"aftermarket" tuners

[esandes]

i just read a guitar magazine article article about tuners and how the material and density can affect the sound. the article author even recommended to have at least 4 string winds around a post to get better sustain and tone.

has anyone tried aftermarket tuners? how are they?

[Bludave]

Re: "aftermarket" tuners

All tuners are after market IMHO. Very few guitar builders make tuners, they buy them. That said. I have replaced tuners on a few of my guitars. I have Schaller locking tuners on 2 of my Strats, I put a set of Grover's on my 68 SG( I did this in the early 70's) i replaced the goto tuners with waverly's on y Santa Cruz. I plan on replacing the tuners on my regal dobro. I keep forgetting to order them and then when I go to change the strings I remember how bad they are. Good tuners are a must for maintaining stability, but I don't see how they can make a huge difference on electric guitars, maybe acoustic but not as much on electric.

[Ayrton]

Re: "aftermarket" tuners

Have a link to this article?

The mass of any tuner will affect the sound of the instrument. Being a good or bad thing is really up to the user.

[verbotenco]

Re: "aftermarket" tuners

These days even whether you wear a polyester pants or cotton shorts will affect the ultimate sound of your guitar. I think aftermarket/ beforemarket tuners is more about tuning stability than sound.

[esandes]

Re: "aftermarket" tuners

april 2012 edition of premier guitar

[ExplorersRock]

Re: "aftermarket" tuners

These days even whether you wear a polyester pants or cotton shorts will affect the ultimate sound of your guitar. I think aftermarket/ beforemarket tuners is more about tuning stability than sound.

While I do think that the mass will have an effect on tone, I agree with verbo that the amount of difference won't be huge and that it's more about tuning stability. I usually replace the tuners on my electrics with Sperzel locking tuners or Schaller locking tuners. Even without a trem, they hold tune better (especially if you bend a lot). It's not necessary unless you have crappy or broken tuners, but I like having them, and they sure make restringing a lot quicker

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: "aftermarket" tuners

I call shenanigans!

[ratherdashing]

Re: "aftermarket" tuners

Will tuners affect tone and sustain? Yes.

Will it be a big enough difference to matter? Hard to say.

[MisterE]

Re: "aftermarket" tuners

All tuners are after market IMHO. Very few guitar builders make tuners, they buy them. That said. I have replaced tuners on a few of my guitars. I have Schaller locking tuners on 2 of my Strats, I put a set of Grover's on my 68 SG( I did this in the early 70's) i replaced the goto tuners with waverly's on y Santa Cruz. I plan on replacing the tuners on my regal dobro. I keep forgetting to order them and then when I go to change the strings I remember how bad they are. Good tuners are a must for maintaining stability, but I don't see how they can make a huge difference on electric guitars, maybe acoustic but not as much on electric.

+1. The only reason to change tuners is to replace original crappy one's with locking tuners. If anything they'll make string changes faster.

I have heard no tonal changes after replacing the originals though.