shutterbiker Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Hi all, I have a es 339 p90 pro. I believe that the tuners are getting a little worn. I has epiphone deluxe vintage tuners with press in bushings. I am looking at Gotoh sd90 tuners as a replacement. I am unsure if I want the keystone type heads that I currently have, or the oval buttons like what are usually on the casino and casino coupe. I was wondering if anyone has changed the tuners on either the 339 or on a casino. If so, what did you end up using? Thanks, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 A lot depends on the look you want. But the Gotoh sd90's have a 15:1 tuning ratio and the Epiphone Deluxe Vintage tuners have 18:1 tuning ratio which you have turn farther to tune. The Gotoh should feel more solid, but you may like better with the larger Keystone heads making them easier to turn. Either way I think I think you will like them, they are better than the Epiphone Deluxe tuners.. FYI the standard Gibson tuners are usually 14:1 tuning ratio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 A lot depends on the look you want. But the Gotoh sd90's have a 15:1 tuning ratio and the Epiphone Deluxe Vintage tuners have 18:1 tuning ratio which you have turn farther to tune. The Gotoh should feel more solid, but you may like better with the larger Keystone heads making them easier to turn. Either way I think I think you will like them, they are better than the Epiphone Deluxe tuners.. FYI the standard Gibson tuners are usually 14:1 tuning ratio Aren't all the tuners used these days on the Pros, Grovers? I have a sherry pro 2, Grovers,, my bud has a 339 pro, also grovers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Aren't all the tuners used these days on the Pros, Grovers? I have a sherry pro 2, Grovers,, my bud has a 339 pro, also grovers... The ES 339 P90 Pro comes with Epiphone Deluxe tuners with press in bushings, the ES 339 Pro (with Humbuckers) comes with Grovers with nut bushings (Grover 135N). They look very similar, not sure why they mix them up, but the Grovers are better, the Epiphone Deluxe get sloppy after a while. The ES 339 P90 Pro with press in bushings. Note they did the same thing on the Blueshawk (Epiphone Deluxe) and Nighthawk (Grover 135N), I had to replace my Blueshawk Epiphone Deluxe tuners with Grovers and had to drill out the holes a bit to accommodate the nut bushings.. Note Note Even though they look very similar the tuners with nut bushings usually have cast metal housings and the tuners with press in bushings have stamped metal housings. Note Note Note On some Classic reisue Epiphone's use Wilkinson Deluxe tuners with press in bushings, stamped metal housing, look like the original Gibson tuners and have a 14:1 tuning ratio with small oval buttons making them a little stiff to turn. But they are good tuners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Ah! Thanks for the clarity man! The grovers are indeed an upgrade, and one of the things that make some of the newer Epiphones more attractive then previous years is the Grovers coming standard as well as much better hardware for the electronics, with improved / more durable brass coating too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shutterbiker Posted February 24, 2018 Author Share Posted February 24, 2018 Thanks for the replies. I've worked on the nut (tusq xl) with fine sandpaper and I've got the tuning holding better. I really dislike the green look of the keystones on my guitar. I'm thinking of getting the gotohs with oval nickel buttons. I've seen this on casino and casino coupes and I think it looks pretty good. I would like to not have to ream the headstock out, which is why I was looking at the gotohs. I have gotohs on my tele and they work great. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 This isn't always a slam dunk to change out the machine heads... used to be.... the stock epi tuners were not as wide as grovers and other popular choices for replacement. so it would mean boring the holes to fit if that is still the deal. there's also the hole match issue for the replacements, some use only one screw at the base of the tuner, kluson style use 2. so if that's the case, you now have holes where they should not be. if the tuners are doing their job, perhaps just live with em for now... not knowing what your experience and tools available are,, I'm not sure I'd take the leap to widen the holes. Drills can do unexpected things, when of course u least expect it. Unless you plan to have this done for you by someone with the exp. and tools. on a personal note: I like the Green Kluson buttons my self, I have them on several of my USA Gibbies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 There are 2 main types of Grovers one with the round casing that mounts with 1 screw, the Grover 135N that mounts with 2 screws and looks like Kluson tuners. Both of these have bolt bushings and cast metal housings. Gotoh sd90's also look like the Kluson tuners with 2 mounting screws, stamped metal casings, use pressed in bushings and would be a direct replacement for the Epiphone Deluxe tuners requiring no drilling. Below are Wilkinson Deluxe tuners that also look like Kluson, use pressed in bushings and are stamped metal housings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shutterbiker Posted February 25, 2018 Author Share Posted February 25, 2018 Mihcmac, Thanks for the info. I'm kinda leaning toward the sd90 ovals at the moment. I thought about white buttons, but they look kinda stark against the cream binding of the guitar. I think that the nickel ovals would age nicely over time and the other hardware is nickel on mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.