Locking Tuners, Do or Do Not Like!

[Iceman]

I've got Grover locking tuners on a D 50 I picked up and just do not like them.
After 50 years of tuning guitars, I just can't change!
I guess that you probably don't need them anyway if you put the strings on
the right way.
Gotta get some new Grover non-lockers!

 

[GGJaguar]

I've used Schaller and Sperzel locking tuners. They work fine and are convenient, but I can certainly live without them (and the added weight).

 

[GAD]

I love locking tuners, but I can't imagine putting them on an acoustic.

 

[Iceman]

I can see how they would be good on an electric.

 

[HeyMikey]

I put some on a 12 string, but have mixed feelings. Guess I’m old fashioned. I don’t think I’d use them again, at least not on an acoustic.

 

[Walter Broes]

I never really saw the use of them - if you know how to string a guitar, you don't really need them. I've had a strat with Schaller locking tuners, and the locking mechanism would occasionally break a string too - I've seen that at my guitar-shop job too, and we've removed lockers once or twice for that reason, at the customer's request.

 

[crank]

Have 'em on my Tele. They work fine. But then again, all my tuners work fine on all of my guitars and I have no idea what brand any of them are. They all work the same way. I turn the little thingy and the little peg turns and the string gets tighter or looser.

 

[wileypickett]

I use both. I prefer 18:1 or 21:1 tuning ratios on my acoustics and if I feel the need to upgrade, I sometimes upgrade to locking tuners. (For some reason, locking tuners are often finer tuning tuners.)

I also employ many open tunings, so I retune a lot from piece to piece. As this tends to "age" strings more quickly than if I just stay in one tuning, I change strings frequently. (I never knot or lock the strings through the tuner posts as it really slows me down when I'm taking the strings off.)

For people (like me) who have spent most of their lives with traditional non-locking tuners, the learning curve may be steeper than for "you snot-nosed kids."

But once you're used to them (and it really doesn't take long to get used to them) they do make changing strings faster and simpler. A number of touring guitarists insist on locking tuners because they can replace broken strings more quickly on-stage.

 

[Rocky]

Some people (not me) like them for stringing Bigsby equipped guitars, especially roadies for touring acts.

I think they're more bother than they're worth, and I change a lot of strings.

I had a Liberator that came with Sperzels. The locking mechanism would cut the high E string. You actually had to make sure the post was oriented correctly to keep a string on it. 180 degrees off, and it was all over.

 

[Iceman]

I don't know of any guitars makers that are using them on new guitars.
Probably price and weight issues.

 

[GGJaguar]

I don't know of any guitars makers that are using them on new guitars.

G&L does. They are standard on a couple of models and optional (for an upcharge) on all the others.

 

[GAD]

I don't know of any guitars makers that are using them on new guitars.
Probably price and weight issues.

My American Deluxe Strat came with locking tuners. Granted that was a few years ago now, but there are many current Fenders that ship with locking tuners.

 

[Rocky]

I don't know of any guitars makers that are using them on new guitars.
Probably price and weight issues.

Pretty sure those on the Liberator were stock.

 

[tonepoet]

Pretty sure those on the Liberator were stock.

I would say yes, as Sperzels were stock on all the Detonators of that era also.

 

[tonepoet]

I got my first set of Sperzel locking tuners back in the mid-90s for a Strat and was sold on them immediately. I think they make a marked difference in staying in tune on electric guitars, especially if you do a lot of string bending and have vibrato bridges with whammy-bars.

Lock a new string in place on a Sperzel and the string is in tune in less than one revolution of the tuner shaft, which makes for a quick string change and tune up. You can see in the photo how there's no loops of strings wrapped around the shafts. Plus the 6-in-lines have a graduated shaft heights to angle the strings from the nut to the tuner that eliminates the need for string-trees, thereby eliminating another friction point. The graduated shaft heights are said to replicate the 10 degree angle of a tilted back headstock. (This is a photo of the stock Sperzel locking tuners on a Guild Detonator)



Over the years, I've tried Sperzel, Schaller, Grover and Hip Shot locking tuners. They all work but Sperzel and Schaller, I've liked the best.

 

[Maguchi]

Not a big fan. But if they're original to the guitar, I can cope.

Had a couple of instances where the extra weight caused neck dive. You wouln't think a few ounces would make a big diffrence, but on a acoustic or a light body electric like a Tele Thinline and out at the end of the neck there's apparently enough leverage.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Had 'em once. Worth a try, but I hated 'em. They just added a couple of steps every time I wanted to tune a string, and if the strings are wrapped snugly enough, there's no need to lock them.

It's cheaper and easier to just put the strings on right — even if you have a Strat with a whammy.

 

[GAD]

Not a big fan. But if they're original to the guitar, I can cope.

Had a couple of instances where the extra weight caused neck dive. You wouln't think a few ounces would make a big diffrence, but on a acoustic or a light body electric like a Tele Thinline and out at the end of the neck there's apparently enough leverage.

This is my only real complaint with them: weight.

 

[wileypickett]

Light or heavy headstocks have never made any difference to me, not in my standing / playing electric days (then) or in my sitting / playing acoustic days (now). Even with 12-strings with heavy-ish headstocks, I've never had a problem with "neck dive."

For those of you who do, could it have something to do with the kind of straps you're using? The smoother the back of the strap, the more you can shift the guitar around your shoulders, which is more "rock 'n' roll" I guess -- you can aim the guitar at the floor, aim it at the heavens, aim it at your soundperson.

But you get more friction with rougher-backed straps, which tend to keep the guitar in one place.

BTW, not everyone thinks increased weight on the headstock is a bad thing. They make devices to INCREASE the weight on the headstock, called "Sustainer Clamps." They seem to be used mainly by electric bass players.

How does a Guitar Sustainer Clamp work?

I've encountered a few stores peddling sustainer clamps, and am absolutely blown away by the idea that they could do anything at all. Can a solid metal clamp on the headstock of a guitar or bass g...

music.stackexchange.com

 

[GAD]

Light or heavy headstocks have never made any difference to me, not in my standing / playing electric days (then) or in my sitting / playing acoustic days (now). Even with 12-strings with heavy-ish headstocks, I've never had a problem with "neck dive."

For those of you who do, could it have something to do with the kind of straps you're using? The smoother the back of the strap, the more you can shift the guitar around your shoulders, which is more "rock 'n' roll" I guess -- you can aim the guitar at the floor, aim it at the heavens, aim it at your soundperson.

But you get more friction with rougher-backed straps, which tend to keep the guitar in one place.

BTW, not everyone thinks increased weight on the headstock is a bad thing. They make devices to INCREASE the weight on the headstock, called "Sustainer Clamps." They seem to be used mainly by electric bass players.

How does a Guitar Sustainer Clamp work?

I've encountered a few stores peddling sustainer clamps, and am absolutely blown away by the idea that they could do anything at all. Can a solid metal clamp on the headstock of a guitar or bass g...

music.stackexchange.com

Ever play an SG?