GPOTD Guitar Pic of the Day - 12.13.10

Mark Wein said:
This is from the era where I used to sell Fender Guitars, so I am pretty sure that acoustically this instrument sounds about as "live" as a bowling ball.

I have always hated the roller nuts. I don't like how guitars sound with them on it and IIRC any corrosion will cause you tuning problems. I also don't think they allow you to have string guages higher than 11 if you're into that sort of thing.

I hate JB pickups. Not sure on the "Little 59's" in the neck and middle but I typically don't care for a neck humbucker in a strat and having a middle one is no bueno for me as well.

Have you ever used these staplocks? PITA:

41uDwBEELUL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


I'm not a fan of the Sperzel locking tuners although many people like them. I had a set on my Tokai and after weekly string changes for a year they wore out to the point where they wouldn't hold a string in the post. I've had the same Kluson tuners on that guitar since the mid 90's and I use the Gotoh versions on the rest of my guitars and not only do I not have any tuner-related tuning problems but I'm of the opinion that the lower mass tuners on the headstock allow the neck to resonate more freely. YMMV.
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I agree on the fact that most early 2000s Fenders I've tried were very dead sounding.

I don't agree on the rollernut. I've got one on one of my Warmoths and it's given me no problems at all in the 8 years or so since I finished the guitar.

As for the Schaller strap locks, I greatly prefer them to Dunlop strap locks. If you get the nut tightened down well (which granted, can be hard with a thick suede strap) they won't spin around and I've never had one get locked up or fail catastrophically, and I have them on at least 5 or 6 of my guitars.

I prefer Schaller locking tuners to Sperzel, but when it comes right down to it, I'm perfectly happy with non-locking tuners anyway.
 
Prages said:
I'm perfectly happy with non-locking tuners anyway.
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i'm not convinced that locking tuners are all that. they certainly don't hold tune any better. and the locks don't make string changes any easier unless you've got a bigsby or Ric tailpiece. and of course, those are the guitars least likely to have locking tuners.
 
Since I have been coming to guitar forums, I have heard a lot of talk about tuners. Some people insist that they must be changed as soon as you buy a guitar along with the stock strings. People swear you need locking tuners or there is no way you can keep your guitar in tune. I dont get it. idn_smilie

I have owned handful of guitars at this point and havent had any trouble with keeping them in tune. That includes a strat type (G&L Legacy) with trem and the black tele with cheap and old tuners. They were crappy tuners but that guitar was always in tune. It seems to me that a smooth operating tuner is all that is necessary. The Reverend I owned had Wilkenson locking tuners but you could just use them like regular tuners, which I did.
 
I like the trans red finish. A decent Strat, but the JB would make it a no go for me.

Ye old like-o-meter

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I'm not convinced of anything other than the several sets of Sperzals I have are working great, are easy to use, and I like the staggered height so that I don't have to use string trees, which irritate me... On the other hand, my 30 year old Washburn, non-locking, regular ol' good quality tuners hold tune just great...
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
correct. and given the way modern tuners are machined, you don't get the problems of old. most tuning problems are actually nut problems.
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Agreed. The only guitar I've ever owned that I switched out the tuners was my old Peavey Predator, and even then, the only reason I changed them was because one of them was missing a bushing when I bought it.

Almost every time there are tuning problems, it has nothing to do with the guitar's tuners.
 
Johnny N. said:
Since I have been coming to guitar forums, I have heard a lot of talk about tuners. Some people insist that they must be changed as soon as you buy a guitar along with the stock strings. People swear you need locking tuners or there is no way you can keep your guitar in tune. I dont get it. idn_smilie

I have owned handful of guitars at this point and havent had any trouble with keeping them in tune. That includes a strat type (G&L Legacy) with trem and the black tele with cheap and old tuners. They were crappy tuners but that guitar was always in tune. It seems to me that a smooth operating tuner is all that is necessary. The Reverend I owned had Wilkenson locking tuners but you could just use them like regular tuners, which I did.
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"People" need to learn how to tune and maintain their guitar. I think that what HIAR says about modern manufacturing methods also holds a lot of water, too.
 
Nah, I'm kind of "meh" about this one. As I've said numerous times in the past, I'm sick of Strats (other than my LP Jr.-esque, single pickup Bullet Special I bought dirt cheap, and maybe the original early & mid 80s Bullets with tele necks, and Mustang pickups [I miss the one I had]). Roller nuts - I'm indifferent to them. I had a Peavey Generation back in the 90s, that had a roller nut. It made no real difference in the guitar staying in tune IMO. Sperzel locking tuners? I had a Gretsch Brian Setzer Hot Rod, that had a Bigsby, and Sperzel locking tuners on it. I didn't like the tuners. I've used straplocks on some of my guitars (they came stock with them), but frankly, I've gotten along just fine wthout them. As long as the ring on the strap peg is wide enough (to properly hold the strap end), and you don't slam your guitar against your body, or loop it around your body (front to back, and then back to front) while playing, you really don't need straplocks IMO.
 
Well, I like the color. That's about it.

I had locking Sperzels on my old neck and hated them. Glad to see 'em go when I swapped the neck out. Appreciate all the info regarding all other hardware. For neophyte, this is rich with info.
 
I got some esoteric love going on here. Mr. Mark Weins' comment about tuner weight and acoustics tunes me on.
Although I still don't understand so many guitarists who don't like a humbucker, or lead pickup, at the neck.
Next to having a pickup where the center of the strings are vibrating the most, somewhere on the neck,
installing one after the neck is the closest you can get to all that string action.
 
I'd take it for $100.

not my thing, but for a bill?
sure.

I don't care for the rollernuts either.
nothing but hassle, IMO.

I've never had locking tuners.

I've used those straplocks, didn't care for em.
now, I remove the "front" strap button, slide a bigass washer on it, slip on the strap, and screw the damn thing back on.
problem solved.

that's for the gigging bass.

for the home stuff, I have those little plastic circle thingies.
mostly for the LP, as it's more prone to dropping off than the others are.
 
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