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New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

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  • New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

    There was nothing wrong with the set that came on my Taylor W14CE-LTD. They were Gotoh 510's in Antique Gold, 1:21 gear ratio . I bought these locking tuners 2 years ago, but never got around to putting them on. Today I decided that I'd waited long enough. I had a good afternoon shaping up, from a pain standpoint, and actually felt like I had some energy for a project. That doesn't happen very often.

    I had to special order these tuners from the North American distributors rep out of Seattle, as they don't normally stock this color in locking tuners in the US. Nickel and gold yes, even black IIRC, but not antique gold. I wanted to match the OEM color. It took 6 weeks + to receive them once ordered, but well worth the wait. I had to convince the rep that I knew I could get locking tuners with the thumb wheels locally, in the correct color, but that's not what I wanted. You can order on Gotoh's Japanese site directly as well, but it's not easy to navigate and since they were a special order I didn't want to chance getting it wrong at almost $100.

    Really simple installation. They have a hex head shaft nut and a washer on the top a single screw on the back, set at either 5 o'clock or 7 o'clock depending on which side you're looking at. The footprint is exactly the same as the original tuners. Six off, six on, nothing to it. The only difference is that the posts are all shorter on these vs. the non locking version. Not sure why and they don't make different post heights that I'm aware of. They work just fine though. Also, on the back the new ones say Double Speed Lock across the top and then Gear Ratio 1:21 on the bottom. The old ones say Super Machine Head.

    To string you have to loosen the top of the post just enough to allow the string to slide through. There is a slot for a coin or a fat flat head driver. Once the string is through, you DO NOT have to tighten the post aging with a coin or anything. You simply turn the tuning peg in the direction you use to tune, and the internal cam locks onto the string, tightens down the post on the top and tunes to pitch in a half to 3/4 turn. The internal cam is the exact same as the cam on the Grover 106 series, and I love it. I don't like the look or the additional weight of tuners that have thumbwheels added. These look clean and not like locking tuners at all.

    Some of you are probably thinking why go to the bother of locking tuners on your acoustic? For me, it comes down to the time it saves changing strings. I have a back injury with lingering nerve damage in both legs down to my feet, in my lumbar area and some down my arms. Even sitting at our pub height kitchen table while working on guitars makes my back hurt very bad after a bit. I've tried sitting the whole time, standing, combination of both and sometimes I last longer than normal, but never a whole string change without locking tuners.

    Pics below:

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    Last edited by Jeff_H; 09-23-2018, 08:38 PM.
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  • #2
    Re: New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

    Uhm yeah.., it says 1:18 on the pic fyi

    How is the locking mechanism operated on these?
    "New stuff always sucks" -Me

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    • #3
      Re: New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

      Originally posted by Adieu View Post
      Uhm yeah.., it says 1:18 on the pic fyi
      Yeah. That pic I just pulled off Google to show the color. I think even you get that.

      Originally posted by Adieu View Post
      How is the locking mechanism operated on these?
      Covered in my original post.


      Originally posted by Jeff_H View Post

      To string you have to loosen the top of the post just enough to allow the string to slide through. There is a slot for a coin or a fat flat head driver. Once the string is through, you DO NOT have to tighten the post aging with a coin or anything. You simply turn the tuning peg in the direction you use to tune, and the internal cam locks onto the string, tightens down the post on the top and tunes to pitch in a half to 3/4 turn. The internal cam is the exact same as the cam on the Grover 106 series, and I love it. I don't like the look or the additional weight of tuners that have thumbwheels added. These look clean and not like locking tuners at all.
      Last edited by Jeff_H; 09-24-2018, 02:28 AM.
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      • #4
        Re: New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

        Here we go:

        Click image for larger version

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        • #5
          Re: New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

          Very cool Jeff! I have degenerative disc disease and have had a couple of spinal fusions.. Can fully sympathize..
          Believe me when I say that some of the most amazing music in history was made on equipment that's not as good as what you own right now.

          Jol Dantzig

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          • #6
            Re: New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

            Originally posted by BloodRose View Post
            Very cool Jeff! I have degenerative disc disease and have had a couple of spinal fusions.. Can fully sympathize..
            Did your fusions help your pain and/or resolve your back pain? Sorry to hear you've had to go through this.

            I also have degenerative disk disease, several bulging discs along with some anular tearing. I also have some stenosis. I've had a Laminectomy and then a 2nd surgery to clean up some areas not fully smoothed with the first surgery. It didn't relieve my pain as I hoped it would. I'd say the results were negligible to maybe 10-15% improvement at best.

            My next option would be to deal with the bulging discs in 2 areas. Not sure I want more surgery, but we'll see. The hardest thing is not having the stamina to do simple things or having a long enough period relatively pain free to do the things I want. Usually after a string change I need to rest my back for an hour or more before I can think about doing something else. Sometimes the string change is all I can do that day.

            I have to make some of this routine guitar maintenance as easy as possible. This was/is stuff I really enjoy doing, which stinks because I can't do what I want or as much as I want whenever I want.
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            • #7
              Re: New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

              I've noticed that the post heights are often listed as a bit shorter on lockers. Since you don't have the downward wraps around the posts, it should work out close to the same height when in tune. They probably took that into account when they designed them.

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              • #8
                Re: New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

                Wow, that is simple and elegant. I love the way these lock. As much as I think tuners themselves are an archaic way of attaching strings to an instrument, these are among the best I've seen.
                Administrator of the SDUGF

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                • #9
                  Re: New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

                  Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                  As much as I think tuners themselves are an archaic way of attaching strings to an instrument, these are among the best I've seen.
                  How would you suggest we do it?
                  You will never understand How it feels to live your life With no meaning or control And with nowhere left to go You are amazed that they exist And they burn so bright
                  Whilst you can only wonder why

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                  • #10
                    Re: New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

                    How it should change would fundamentally change the look of the guitar. But hey, I am a function over form guy that isn't very tied to tradition.
                    Administrator of the SDUGF

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                    • #11
                      Re: New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

                      I love those Gotoh 510's. Much better than Sperzels, IMO.

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                      • #12
                        Re: New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

                        Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                        Wow, that is simple and elegant. I love the way these lock. As much as I think tuners themselves are an archaic way of attaching strings to an instrument, these are among the best I've seen.
                        They really are the smoothest, best set of locking tuners I have used. They are silky, but even with the high gear ratio it doesn't feel like it takes forever to get to pitch or to re-tune. Even the non locking Gotoh 510 is an incredible tuner. I would never have changed them if it weren't for my physical limitations.

                        Dave, if you ever want something like these, but the style of the 510 isn't right for the guitar, the Grover 106's are as close as it gets. The locking mechanism is the same, but the 106's make you align the outer shaft hole with the inner locking cam hole, so the inner hole has to be on the side towards the center of the headstock and then you spin the outer cam to line it up. It can be a pain until you get used to how it works, but before long it becomes 2nd nature.

                        Since these 510's come in 6-7 different finishes, I think they'd work anywhere a Sperzel set would.... as long as you like metal or wood buttons. I haven't seen any that would match with the look of say a Les Paul with the Keystone tuners. I would imagine there are a ton of different buttons available, but haven't looked at them all.

                        As a bonus, these tuners are fairly light and not as heavy as a Grover. It's been so long since I had a set of Sperzel's that I can't recall how heavy they are.

                        Ps. I would like to find just these buttons to put on my tuners, but I can't find them separate from the tuners:

                        Last edited by Jeff_H; 09-25-2018, 11:30 AM.
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                        • #13
                          Re: New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

                          Originally posted by Darg1911 View Post
                          I've noticed that the post heights are often listed as a bit shorter on lockers. Since you don't have the downward wraps around the posts, it should work out close to the same height when in tune. They probably took that into account when they designed them.
                          I meant to post that your explanation makes perfect sense. The locking Kluson's I bought for my Gary Moore LP Standard had noticeably shorter posts than the normal Kluson's. I was worried they were so low, but they worked fine. The only locking tuners that I don't notice a height difference on are the Grover 106. Now I need to grab my non locking OEM Grovers and compare the post heights.

                          Thanks Darg.
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                          • #14
                            Re: New Tuners On My Taylor Gotoh SLG510Z-MG Magnum Lock 1:21 Ratio

                            Originally posted by Jeff_H View Post
                            As a bonus, these tuners are fairly light and not as heavy as a Grover. It's been so long since I had a set of Sperzel's that I can't recall how heavy they are.
                            As far as locking tuners go Sperzels are pretty light; I'm pretty sure the housings and metal buttons are made of aluminum. I don't have exact figures, but the set of Sperzels on my LP Standard weighed significantly less that the Grover Rotomatics it came with.
                            Originally posted by crusty philtrum
                            And that's probably because most people with electric guitars seem more interested in their own performance rather than the effect on the listener ... in fact i don't think many people who own electric guitars even give a poop about the effect on a listener. Which is why many people play electric guitars but very very few of them are actually musicians.

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