Tuner ID on 1947 L7 Archtop

[spiral]

Hello all.

 

Someone who may or may not be me, may or may not have just purchased an L7. :)

 

I'm wondering if anyone can identify the tuners. I've found another photo of a 1947 with the same tuners (open back, plastic tulip buttons) so i don't think they are replacements. My questions are:

1. What are they?
   
2. Are there any hole-compatible Klusons, Grovers, or Gotohs that i could drop in, not drill anything, and maintain the plastic tulip buttons?
   

 

Pic attached. First one is what i am asking about, second one i found online and appears to have similar but not identical tuners (screws on the gears of the right one). Most other years appear to have the covered Kulsons.

 

[j45nick]

They are Klusons. I think that particular open-back configuration was pretty much being phased out in 1947 in favor of closed-gear tuners. The label inside the upper f-hole should tell you exactly when the guitar was built. 1947 was the year they shifted to A-prefix serial numbers part way through the year, so it's pretty easy to date archtops that year. I have an early A-series 1947 L-7 (about June) which still has the script log, but it had closed-back individual Klusons (no oil hole).

 

You can get modern versions of the closed-back models, but I'm not sure if the screw spacing is the same as yours.

 

There are experts in the acoustic forum here that can give you more details if you post the photos there. Some of these have riveted gears, some screw-fastened, depending on the date.

 

Those are actually fairly desirable tuners that are easily re-furbished if they aren't working well. The keystone buttons are easily replaced as well when they get too deteriorated. For some reason, the original buttons on my 1947 L-7 are still in very good shape.

 

Go on the Kluson website for details on current versions you might consider. Be aware that the string posts of most of the modern versions are probably slightly shorter than the ones you have on your guitar.

[spiral]

Thanks for the reply j45nick. Thanks for the serial # tip. I knew it was a 1947 which is how i found the other guitar with the same tuners. It makes sense they were transitioning because most others from that time have the closed Klusons. What makes them so desirable?

 

I found a bit of info about the tuners here: http://www.bryankimsey.com/tuners/ (3/4ths down the page)

 

I went through all the Kluson-style Stew Mac sells and the Gotoh vintage Keystone tuners match the post size, location, and screw spacings the best—even better than the Klusons. I should have a set in a few days and will let you know if they fit. The existing ones are functional but if i could replace it with something modern, not bent / patina'd that would be great. I don't want to have to modify the guitar.

 

Yes the L7 has an "A" serial #: A-1040.

 

Thanks for the tip about the acoustic forum.

[j45nick]

 

Yes the L7 has an "A" serial #: A-1040.

 

Thanks for the tip about the acoustic forum.

 

Your tuners are desirable primarily because they are less common. A-1040 would be late in 1947, and probably has the block logo rather than the script logo. Mine is A-235.

 

 

These are replacement tuners, as I only have five of the original six.

 

[spiral]

Correct! Here she is. The finish on yours is gorgeous! It looks like it is in great shape too.

 

 

 

 

 

[spiral]

Good news! This has never happened before: I found an absolute drop-in replacement for a vintage part.

 

These Gotoh vintage keystone tuners (from Stew Mac) are an exact fit in every way: screw holes, post sizes, post height, and post location. No mods needed. They don't cover the existing plate indent but I don't care. I just wanted some modern smooth tuners. The exiting ones will go back on if I decide to sell. So if anyone would like a replacement for their open back Klusons, these work a treat. (The original tuners were put on really sloppily)