George... Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 So, i know I'm probably the one millionth guy to ask, but any help would be appreciated. There is no FON number and a 4022 4 is printed inside with no preceding or following letter. I've heard a lot of people knocking these guitars, and though I've never played an LG 2 or 3 or J45, I think this thing sounds beautiful, so wondering if it's an older LG and maybe the quality lessened a little over the years. Also, sadly one of the tuning machines broke tonight while i was turning it. It was the plastic part and it seemed pretty brittle to begin with. Looking for any pointers on replacing them. I don't plan on ever selling this perfect little guitar, but i don't want to replace it with something that is going to cheapen or take away from it's vintage feel. If it was yours, would you try to find an original part to replace it, or do most guys upgrade the tuning machines if they are brittle, and if so, what's a good recommendation. Thanks for reading my long post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 (edited) While it's not easy finding smaller tuner buttons that exactly match the ones on your Klusons, they still make those machines. Buttons could be swapped out by a competent shop. Replacing all would be the way to do it. Antique Acoustics offers the most authentic looking, which can be bought here (hopefully).https://www.elderly.com/collections/category_guitar-tuning-pegs-parts/products/antique-acoustics-vintage-tuner-button-38https://bernunzio.com/product/reproduction-kluson-tuner-buttons-1/ Looks like you have a nice looking '50-ish LG-1. Good luck (from a notorious ladder-brace basher). Some go all out to upgrade...https://umgf.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=212410&utm_medium=email The ear wants what the ear wants. Dave Edited April 15, 2021 by jedzep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George... Posted April 16, 2021 Author Share Posted April 16, 2021 Thanks for responding Dave, and pointing me in the right direction. I didn't even think you could just replace the buttons. Which would be nice. The actual tuners themselves work great considering they are 60 some odd years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 For starters, 4022 4 is the factory order number (FON). Your guitar is the fourth guitar in the production batch designated as 4022. It dates the guitar to 1950, which is consistent with what we see in the photos. The guitar looks to be in very nice condition. The deteriorated plastic buttons on the tuners are easily replaced. This is a common, fairly simple job. There is no need or reason to replace the tuners themselves. There are numerous sources of replacement buttons, including stewmac.com. You can find videos on youtube for how to do the job. The most accurate replacement buttons are by Antique Acoustics. Here is a link to the correct parts, from Elderly Instruments: tuner buttons I put these buttons on the tuners on one of my 1950 J-45s last year. And welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George... Posted May 2, 2021 Author Share Posted May 2, 2021 Thanks for the response. Looks like those buttons are gonna were perfect not only for my LG1 but i just got back my 1920s oscar schmidt, and coincidentally looks like it's gonna need some updates to the tuning machines. I just say, i love these old vintage guitars. They just sound so unique for recordings. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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