IMeMineAfter909 Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Greetings fellow enthusiasts, I have a question and am hoping to get some help. I purchased a used Epi Les Paul Jr for my 9 year old son for Christmas. He loves it, plays until his fingers are sore every day. Paired with a 15 watt Marshall amp I am very pleasantly surprised at how nice this thing sounds. I am even more pleasantly surprised by his progress after only a week and a half. I have spent a fair amount of time with it as well and have found the tuners however are not very good. I don't want him to get used to hearing his music out of tune. I know you can make just about any 3x3 tuner work but would prefer to keep the original look without drilling holes in his new best friend if it can be avoided. Does Grover, Gotoh, or any other brand make one that just fits? I have a Epiphone Casino and know that spending a little dough to make it just right is so.........worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 If you do not want to do any drilling avoid tuners with "Nut Bushings", they will require drilling to enlarge the holes. Your sons Epi most likely has pressed in bushings. Which can easily be removed by putting a standard Phillips screwdriver through the hole, rotating at a gradual angle and working it out slowly. Different tuners may require a different sized center hole in the bushing for the shaft. I think in the long run if you get US made Gibson style tuners you will have a better experience. Like Kluson, Wilkison, Grover, Gotoh are all good tuners. nickel finish will usually not rust as quickly as chrome but are not as shiny and will dull with age. The tuners with rectangular casings are usually lighter than the ones with cast round casings (which usually have nut bushings) which can make the guitar neck heavy. Both use the same quality of gears. Your local guitar shop may have just what you need. or look on this basic search link on ebay for a general idea. https://www.ebay.com...tuners&_sacat=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I think in the long run if you get US made Gibson style tuners you will have a better experience. Like Kluson, Wilkison, Grover, Gotoh are all good tuners. nickel finish will usually not rust as quickly as chrome but are not as shiny and will dull with age. All good advice here, and yes my old Grovers on my guitars are all dull, even junky feeling under the hand, but still working. I may replace a couple sets soon, Tele and Les Paul are 20 years old. I'm sorry my friend, Grover hasn't been made in America for quite a long time now. You and I remember Grover USA on our Gibson headstocks, but since...late 90's at least, just Grover on them. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I'm sorry my friend, Grover hasn't been made in America for quite a long time now. You and I remember Grover USA on our Gibson headstocks, but since...late 90's at least, just Grover on them. rct Not sure if any of the tuners I cited are still completely made in the US, but they are all good quality tuners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 All good advice here, and yes my old Grovers on my guitars are all dull, even junky feeling under the hand, but still working. I may replace a couple sets soon, Tele and Les Paul are 20 years old. rct Try polishing them with a Metal Polish. Nickel hardware on a guitar is a Metal finish and will oxidize over time, you can make them shiny again using a Metal Polish. All of my guitars have Nickel hardware. Here in Hawaii it is too humid and chrome doesn't last very long. My Gibson BluesHawk has gold chrome hardware and I'm keeping a very close eye on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Yeah, I have a couple pads for polishing silvers and such, they do a nice job, I just haven't been at them in a while. One or two on each guitar is a little wonky too, but these things are 20 and more years old now. I should think about replacing them. Tomorrow. Maybe the weekend. Soon. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 My Gibson BluesHawk has gold chrome hardware and I'm keeping a very close eye on it. Well don't blink! I've never come across a way to keep gold hardware clean and shiny. It seems to be part of its charm that it will relic. The tailpiece on my Sheraton looks neat, the gold faded rather than flaked. It mostly seems to be older cheaper finishes that flake and look horrible. You may be OK with letting your Blueshawk age gracefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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