TonePros hardware and I've got to say, at least as far as the tuners are concerned, the buzz is completely justified.

10/10!

And in other news, I've decked out my Casino and Les Paul Tribute with GraphTech NV2 bridges. As usual, it was completely the right choice and both guitars continue to amaze me. I think my Casino might have the best action of all my guitars.

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PrawnHeed wrote:

 

There is no way that lighter tuner buttons can affect the relief of the neck.

 

^ True dat. What likely happened was that the neck straightened a bit due to the absence of tension while the tuners were off. It should get back to normal after a while. I'd keep an eye on the relief because you'll probably have to adjust the truss rod again.

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axegrinder wrote:

Interesting.  I didn't know there was such a thing as TonePros Kluson tuners.  What makes these superior to other Kluson tuners?

Oh and you need to post a pic of the guitar after the install... just sayin'

Any excuse to post more pictures of my guitar. :D

 

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