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Locking Tuners(Les Paul)


BluesForTheRedSun

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Hey guys,just registered and this is my first post.I just bought a 50's tribute humbucker Les Paul Gold Top.This is my first Gibson ever,and I think I love it.I never really thought they justified the price before,but after getting to jam on one everyday, I get it now.I tune to a drop C for the type of music my band jams and I bend more than I thought I did.I have to retune my LP after every song.I know Kluson makes locking tuners that fit a LP with no mods but the locking mech is on top of the headstock instead of a thumb screw underneath.I have not been able to find any close up pictures of the headstock with the Kluson locking tuners installed.If any of yinz guys have the the locking Kluson's and can post a good pic of what they look like installed I would appreciate it.Or if you can suggest a different brand of locking tuner you have installed that works good.I have an old Ibanez Artist I installed locking tuners on and it cuts my retuning down to about every three songs,but I had to ream out the peg holes and drill new screw holes etc...etc....If I have to install the Klusons I will, but I would love to see a good pic of them installed before I spend a $100 on them.Thanks guys.

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Hello and welcome! I don't have any tuning issues with my LP at all with the factory machine heads. I use standard tuning, and I also do lot of bends and very crude vibratos. Maybe the nut is sticking on Your guitar? That's typical for new Gibsons. A proper setup and/or some graphite powder will solve this issue. Cheers... Bence

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Hey guys,just registered and this is my first post.I just bought a 50's tribute humbucker Les Paul Gold Top.This is my first Gibson ever,and I think I love it.I never really thought they justified the price before,but after getting to jam on one everyday, I get it now.I tune to a drop C for the type of music my band jams and I bend more than I thought I did.I have to retune my LP after every song.I know Kluson makes locking tuners that fit a LP with no mods but the locking mech is on top of the headstock instead of a thumb screw underneath.I have not been able to find any close up pictures of the headstock with the Kluson locking tuners installed.If any of yinz guys have the the locking Kluson's and can post a good pic of what they look like installed I would appreciate it.Or if you can suggest a different brand of locking tuner you have installed that works good.I have an old Ibanez Artist I installed locking tuners on and it cuts my retuning down to about every three songs,but I had to ream out the peg holes and drill new screw holes etc...etc....If I have to install the Klusons I will, but I would love to see a good pic of them installed before I spend a $100 on them.Thanks guys.

 

 

I have no tuning issues with mine, either. I would assume you jumped to a thicker gauge string for the lower tuning? If so, it would think that nut work would be needed to work with these thicker strings? Just sayin'... Sounds like a nut issue.

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I have no tuning issues with mine, either. I would assume you jumped to a thicker gauge string for the lower tuning? If so, it would think that nut work would be needed to work with these thicker strings? Just sayin'... Sounds like a nut issue.

Even though I tune down I still use normal .10 gauge packs of strings.I pulled the trigger on the Kluson locking tuners and should have them in a couple of days.I am to the point where I don't care if the locking thing is on top of the headstock instead of underneath just as long as they work,which I've read they do.....Thanks

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Hello and welcome! I don't have any tuning issues with my LP at all with the factory machine heads. I use standard tuning, and I also do lot of bends and very crude vibratos. Maybe the nut is sticking on Your guitar? That's typical for new Gibsons. A proper setup and/or some graphite powder will solve this issue. Cheers... Bence

 

 

Same. My standard literally has not gone out of tune in months. Even though it has recently been on a long haul flight (14 hours) it still holds it's tune perfectly.

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My SG-3 has aftermarket Planet Waves locking tuners on it that do very well, I was going to switch them out to the standard Grover tulips or minis that I use on all my guitars but they have worked so well I decided to leave them on. The locking mechanism is all on the back of the tuner, which I like, but it did take me a bit of getting used to the look of the mix of chrome and black parts on them (not sure if they make them on all-chrome or gold or not.)

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My SG-3 has aftermarket Planet Waves locking tuners on it that do very well, I was going to switch them out to the standard Grover tulips or minis that I use on all my guitars but they have worked so well I decided to leave them on. The locking mechanism is all on the back of the tuner, which I like, but it did take me a bit of getting used to the look of the mix of chrome and black parts on them (not sure if they make them on all-chrome or gold or not.)

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My SG-3 has aftermarket Planet Waves locking tuners on it that do very well, I was going to switch them out to the standard Grover tulips or minis that I use on all my guitars but they have worked so well I decided to leave them on. The locking mechanism is all on the back of the tuner, which I like, but it did take me a bit of getting used to the look of the mix of chrome and black parts on them (not sure if they make them on all-chrome or gold or not.)

I installed the Planet Waves tuners on a cheap strat that I have,other than having to drill new screw holes in the back of the headstock they work great.I also like how they cut the string for you too,nice clean look.I thought about these for my LP but did not want to have to drill new holes.I have already installed the Kluson locking tuners and they fit great on my LP(no mods).Having the locking buttons on top looks a little strange but no big deal.While I was at it I rubbed the baked maple board down with some lemon oil and it darkened it slightly.(Which I was hoping for).My band jams this weekend so we will see how the new lockers work out....Thanks

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  • 4 months later...

I installed the Planet Waves tuners on a cheap strat that I have,other than having to drill new screw holes in the back of the headstock they work great.I also like how they cut the string for you too,nice clean look.I thought about these for my LP but did not want to have to drill new holes.I have already installed the Kluson locking tuners and they fit great on my LP(no mods).Having the locking buttons on top looks a little strange but no big deal.While I was at it I rubbed the baked maple board down with some lemon oil and it darkened it slightly.(Which I was hoping for).My band jams this weekend so we will see how the new lockers work out....Thanks

 

 

I put locking grover 108 kidney beans on all my pauls. No screws. Just turn and it locks! Also 18:1 ratio for a fine tune..

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  • 6 years later...

Be careful with Grover Locking tuners.

I bought a set of 502c's to replace the non locking Grover tuners on my LP studio only to find that the posts are too short. The locking tuners are 2mm shorter than the non locking. I have emailed Grover but as yet they haven't replied.

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On 7/3/2012 at 12:58 AM, kaicho8888 said:

Locking tuners are convenient in changing strings; but no guarantee that it stays in tune if the nut binds! ...check another thread on nut binding.

 

nut slot binding

1+ on this. Although locking tuners may be a contributor to the larger picture of tuning stability, it is certainly not the focal point. As what everyone else is saying, I suggest getting the nut worked on and eliminate any points of friction (nut slots and bridge saddles). It really should be pretty simple, quick, and relatively cheap. I also like using Big Bends Nut Sauce for extra lubrication, so you might find that useful. Also, be sure the strings are stretched thoroughly. 

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