G-310 Pitch Black machine heads??

[The_Peeper]

Hey all,

I have a quick question... sorry if this has been discussed already but I have searched the forum, but can't seem to find anything so here goes:

 

Can anyone possibly tell me what the stock machine heads on my Epiphone G-310 Ltd. Edition 'Pitch Black' would be?

Picture here

 

I am thinking of replacing them with 18:1 Grover rotomatic tuners as I have found the current tuners a bit slippery and unstable.

I've already replaced both pickups with DiMarzios, and am thinking if I install better tuners, it will be a fairly nice guitar.

 

Thanks heaps!

[Sjael]

Those look like Epi's usual 14:1(I think) Grovers. If the tuners are really slipping, you can tighten the screws in the end of the keys. Otherwise, most tuning problems come from the nut. Lubing or replacing a stock plastic nut will help immensely in that situation.

[The_Peeper]

Thank you, sir!

I actually took one of the machine heads off to inspect it and it did seem very flimsy. They are like 'cheap' Grovers?

 

I was told by a friend that putting some nicer, heavier tuners (Grovers/Grotoh etc) on it could help the sustain just a little bit, and also tune easier.

I do think I'll look into getting a new nut... I use quite heavy strings (12-60) for B tuning so they might not be sitting in the nut as best they could be.

[Sjael]

I find it interesting that they would be flimsy - I have put Grover 14:1s on 2 guitars, and they came stock on my LP, and they are all rock-solid and dependable. My favorite tuners by far. Grovers typically come in 14:1 and 18:1, the lower the ratio the more turns of the key it takes for the shaft to make a full turn. The common consensus is that 18:1s are superior for their accuracy, however I prefer 14:1 because I had pretty big hands and it's difficult enough at that.

 

My next question would be if your tuners have the exact same keys as in that photo, or if they are even stamped 'GROVER" on the back. The stock Epiphone tuners are somewhat flimsy, but in my experience they do get the job done. The plastic nut, however, is pretty sketchy. If you haven't had the nut slots widened for those strings by yourself or a luthier (epiphones come stock with 10s,) you will most likely get some problems there too.

[The_Peeper]

Ah, Interesting.... after a quick check, I see my tuners aren't identical to the ones in the picture...

The buttons on mine have more of an angular side - not rounded as the (Grover style?) ones in the picture. They are not stamped. That was lazy of me not to check before I posted that picture, sorry

 

I bought this guitar on eBay a few months ago at a cheap price (AU$200). It was in absolutely pristine condition and as far as I could tell, it was owned by a young guy who'd bought it and not used it... I doubt he would have had the inclination to change the machine heads so I'm guessing these are stock.

When I took one machine head off the peg seemed flimsy and I think the inner brushing might have been made of plastic, althought it has not issues wobling once it's all screwed together. But the over-all feel of them just seems "cheap" for some reason. I feel like replacing them might be a good idea. Same with the nut.

 

Thanks for your advice, man! ;)

[RobinTheHood]

No Grovers on the G-310. Just standard die-cast tuners. Better than the tuners on guitars like the Special or LP Jr., but not even close to Grovers. The die-casts are hit or miss. The tuners on my G-310 are fine, but some people get bad ones.

 

What Dimarzios did you install? I have a Super-2 & X2N in mine.

[The_Peeper]

I have a Super3 in the bridge, and a D-Activator in the neck. Wierd combo, I guess, but I use the neck witht the volume about a third of the way up and flick to that for a semi-distorted tone, and then use both for my hi-gain tone (means I don't have to use a channel switch or a stomp-box... just relying on the amp distortion )

 

I have ordered some some Grovers Really looking forward to installing those.

[Sjael]

I use the neck witht the volume about a third of the way up and flick to that for a semi-distorted tone' date=' and then use both for my hi-gain tone (means I don't have to use a channel switch or a stomp-box... just relying on the amp distortion :) )

 

I have ordered some some Grovers :) Really looking forward to installing those. [/quote']

That's similar to my method. I keep my neck volume on 3-4 and bridge on 10. With the bridge only I get a nice rhythm sound, the middle position brings in the neck to fatten up the tone a bit for solos and leads, and I can drop onto the neck to instantly clean up my tone for low-drive sections. My Marshall has three foot-switched channels with independant and master volume, so I keep my (main) OD1 channel a bit quieter than OD2 and shift up for a solo boost, or down to clean for proper clean passages.

 

I'm sure you'll love the Grovers, Swoop, Myself, and a few other less notable users here (I jest, I jest!) swear by them.

[fusion01k]

I think there may be variances to OEM "Grovers" as I had one of the early Schecter Omen's that came standard with Grovers. Only problem is I was wanting all black hardware for the Scheter and it came stock with chrome. I bought regular Grover Rotomatics in black chrome and the mounting hole was a smidge off. I was a little peeved and started a thread on HC or Seymour Duncan at the time and was told by several that the OEMs are made differently or maybe even a different asian factory makes them for Grover.