which locking machine heads are best?

[Stevie P]

I'm thinking of putting a set of locking machine heads on my asat special tribute tele, is there any particular type that will fit best? Any help appreciated.

[MAP70]

I'm thinking of putting a set of locking machine heads on my asat special tribute tele, is there any particular type that will fit best? Any help appreciated.

I like Hipshot, I have used the open and closed versions as well as the staggered and non-staggered versions... Both are great... You probably need to drill holes but to me it's a worthwhile upgrade as all of my guitars are guitars I play and I want them to perform...


http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.p ... tail&p=380


http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.p ... tail&p=246

[sam]

I'm a fan of Sperzel staggered, but also have a non-staggered set on one, have not tried the Hipshot. You can find a set pretty cheap on eBay to give different sets a trial run, or go to local shop and see if you can find a guitar with locking tuners. Happy hunting

[Zippy]

What is the exact difference between staggered and non-staggered tuners? I have the Sperzel's that come standard on my G&L Legacy Special and they've worked fine for nearly 20 years.

Larry

[LiquidSmoke]

Just for cool engineering, Steinbergers gearless tuners win because they rethought the whole idea of what a tuner should be, plus that 30-to-1 ratio.



.

[darwinohm]

Zippy, staggered means the top length of the tuners are different, the ones near the end of the headstock are shorter to increase the tension over the nut. some use a 3/3 config and others use a 4/6 arrangement. I like both Sperzel and Schaller. I agree with LS in that you should look into Steinberger. I am going to try them, I just haven't decided which guitar.-- Darwin

[Craig]

Zippy, staggered means the top length of the tuners are different, the ones near the end of the headstock are shorter to increase the tension over the nut. some use a 3/3 config and others use a 4/6 arrangement. I like both Sperzel and Schaller. I agree with LS in that you should look into Steinberger. I am going to try them, I just haven't decided which guitar.-- Darwin

Here's a past post showing both kinds that G&L uses/used: http://guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewtopic ... 977#p58977 .

Hope this helps.

[MAP70]

What is the exact difference between staggered and non-staggered tuners? I have the Sperzel's that come standard on my G&L Legacy Special and they've worked fine for nearly 20 years.

Larry

The Staggered ones allow you to not use string trees by varying the length of the tuning peg... I used them on a start build and I used the non-staggered ones on my Legacy I just purchased..

[MAP70]

Just for cool engineering, Steinbergers gearless tuners win because they rethought the whole idea of what a tuner should be, plus that 30-to-1 ratio.



.

Pretty neat.. pretty expensive though.... But if they work better than conventional tuners then I guess it is worth it...

Mark

[sam]

The Steinberger's just look big and heavy to me, kind of take away from the look of headstock. How do they compare weight wise and does the picture make them just look bigger?

[MAP70]

The Steinberger's just look big and heavy to me, kind of take away from the look of headstock. How do they compare weight wise and does the picture make them just look bigger?

I've read some not so stellar reviews, but YMMV.... I think for the price of $50 or so the HipShot Tuners are a good buy... they do the job well.. the 18:1 ratio is pretty good.. not as much as the 40:1 ratio of the Steinbergers.. but they work for me..

[Salmon]

The Steinberger's just look big and heavy to me, kind of take away from the look of headstock. How do they compare weight wise and does the picture make them just look bigger?

My sentiments as well.