Sperzel or Gotoh tuners?

[doommaker]

I'm looking to get new tuners for my LTD. Its got Grover tuners on it now, and like every guitar I've had with Grovers, I don't like them.

I've had positive experiences with both Gotoh and Sperzel in the past, but which brand of tuners do people around here recommend. I'd be looking at Sperzel locking and Gotoh SGs BTW.

[DonP]

Re: Sperzel or Gotoh tuners?

I thought Grovers where high-end? What don't you like about them?

I'm trying to figure out the same thing - Gotoh or Sperzel. From my quick research, Gotoh's lock automatcally, but Sperzel's are heavier and more solid. I'm still unsure as to which is best.

[sully]

Re: Sperzel or Gotoh tuners?

not a fan of grover locking tuners, the way they clamp the string makes it hard to remove the b and high e strings. but to me, regular grovers are fine, and i do not notice any difference between non locking grover, gotoh, or schallers.

the locking sperzels are nice, but you may have issue if you use heavy gauge strings. haven't tried locking gotohs, to my recollection.

sully

[doommaker]

Re: Sperzel or Gotoh tuners?

Compared to the Gotoh tuners i've had, Grover's seem to slip more often on the high E and G strings. I've had 4 electrics now with Grovers, and none of them stayed in tune particularly well.

I use 11s, would this be a problem with locking Sperzels?

[necrotechno]

Re: Sperzel or Gotoh tuners?

I used Sperzels with a .013-.060" set a few years back when I was trying the drop-tuned Type O Negative sound. I just had to ream out the lowest tuner with a small drill bit to make the B-string go through. Not a big deal, really.

[guitarsjb]

Re: Sperzel or Gotoh tuners?

Sperzels.

[doommaker]

Re: Sperzel or Gotoh tuners?

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever used the Planet Waves locking tuners?

[necrotechno]

Re: Sperzel or Gotoh tuners?

Yup. Got 'em on my SL2H and my KV-Pro. My fave tuning keys. I often use the string cutting feature to trim off the ball ends for the Floyd if a set of snippers doesn't make itself readily available. I'd have 'em on everything if I didn't already have a small fortune tied up in replacement tuning keys over the years.

Only complaint, the inline set is staggered. Meaning, the two highest keys are slightly shorter than the other four (to eliminate the need for string trees on Fender headstocks) and wouldn't go on the SL2H. I had to buy another set and raid two keys from it. But the import KV-Pro (Japanese KV-1) has a slightly thinner headstock and I just put the remaining keys on there.

EDIT: I dunno how large a string the PW's will accept, since I'm long since back to standard guages. Reaming the through hole probably woulnd't be a good idea because of the string cutter.

[doommaker]

Re: Sperzel or Gotoh tuners?

[ QUOTE ]
Yup. Got 'em on my SL2H and my KV-Pro. My fave tuning keys. I often use the string cutting feature to trim off the ball ends for the Floyd if a set of snippers doesn't make itself readily available. I'd have 'em on everything if I didn't already have a small fortune tied up in replacement tuning keys over the years.

Only complaint, the inline set is staggered. Meaning, the two highest keys are slightly shorter than the other four (to eliminate the need for string trees on Fender headstocks) and wouldn't go on the SL2H. I had to buy another set and raid two keys from it. But the import KV-Pro (Japanese KV-1) has a slightly thinner headstock and I just put the remaining keys on there.

EDIT: I dunno how large a string the PW's will accept, since I'm long since back to standard guages. Reaming the through hole probably woulnd't be a good idea because of the string cutter.


[/ QUOTE ]

I was told that there is a lot of plastic used in them? Is this true? I was pricing tuners today, and the Planet Waves are a WHOLE lot cheaper then Sperzels. The set I looked at (3x3, exactly what I was looking for) didn't appear to have any plastic parts, but at the same time I never got to actually inspect them.

Also, does the string cutting part of them ever cause any problems, with tuning down or anything?

[necrotechno]

Re: Sperzel or Gotoh tuners?

They're all metal. The thumb wheels are always black, even on the chrome and the gold sets, so maybe that's why whoever said that thinks they're made of plastic. They do come a ridiculously huge plastic package, though... [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

I personally don't de-tune anymore, but I wouldn't believe the cutters chould cause any problems with that. Basically, one side of the through hole is higher than the other. Within the first revolution around the post the extra portion of the string (on the low side) comes in contact with the cutter and gets clipped off. The hole on the other side of the post (the side you feed the string into) is higher than the cutter and doesn't interact with it, even if tightened more than another full turn. That little ball-bearing thing towards the top of the post is only there to make sure you feed the string in the right way.

[Kyle G]

Re: Sperzel or Gotoh tuners?

You really cant go wrong with either. Id probably just go with the cheaper ones or whichever one you like the looks of better.

[doommaker]

Re: Sperzel or Gotoh tuners?

[ QUOTE ]
They're all metal. The thumb wheels are always black, even on the chrome and the gold sets, so maybe that's why whoever said that thinks they're made of plastic. They do come a ridiculously huge plastic package, though... [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

I personally don't de-tune anymore, but I wouldn't believe the cutters chould cause any problems with that. Basically, one side of the through hole is higher than the other. Within the first revolution around the post the extra portion of the string (on the low side) comes in contact with the cutter and gets clipped off. The hole on the other side of the post (the side you feed the string into) is higher than the cutter and doesn't interact with it, even if tightened more than another full turn. That little ball-bearing thing towards the top of the post is only there to make sure you feed the string in the right way.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is it still possible to have a bit of extra string wrapped around the post, or does the locking/cutter cut that possibility off completely?

[necrotechno]

Re: Sperzel or Gotoh tuners?

Yes. There's a good 1/4" of post there to wrap around if you want.

As for prices, Stew-Mac has both the Sperzels and the Planet Waves for about the same price, $60-75. Warmoth has the Schallers for about $10 less than that. WD Music Products is apparently having a closeout on some Grover/Gotoh-esque lockings at $30-35.