Gibson Deluxe tuners

[elbiera]

Hello, my comment/question stems from owning a '96 Gibson Les Paul Studio.

 

I recently had a Gibson Deluxe tuner's back-cover pop off; subsequently the keystone key/gear fell out and the string went completely loose.

 

I attempted to purchase a single Gibson Deluxe tuner online which I discovered were hard to come by. I settled on an eDay find. When I received the replacement tuner and removed the original tuner from the guitar, I noticed that the original read "Made In Germany", much to my delight. The replacement did not; but thinking it may be from a different year/a different cast, I still assume it could be a true Gibson replacement. The tuning key appears to be the same, though the shaft that the key is molded onto is a smaller diameter than the originals. Also the "Gibson Deluxe" stamp on the back of the case of the replacement seems much less impressive than the originals. Color and finish all appear to be the same, all in all a nice solid tuner.

 

I would like to know if the replacement tuner that I purchased is actually a Gibson Deluxe replacement tuner, or if I purchased a knock-off. At the end of the day, a tuner is a tuner, but I would feel much better if they all matched. So if anyone has an actual Gibson Deluxe tuner that matches the originals and that they'd like to sell, please let me know.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

AR

[Bender 4 Life]

hey AR, if you're THAT worried about it being an identical match, why not just order a set of them from a retailer?

The G/D tuners on my old LP, myV, & my new SG Std are all slightly different(from set to set) but I kind of doubt anybody would go to the trouble of setting up a production line to make knockoff tuners.......

[L5Larry]

First of all Gibson does not, and never did, manufacture tuning machines. They contract with the manufacturers to stamp the Gibson name on their regular products. The original (50's, 60's, 70's) were made by Kluson of Chicago, and were standard off-the-shelf "Kluson Deluxe" tuners. At some point Gibson cut a deal with them to stamp the Gibson name on them instead of "Kluson" so they became "Gibson Deluxe" tuners.

 

Kluson has been out of business for many years, all "Gibson Deluxe" tuners, and all other "Kluson" replacement tuners are FAKES. Every major tuning machine manufacturer makes a Kluson knock-off (Grover, Schaller, Gotoh, etc), driven by the lust of musical instrument players for everything VINTAGE. In fact, the Kluson tuners used by Gibson, AND Fender, were "economy" tuners to begin with, there have always been better products available (Grover and Schaller, to name two). Even the tuners stamped "Kluson" are not real because WD Music Products bought the name. The company and machinery that made the originals are long gone.

 

The problem you have with your replacement tuner is that it is a Kluson copy made by someone other than whoever Gibson bought their Kluson copies from at the time your guitar was made. When Gibson runs out of tuning machines they will "re-bid" the contract. So one batch might be made by Grover, and the next made by Schaller, and the next might be Gotoh, etc. The lowest bid gets the order.

 

The "Made In Germany" on your original tuner SUGGESTS that it was made by Schaller, since they were the premiere guitar hardware manufacturer out of Germany (and supplied many parts to Gibson over the years such as the SG "harmonica" bridge). But how to tell a Schaller "Gibson Deluxe" tuner from a Grover "Gibson Deluxe" tuner, or any other, would take a lot of research and a very accurate caliper or micrometer. It would also be unrealistic to expect anyone selling used "Gibson Deluxe" tuning machines to know who the manufacturer was, as it would to even expect Gibson to know who the supplier was in 1996 when your guitar was built. This is just how manufacturing and product assembly works.

 

If your replacement tuner is unacceptable to you, you might look for one "Made In Germany", or just replace the entire set with a nice set of Grovers or Schallers and be done with it. I mean no disrespect, but there is nothing classic, or vintage, about your 1996 Studio, nor will there ever be. Make it playable, make yourself happy and satisfied, and enjoy the guitar.