CHanging strings - vintage fender tuners

sev112

So after 40 years of having a guitar(s), today I had the first need to change strings on a guitar with vintage tuners.
having 2 guitars with locking tuners, and a few others with standard “holes”, I Was a bit apprehensive

don’t know what the worry was - they all went on really easily, and now I’m thinking of changing all the others to vintage ! 

Alex2678

I absolutely love them. 

mudslide73

My favourite tuner. I don't get any more stability out of locking units if I'm honest - but maybe I'm imagining it.

merlin

I'm a hole & slot kind of guy too. 

Tenebrous

merlin said:

I'm a hole & slot kind of guy too. 

Hopefully you're a tad thicker than a string.

But yeah, as someone who actually loves restringing a guitar, the vintera with its vintage style tuners are definitely my favourite of the bunch to sit down & take some time with.

ICBM

Must admit I don’t understand the love for them or why so many people want to replace perfectly good modern tuners with them.

They work, there are tricks to stringing them so they don’t slip, they’re not especially precise, the keys are a bit rounded and slippery in your fingers, you don’t stab yourself or rip up your gig bag with the string ends... swings and roundabouts really, just like other tuners.

I don’t think they would be a strong factor either way in buying a guitar for me, and I certainly wouldn’t actively change any other tuners for them.

digitalkettle

Mildly exasperated the first time the top E slipped out...then I watched this:

drofluf

Thanks @digitalkettle just wish you'd posted this a week ago before I had this exact issue when I changed my strings

p90fool

Confession time, I've had Fenders with vintage Klusons since 1981 and I never poke the string down the hole, I just go across the slot just like it was the hole in any other tuner.

I know it sounds daft, but utilising what works perfectly well on every other guitar means in four decades I've never put aside the minute or two it would take to learn how to do it the Fender way. 

LordOxygen

Agree - love the vintage ones on my telecaster. 
I'd happily have them on all guitars.

RaymondLin

I really like the ones where you stuck it down the hole. 

PonchoGreg

My favourite tuner design (note: I've never tried thumbweel locking ones). Snip to predetermined length, pop in, wind up, job done.

I have gotoh locking ones on a strat (basically the locking version of the vintage klusons) and I prefer the standard ones - no real benefit and actually takes longer to restring.

RaymondLin

Truth be told, my favourite tuners are PRS Phrase 3 locking tuners with the open back.  I think they look the best (from the back), it's very easy, tool less design.  Line up, stick it through, twist and lock, cut then tune up.  No slipping, never went wrong.

crunchman

I prefer the vintage style Fender tuners to other non-locking tuners, but I prefer locking ones.  If the ones I have break, they will get replaced with locking tuners.  I wouldn't go to the trouble to replacing functional ones with locking tuners though.

noisepolluter

digitalkettle said:

Mildly exasperated the first time the top E slipped out...then I watched this:

Thanks - I’m going to try that next time.

LastMantra

p90fool said:

Confession time, I've had Fenders with vintage Klusons since 1981 and I never poke the string down the hole, I just go across the slot just like it was the hole in any other tuner.

I know it sounds daft, but utilising what works perfectly well on every other guitar means in four decades I've never put aside the minute or two it would take to learn how to do it the Fender way. 

I think that's what I do too. Just lay the string in the slot and turn. 
Never had any problems anyway. 

PonchoGreg

noisepolluter said:

digitalkettle said:

Mildly exasperated the first time the top E slipped out...then I watched this:

Thanks - I’m going to try that next time.

Cool tip, gotta try that.

By the by, another benefit of the slot/hole tuners is that it's pretty easy to pop the strings out and back in, say after a pickup swap or even a fingerboard clean, if you want to keep the existing set. They are prone to get a bit tangled up once they mingle but I deal with that by holding them onto a nut-wide bit of cardboard with some masking tape. Good way not to waste an Elixir set! I find the non-slotted traditional tuners a bit trickier to pull that off with.

ICBM

digitalkettle said:

Mildly exasperated the first time the top E slipped out...then I watched this:

That's what I do, except that I don't bend the string before poking it down the hole (which makes sure it goes as far down as possible), and I take the first half turn the *wrong* way round the post, then across the slot, then wind on as normal. It never slips, and because the bends are in the opposite directions it comes off easily when you release the tension as well.

Voxman

Alex2678 said:

I absolutely love them. 

Ditto - only got them on my original 1969 Strat though.  Easy to restring, and no nasty sharp bits to catch your fingers on. Never, ever had a problem with the E though. 

thegummy

ICBM said:

Must admit I don’t understand the love for them or why so many people want to replace perfectly good modern tuners with them.

They work, there are tricks to stringing them so they don’t slip, they’re not especially precise, the keys are a bit rounded and slippery in your fingers, you don’t stab yourself or rip up your gig bag with the string ends... swings and roundabouts really, just like other tuners.

I don’t think they would be a strong factor either way in buying a guitar for me, and I certainly wouldn’t actively change any other tuners for them.

I've never had the vintage style ones but if I ever did it would be because they just look so so good to me. Kind of weird how much I like the look of a type of tuner but I really do like it.

DrJazzTap

I'm sorting out a Francis Rossi Tele at the moment https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/189575/francis-rossi-wedding-gift-guitar-modding-project#latest

I was tempted to put locking tuners on it, as I don't think the guy whose receiving the guitar will be that comfortable with traditional style tuners. We felt that the guitar wouldn't look quite right with locking tuners on. The chap is going to have to learn how to get to grips with changing strings!

I did put a set of locking klusons on my partscaster, and tbh they are complete pain in the ass. I wish I never bothered with them.  PRS locking tuners are brilliant, but the Kluson retro styled ones....not so much.