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| Author: | J Hewitt [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:08 am ] |
| Post subject: | best tuners for the money? |
Whats the overall opinion of good tuners for the money....say $35- $75 range. Open back or closed? Just curious? Thanks Jeff.. |
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| Author: | Edward Taylor [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:10 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
I see the Gotoh 510 series everywhere. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guit ... uners.html |
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| Author: | jhowell [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 10:58 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
The Grover 18:1 Sta-Tites are pretty nice open back tuners. |
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| Author: | Fred Tellier [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:08 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
I am also partial to the Grover 18:1 sta-tites, I think the open back Gotoh are also good but are 15:1 and I prefer 18:1. I have played guitars with the 21:1 gotoh closed back and they are real smooth and tuning is easy, but sting changes will need a lot of button turning. Fred |
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| Author: | Dave Stewart [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:06 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
I think it's hard to beat the 510 21:1's for smoothness, easy/accurate tuning & great look (as long as it's in synch with the overall look your going for). |
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| Author: | meddlingfool [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:09 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
I'm partial to Grover Rotomatics. Nice big knobs which are great if you have sore handitis. |
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| Author: | bluescreek [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:16 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
Of all the tuners I used I had more trouble with the 510's than any. Grovers and waverliers are my choice. |
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| Author: | Hesh [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
Something that I really like about the Grover 18:1 open backs is that not only do they work well enough for the price paid but they are drop-in interchangeable with Waverlys should you choose to upgrade or downgrade a guitar. One of them has lager screws, can't remember which but beyond this swapping out is easy. Something else that I like about Grover when selecting lower priced tuners or should I say just not the most expensive tuners is that they are pretty light weight too. I like Gotoh 510's too and I have used both varieties, deltas and regular with no problems. I will tell you that if you have nice smooth nut slots and Gotoh 21:1 tuners the accuracy that you will see with a decent strobe tuner is amazing. Nice to have so very many great choices. |
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| Author: | Mike Baker [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:28 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
As a builder I'm just a beginner. I'm on my first build. I put Schaller M6's on it, but only because they were free; I won them online. However, as a longtime player, the tuners are the first thing I replace on my guitars. I have always used the Grover Rotomatics. Love them. Nice fat substantial buttons that make them easy to find and to turn, and I've never had a single problem with any of them in 25+ years of use. As a builder, i see no reason to switch. |
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| Author: | ChuckB [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
I like the Grover Sta Tites. Low cost, smooth working, nice appearance, and light weight. Couldn't ask for much more. Chuck |
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| Author: | Howard Klepper [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:17 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
First generation 18:1 Sta-tites had a lot of failures. I tried them, but after immediately having to replace a couple, I decided they couldn't be relied on. Perhaps they improved them later; I'm not willing to chance it. The failure point appeared to be the bushings on the worm shaft. When I called Stew Mac (who were of course great about sending replacements) their tech guy said, "Did you expect Waverlies at 1/3 the price?" |
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| Author: | peterm [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:47 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
for the money Gotoh 51 's 21:1 are hard to beat.... |
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| Author: | enalnitram [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 4:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
Howard Klepper wrote: First generation 18:1 Sta-tites had a lot of failures....Perhaps they improved them later; I'm not willing to chance it. They really did, honest. Worth another look, IMO. |
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| Author: | MRS [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
I like the grovers too. |
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| Author: | bluescreek [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:12 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
With the 510's the disks fell out on the back. I just put 510's on a customers guitar per request and check the back seal disks, they were loose so I pressed them back in. Grover did a redesign of their tuners in the last 2 years that did improve the quality a great deal . Still I agree , once burned twice shy. |
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| Author: | Mike OMelia [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:16 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
They are making 21:1s now?? Wow. Did not know that. Just a side note question: I bought some 5 Star Banjo tuners, and Waverly iveroid buttons from Stew Mac. But, the buttons are not right for the tuners (too small). Anybody know where I can get some Iveroid buttons suitable for banjo tuners? Mike |
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| Author: | David Malicky [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
These are probably not nice enough for most of your work, but we've had great experience with these on our student guitars: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guit ... uners.html Out of at least 60 sets in the past 4 years, we've only seen a single defective tuner. They hold tune just fine and seem reasonably smooth. I would imagine the long-term reliability might not be as good as the standard fare, but that's just speculation (I've had no in-use failures so far). |
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| Author: | TonyKarol [ Mon Feb 01, 2010 8:21 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
I have used about 100 sets of 510s .. no failures. I took an older set of closed back grovers off my first acosutic as the D tuner was starting to grind ... Gotohs for me. |
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| Author: | Ken Franklin [ Mon Feb 01, 2010 9:46 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
I like the 510 minis. They give the guitar more balance. The downside is smaller buttons. I like the smoothness of the standard size but they can weigh a neck down. I've had worn gear issues with Grovers Rotomatics but not Gotohs. I don't care for the way the the gears are held in place on the Grover Sta-tites |
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| Author: | Laurent Brondel [ Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:24 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
Sealed tuners: the inexpensive Gotoh Schaller style are reliable, excellent tuners. More expensive, the Gotoh mini-510. Open back: Gotoh open back Sta-Tite copies, in spite of what some people have said about the plastic washers, I never had a problem with those. Like others I had failures with the old(er) Grover Sta-Tites design. 18:1 or 21:1 ratios are overrated, 15:1 is more than enough. |
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| Author: | Michael Dale Payne [ Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:50 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
peterm wrote: for the money Gotoh 51 's 21:1 are hard to beat.... I agree but they are at the top end of the price range quoted.
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| Author: | Mike OMelia [ Mon Feb 01, 2010 2:36 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
How about for slot head steels? |
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| Author: | lactose [ Mon Feb 01, 2010 2:54 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
Quote: These are probably not nice enough for most of your work, but we've had great experience with these on our student guitars: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guit ... uners.html This is the one that jammed on me shortly after installation a week ago. I decided I didn't want to risk it since the instument was a gift to someone else, so I re-drilled and went back to the Gotohs I normally use. I sure wanted them to work, they are so much cheaper. |
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| Author: | Tom West [ Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:30 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
Todd: Concrete floricide......!! Man I like that. I had a nice sharp chisel a few days back just jump out of my hand and do the same thing , didn't work though we applied artifical sharperation and brought it back to life. Making appointments with the appropriate medical folks for therapy. Tom |
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| Author: | Omicron_9 [ Tue Mar 30, 2010 8:41 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: best tuners for the money? |
Laurent Brondel wrote: Sealed tuners: the inexpensive Gotoh Schaller style are reliable, excellent tuners. More expensive, the Gotoh mini-510. Open back: Gotoh open back Sta-Tite copies, in spite of what some people have said about the plastic washers, I never had a problem with those. Like others I had failures with the old(er) Grover Sta-Tites design. 18:1 or 21:1 ratios are overrated, 15:1 is more than enough. Laurent, Some players like a higher tuning ratio, and can hear the difference in intonation precision. I sure can. I do like the 2nd gen Grover open-back 18:1. Just one person's opinion, tho. Kind regards, -0.9 |
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