Official Luthiers Forum!

Title says it all!

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"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."
Pablo Picasso

https://www.facebook.com/FenskeGuitars

I really like the gotoh 510's

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MK5acoustics.com

Gotoh mini 510's for ukulele, nice!

Whatever the client specifies.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Can't say that I have "standard" tuners yet as I am just finishing up #3. I like the vintage look and I'm sure I will use Waverlies at some point when my skills might justify the cost. For now, though, the Grover Stay-Tites are great looking, work well and are about 1/3 the cost.

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Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement.

Peter, maybe you just have steel stings in mind, but I have only completed 5 classical guitars. As a newbie I look for quality at low cost, so I've used bottom of line Rubner tuners on 4 of the 5 guitars I've built. There is no adornment to these, but I really like the look. I like the brand well enough that I'll probably just move up to some of their higher end tuners once I feel my skill level justifies the additional cost. As it is, I'm generally paying less on average for a back and side set than I am for a set of tuners. Call me cheap.
Marty

Ditto. A few people have said they like the look of the Waverlys right up until I tell them the price. Then they go for Grover Sta-Tites. I have not had any issues with the Grovers so far and I have used about 9 sets.

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

Gotoh 510 mini's but I'm planning on Waverlies for an upcoming build.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Schaller, Hauser style, gold plated, ebony buttons. (That probably proves Filippo's point).

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

I'm just looking for tuners to put on a guitar that I plan on selling, so I was wondering if I have to use the really expensive ones (like waverly, gotoh, etc.) or if cheaper ones would do (grover). Seems like they will. It's possibly going to go to a music shop, so there is no customer in this case.

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"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."
Pablo Picasso

https://www.facebook.com/FenskeGuitars

I use Gotoh sealed... don't know the model, it's usually around 30 dollars. That tuner is good enough for most purpose, and if the client wants something better they are welcome to go with that.

I am considering Taiwanese tuners on future non-commissioned builds... when I'm not getting paid to build I'd like to reduce the cost as much as I can.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

For steel strings Grover sta-tite, Waverley, or Gotoh 510 depending on style of guitar.

For classicals I always use Robson or Rodgers hand made tuners. The price is high, starting at around £350 ( $550) up to around £600 ( $930), but they are not expensive for the quality of the product and are what my classical customers 'demand'. On my lutes, well I turn my own pegs.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Grover keystones. They're good enough for Gibson...

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

i don't do commissions so i don't have clients. right now i like grover sta-tites. good ratio and light weight. was thinking about making my own plate style tuners soon.

The lowest end Rubners are OK for the cost. Gohtohs and Schallers are both smoother and don't cost much more. I certainly wouldn't go for the higher end Rubners, though. The gears, etc. are the same on all of their models, the only difference is the level of decoration on the plate. So, for the money you can get a lot nicer tuner than the higher end Rubners.

As far as what I personally use most, I've used Gohtoh premiums more often than anything else. I've used schallers, gohtohs, and sloane, too and can recommend all of those. For the money it's hard to beat schallers or gohtohs.
I have a couple of builds upcoming that I'm going try Pegheads on.

I've only built a couple of steel string guitars but have used Schertlers for those. I like the combination of pretty reasonable price, pretty solid quality, and light weight. Also, the black ones look pretty nice.

I started using Grover staytite open back but their quality got so bad I was replacing at least 1 tuner in each set. I started Gotoh Delta and open back and the quality is so much better but more costly. I just used the hipshot open back tuners on my just completed Irish Bouzouki and for a lower priced tuner they are very good. The only reason I tried them was their availability in singles and will certainly use them again.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

I disagree. The Schaller Classical tuners have very significant backlash and are noted for it. Their 'engraving' (it's stamped) and plating also looks pretty cheap and nasty. The Rubners are actually engraved, whether by machine or by hand I don't know but it's a huge improvement on the Schallers. The engraving on the Sloanes seems to be formed from the casting process. They look very good though. The Rubners now come with teflon bearings as an option. It's these bearings that take up all the slack that exists between the post and the bearing surface. If you select carefully, the Rubners can be very good - both aesthetically and in terms of their function. I've just bought a set of their higher end tuners with Ebony buttons (photo - Rubners right, Schallers left) and it's pretty hard to think how much smoother (or friction free) they can get. The only tuner that rivals the Rubners at $140 mark are the Gotohs and I'm not keen on the aesthetics. The tuners pictured will look nicer in the dull Brass finish. I'm also not that keen on the look of the Rubner serrated decoration of the gears but I can (and have) filed that off on the Rubners with the dull Brass finish.
The Sloanes are very good but (at least for me) are double the price of the high end Rubners. I like the relatively stiff feel on turning the Sloane buttons but it seems a lot of people take this as being 'unsmooth'. They aren't. You can also adjust the Sloanes if you have the right tool for them.
BTW. Rubner are going to offer a roller bearing sometime later this year.

Schertler's for me so far - really like the look and good quality.

I like Gotohs at all levels. The $30 or so ones with sealed ends and replacement ebony buttons are my entry level for solid peghead guitars. I don't like the looks of the 510's so I avoid them unless specifically asked for. I use Grover 18:1 Sta-tites for entry level slot heads, and the $80 or so Gotoh classical tuners that Stew Mac sells for classics. Today's tuners on the low end are quite good IMO: well machined with little slop, and if you come across a dud they are very easy to exchange.

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I disagree. The Schaller Classical tuners have very significant backlash and are noted for it. Their 'engraving' (it's stamped) and plating also looks pretty cheap and nasty. The Rubners are actually engraved, whether by machine or by hand I don't know but it's a huge improvement on the Schallers. The engraving on the Sloanes seems to be formed from the casting process. They look very good though. The Rubners now come with teflon bearings as an option. It's these bearings that take up all the slack that exists between the post and the bearing surface. If you select carefully, the Rubners can be very good - both aesthetically and in terms of their function. I've just bought a set of their higher end tuners with Ebony buttons (photo - Rubners right, Schallers left) and it's pretty hard to think how much smoother (or friction free) they can get. The only tuner that rivals the Rubners at $140 mark are the Gotohs and I'm not keen on the aesthetics. The tuners pictured will look nicer in the dull Brass finish. I'm also not that keen on the look of the Rubner serrated decoration of the gears but I can (and have) filed that off on the Rubners with the dull Brass finish.
The Sloanes are very good but (at least for me) are double the price of the high end Rubners. I like the relatively stiff feel on turning the Sloane buttons but it seems a lot of people take this as being 'unsmooth'. They aren't. You can also adjust the Sloanes if you have the right tool for them.
BTW. Rubner are going to offer a roller bearing sometime later this year.
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This must be a newer development with the Rubners. I bought 6 sets at various price levels 5-6 years ago and they were a big disappointment. In fact, I sent all but the cheapest set back...and I still haven't put those on a guitar. The Schallers do have more backlash than the the comparable Gohtohs and are a bit more gaudy (that's why I've only used them twice) but overall they function fine and they're better than the Rubners I was sent several years ago.
As noted, though I've put Gohtoh premiums on more guitars than anything else.

A lot has changed in 5 years at Rubner. They have added the Teflon bushing which smoothes things tremendously, and if they add a barrel bushing they'll be right up there with everyone else. I wish they would put a real screw on the bottom of the knobs though. Those decorative thingys tend to get lost if they get hit.

I have also read some negatives about the longevity of the Classical Gotoh Premiums, though I don't know what the basis is.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Hmmm...do you recall where you heard the longevity issues with the premiums? I haven't had any issues with them (I've got one guitar with them that is almost 9 yrs old but it doesn't see a lot of use any more) but would certainly be interested in hearing about any issues others have had.

I remember. It was another builder that I was talking to at the GFA Vendor fair in June. He was now using the new Sloanes with the double bearings on the barrels. He was saying he'd had some issues with guitars that were used a lot. He sells to a lot of serious student guitarists, and has 180 or so out there. The students put them through the wringer.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Does anyone have experience with the Golden Age from Stew Mac? I bought these for my first two, but haven't installed them yet.

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Phil

http://www.oleninstruments.com

"Those who tilt at windmills are only considered insane by those who can't see the dragon."

Gotoh SG series (the 30-ish buck ones) if I'm on a budget, Gotoh 510 minis (magnum lock, replacement schaller M6-style buttons, 'nickel' finish) are my preferred closed back option. I like the look of the Hipshot open backs but have yet to try them, and have a few sets of StaTites and Sperzels kicking around as well (for vintage-y designs and eletrics with trems, respectively)