drathbun Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I just swapped the standard Grover tuner buttons for the Imperial type. I just swapped the buttons only. Took five minutes. Next change... truss rod cover. Stay tuned! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I just swapped the standard Grover tuner buttons for the Imperial type. I just swapped the buttons only. Took five minutes. Next change... truss rod cover. Stay tuned! :) I like those "Deco" inspired tuner heads! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanCarlosVejar Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I like those "Deco" inspired tuner heads! I have never liked the look of the grover tuners or any of the mushroom style tuners of any brand (don't know if they are all made by the same company). The imperials looks awesome on the guitar. JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchristo Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 those look good, I changed the ones on mine too BTW, what kind of truss rod cover are you going to use ?? here's mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyecon Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 How about that huh! Nice touch...Imperials are SHARP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiny Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Doug, that looks great! How/where did you get the replacement buttons? I was thinking of changing out the buttons on my J-45 but wasn't sure if I could be sure of getting replacements that would be compatible with my Grovers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Doug, that looks great! How/where did you get the replacement buttons? I was thinking of changing out the buttons on my J-45 but wasn't sure if I could be sure of getting replacements that would be compatible with my Grovers. I got them from Allparts. (allparts.com) These are direct replacements for the standard Grover buttons. Unscrew, pull off, put on new, tighten screw. Done! I posted here earlier that I liked the look of insguy's Five Star Custom J200 and that my Standard was not that different at a glance than that amazing guitar. A set of Imperials, a Custom TRC, and it looks pretty much the same! So I did some research on the Imperials but they would require drilling extra holes so there would be no going back. But Grover makes an Imperial "look a like" in that it has the standard Grover tuner, but Imperial type buttons. So I found the buttons on Allparts.com and I've had a TRC custom ingraved to replace the "standard". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon S. Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 I did exactly the same thing on my L-5 a few years ago, Imperial buttons AND TRC. Unfortunately in my case it wasn't just an unscrew/re-screw on the buttons. I had to re-machine the slots on the Imperial buttons. I guess my tuners are not Grover but "Gibson" branded MYSTERY tuners. Yes, AllParts sells the buttons in chrome, gold, and pearloid. The TRC came from an e-bay seller, and is a very high quality part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfox14 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Big improvement - they look great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 To me this is the quintessential J-200 headstock look. those look good, I changed the ones on mine too BTW, what kind of truss rod cover are you going to use ?? here's mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted February 14, 2012 Author Share Posted February 14, 2012 Unfortunately in my case it wasn't just an unscrew/re-screw on the buttons. I had to re-machine the slots on the Imperial buttons. I guess my tuners are not Grover but "Gibson" branded MYSTERY tuners. Hey Larry, could we see the back of that L5 headstock? And WTH are those strings you have on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Morton Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Those are nice tuning pegs. That is a very nice J-200 Standard. JM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sboiir Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I'm not one for cosmetic bling and such, but those do look real nice ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Hey Larry, could we see the back of that L5 headstock? And WTH are those strings you have on it? The strings I use on my jazzboxes are LaBella Black Nylon Tape Wound #800M (14-67). They are wound in nylon instead of nickel ribbon, and in fact have a roundwound string core. http://www.labella.com/ As for a photo of the rear of my L-5 headstock, I'll have to shoot one and post it later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 Finally received the TRC for the J200. I took the "Standard" TRC and put it on my SWD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 ... And just for grinners... the back of my J200 head stock! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Very nice! For my eye, the Grover Imperials are the machine head for a SJ200. I installed a set of the block-bodied model on the 200 I used to own.....they are beautiful on these big ol' guitars! When I was guitar shopping this past weekend I played a Custom Shop decal 5 Star Quilt SJ200 that was very, very beautiful, equipped with the block-body Imperials. I was very disappointed to see a lot of glue squeezed out of the kerfing, both top and back sides. Terrible! I was amazed to see this lack of attention on such a high-end model and brought it to the attention of Jimmy at the store. It's this kind of thing that leaves a bad taste in the mouth of some Gibson bashers, and rightfully so in this case. Other than this cosmetic flaw the guitar was excellent, but had I been in the market for a 200 it would have been a deal breaker......no excuse for that kind of thing in a top-of-the-line 5 Star instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 Very nice! For my eye, the Grover Imperials are the machine head for a SJ200. I installed a set of the block-bodied model on the 200 I used to own.....they are beautiful on these big ol' guitars! When I was guitar shopping this past weekend I played a Custom Shop decal 5 Star Quilt SJ200 that was very, very beautiful, equipped with the block-body Imperials. I was very disappointed to see a lot of glue squeezed out of the kerfing, both top and back sides. Terrible! I was amazed to see this lack of attention on such a high-end model and brought it to the attention of Jimmy at the store. It's this kind of thing that leaves a bad taste in the mouth of some Gibson bashers, and rightfully so in this case. Other than this cosmetic flaw the guitar was excellent, but had I been in the market for a 200 it would have been a deal breaker......no excuse for that kind of thing in a top-of-the-line 5 Star instrument. Funny how I've never liked the look of the stair-step Imperials until I saw them on a J200. As to your 5 star experience, yeah... ya gotta scratch your head on some of these basic finish issues. I don't get it. You make some of the most amazing sounding acoustic guitars on the planet and yet you allow something as basic as glue squeeze-out? Luthier 101... glue, clamp, clean up squeeze out.. move on. I'm glad to say my J200 is flawless, inside and out. Plus, for a standard model, the flame is exquisite! And, OMG, is this big boy ever opening up now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincentw Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Finally received the TRC for the J200. I took the "Standard" TRC and put it on my SWD. The tuners look great, not really a fan of the new TRC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 The tuners look great, not really a fan of the new TRC. I'm not surprised Vincent! ;) PS: just a note that I would NEVER sell it like this. I would replace the TRC back to Standard. Not that I'd ever consider selling it! Out of my cold dead hands! :) [legalesestart] This is for my own pleasure and amusement only. [/legaleseend] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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