Locking tuners why

Do you swear by them? Does it seem like a total waste of time to you? Let us know down in the comments. I currently have a set of Schaller locking tuners and the locking knob on one of them just spins in place, preventing me from locking down the string or even getting close. Very frustrating. A real frustrating drag, PS I am not ignoring the possibility that, after 55 yrs of playing, I still have something to learn about changing strings.

Maybe my technique does not translate as well onto electric guitars. Totally Lov-em. I use locking tuners on all my electrics with vibrato tailpieces. Also a graphite nut, bridge saddles, and string tree Fenders. With quality strings properly installed on a quality guitar, they sound just as good as steel saddles and a bone nut…you hardly ever break strings, no matter HOW hard you play…. AND they stay in tune! As for acoustics and electrics without vibrato tailpieces, locking tuners are unnecessary, in my humble opinion.

Tune the string to pitch, pull the length a few times, re-tuning as needed, clip the excess…and voila! All my units have locking tuners. Basically because I like the ease and quickness of changing. Yes lazy is my reason. My preference is Sperzel…. Thanks for the tutorial. I started using your strings a few months ago and have been selling all my music associates on Stringjoy……!

I have locking tuners on two of my guitars. One I bought with them on it. The other I put on after market. I learned how to secure a string to the peg of a tuner a long time ago, the toughest is the mono filament nylon string on a classical guitar. So I transferred that knowledge to steel strings, acoustic guitar style. I put a set of Sperzel tuners on my acoustic 6 string. I make sure I have enough slack to get at least one complete wind on the peg before setting the cylinder set screw. I could change my strings in about half the time of tying them on with the reverse loop knot making sure the string wound back across itself.

The process is the same for each string, and you will continue doing this until you restring the whole instrument. Once the instrument is ready, you can start playing. Now, playing the guitar with locking tuners is no different than playing the guitar with regular tuning machines. The only difference is in restringing. Finally, if you want to change strings again, you will simply turn the knob on the back and the string will come loose.

Now that you understand the process of changing strings, and how easy it is to restring the instrument, there is one more thing you should learn.

Naturally, the process will depend on the type of guitar and type of tuner that is installed. For most guitars, there is either a nut at the front side of a headstock or a screw on the back.

Now, the main problem with locking tuners is the type of guitar you have. But the process is often a bit more complicated. The reason for this is that each company creates different guitar parts and this means that the holes on the headstock might not fit the tuner.

Similarly, the size of tuners might be too big for the hole on the headstock. As a result, you will need to expand the hole so the new tuners can fit properly. Of course, you can always find a professional that will do the job for you, and they will do a great job even if there is a need to drill holes. Firstly, upgrading your tuners will improve tuning stability to a degree.

But more importantly, it will prevent the slippage of strings. The second factor that is a great advantage is how quickly you can replace strings. But if you are touring, every second can be important especially if your string breaks during the show.

Whether you love or hate restringing your instrument, the whole process is a lot simpler and quicker. However, there are a couple of disadvantages as well. The most obvious one is that you will need to find the ones that suit your guitar. Now, this might not be a problem for any expensive guitar, but if you have some less-known brand, you might need to do some drilling.

I already mentioned before that locking tuners are a bit heavier, and you might need some time to adjust to the new weight of the headstock. Furthermore, locking tuners might improve your tuning stability, but they will not solve the problem. You might want to know how to find the tuners for your guitar. Try finding the locking tuners that are identical to the ones you already have. This includes all the screws and nuts that are already on your tuning machines. This way, you will avoid having to drill extra holes or expand existing ones to fit the new tuning machines.

But you should be prepared to pay a bit more for the extra work. To avoid having to do any extra work, just remove one of the tuning pegs from your guitar and see how it looks like. Usually, locking tuners will have two pins, and if your old tuners have them as well, then you can find a similar one. Furthermore, be sure to measure the width of the peg or the hole to see if the new one will be fitting.

Similarly, if there are no pins on your old tuners, try finding locking ones with a similar design. Finally, once you find the one that will fit the headstock, you can pick the color that will match your guitar or the one you like the most. Interestingly, you can use locking tuners on any type of guitar.

That includes electric and acoustic as well. While it is not as common to use locking tuners on acoustic guitars, it is still something you can do if you desire so. If you plan on buying these tuning machines, just ensure that they are the right type and that they can be mounted on acoustic guitars. Furthermore, you can also experiment with these upgrades even if you have an electric guitar with more than six strings.

Finding parts for seven-string guitars can be challenging, but locking tuners will still do a great job. Similar to previous examples, you might need to do a bit of drilling to ensure that everything fits properly. Locking tuners are an excellent upgrade for guitars, and you can do it no matter what type of guitar you have.

It is the easiest way to secure the strings and prevent slippage. Usually, the string will move whenever you bend or play the note, and it can slip across the peg.

With locking tuners, there will be no excess string that can move, and it will slightly improve the tuning stability. The main problem with locking tuners is that you often need to drill additional holes to make everything fit properly, and many guitarists are unwilling to try this by themselves.

While locking tuners do a great job keeping your strings secured, it is not the only way to improve tuning stability. Since the price of locking and regular tuners is almost the same, it is up to your personal preference to see which ones you like the most.

For some players, locking tuners are an essential part of every guitar, and they love using them. If you found this article useful you may want to save this pin below to your Guitar board. Strings essentially slip out of tune when they lose tension, usually, the G and high E strings are the most likely culprits, which explaining why calls for a separate article altogether.

Typically aggressive bends are the main culprit that can cause string slippage hence why strings need to be anchored securely at the machine head to prevent slips from happening. Locking tuners are therefore useful for securing and anchoring the strings to the machine heads for better tuning stability resulting in a more playable, fun, better sounding and studio worthy guitar. Depending who you ask, some players view restringing their instrument as a bonding exercise more than a boring mundane task.

Basically another way of connecting with their instrument without actually playing it. Hence why the Gibson Les Paul Robot guitar, with its futuristic self-tuning machine heads flopped so spectacularly back in sorry Gibson I still love you! Alternatively, for the players out there who hate restringing. Locking tuners have the benefit of quicker and easier string changes meaning more time for better things…like playing and learning.

The reason is that when restringing with locking tuners, all you do is feed the string through the hole, wind a few wraps, cut off the excess string and away you go. Whereas, with traditional tuners, your strings will need to be wrapped and wound in a way so that the string will clamp on to itself in order to secure it to the peg to prevent string slippage.

From personal experience, this is fiddly and which takes a while to get right which can result in you stabbing yourself with the sharp end a few times in the process. A fast string change may not be that be important when at home, but when a string breaks mid-set during an important gig is a different story. Hence another reason how locking tuners can benefit you a quick string change when you need it most, and in the process improve your guitars ability to stay in pitch.

Locking tuners are designed to effortlessly slot into your current headstocks drill holes removing the need to drill any additional holes. Something not desired by uncrafty guitar players out there like myself. Installation can take as little as 5 minutes. Easy work! Keep in mind, depending on the manufacturer, some tuners come with a metal bracket plate.

This is installed first, then the tuners screw over the top. I guess this offers more support for the machine heads. You can choose to buy a set without brackets meaning the tuners are independent and free to fit a number of headstock configurations depending on where the holes are drilled on your headstock.

For me, upgrading a guitar without handing it over to your local guitar tech, adding unnecessary expense is always a bonus in my eyes. The investment is for potentially boosting your guitars performance, playability and shortening string changing times. Locking tuners are certainly a viable upgrade for getting the best from any affordable guitar. I would not be tempted however , after reading online and video reviews, a high percentage are manufactured and shipped with defects.

Yet, people seem to take a chance on them hoping to get a full set in full working order. If they have a defect in any way, simply go back to your regular tuners. This point is actually a little bit of a bonus tip here! People do ask about combining locking tuners with acoustics, but not many people actually talk about it.

However, nylon strings usually hold their tension well and string bending is not the usual technique when it comes to flamenco and classical playing. Removing the requirement for locking tuners compared to a steel stringed guitar.

Installing locking tuners to your favorite acoustic can certainly upgrade your guitars tuning accuracy which improves the overall playability.