Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

[B2D]

http://www.g-gotoh.com/international/?btp_work=whats-magnum-lock

Anyone else have these on their guitars?

i changed strings on my Eclipse last night (which comes stock with these tuners) and I have to tell you I'm not thrilled with these. It took me a bit to get the hang of how to use them properly, and I don't see them as being very quick to use in a live situation or in the studio where time and ease of use is a factor.

Plus I found out the hard way that a penny or a nickel is the easiest way to get the top of the post to stay still while locking the post using the tuning key, and to get any appreciable speed in doing so you need to use a peg winder. If you don't get what I'm saying then watch the video in the link.

I've only changed strings with these once and my knee-jerk reaction was to ditch these and get some tuners with the standard thumb-wheel lock mechanism. My other guitars have those and I can get the strings on and off in a flash and with one hand if I need to.

 

[wolf5150]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

Ive had them on my Anderson for 10 years.
I love them.
I've got the Ernie Ball power winder and that made the whole job much easier.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

yeah i have some they are awesome.

 

[B2D]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

Interesting... why do you two like them?

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

Interesting... why do you two like them?

Don't you just put the string through the hole and start winding? The locking part is automatic. You don't not need a penny r pick to hold the post.

 

[B2D]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

Don't you just put the string through the hole and start winding? The locking part is automatic

Not really... I find that I have to hold the top part of the capstan in place to get it to lock and THEN once it locks, let it go and wind up as normal.

When I didn't hold it in place, it didn't lock on it's own.

Look at the video in the link of the OP about 30 seconds in. When the peg starts winding, the capstan lock is stationary and that's what allows it to lower itself down the threads and lock. Mine wouldn't stay stationary unless I held it there.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

Not really... I find that I have to hold the top part of the capstan in place to get it to lock and THEN once it locks, let it go and wind up as normal.

When I didn't hold it in place, it didn't lock on it's own.

Look at the video in the link of the OP about 30 seconds in. When the peg starts winding, the capstan lock is stationary and that's what allows it to lower itself down the threads and lock. Mine wouldn't stay stationary unless I held it there.

Man i have a set h.a.p.m and thats all i do. i think the key is to screw the post part down just enough to just fit the string through then you start winding. If you have a huge gap it cant catch on the string.

 

[B2D]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

Man i have a set h.a.p.m and thats all i do. i think the key is to screw the post part down just enough to just fit the string through then you start winding. If you have a huge gap it cant catch on the string.

What's H.A.P.M. ?

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

What's H.A.P.M. ?

Thats what gotoh calls the mechanism i think. You might just have h.a.p. the hapm has height adjustment on each post too. like this set i have

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

Watch this wanks method, thats how i do it. .. They are awesome man,

He contradicts himself a bit but what he says at 20 seconds is how they actually work. you just pull the string through as long as some of the tension is taken up and start winding. Its really that simple.

 

[Dahla]

Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

I have an eclipse with those tuners. I can re-string pretty fast. I do the same as kramersteen: pull the string through and start winding. It locks quick, and get in tune fast!

I like those way better than Fender's locking tuners with a thumb weel. Those are ridiculous.

 

[B2D]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

Hm. I've been using Schallers and Sperzels for so long that I'm used to the way they operate. I'll keep these for a while and see if they grow on me.

 

[LonePhantom]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

I was a bit confused about how they worked at first, but I love them. So easy to re-string and tune up. As long as you don't undo the locking post too much with the coin or whatever you use to unlock. You barely need any slack in the string when you start to wind up the string.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

Easiest to use, best looking, fastest, and best quality locking tuners I've ever used. You just need to learn to use them and get used to them. Winding them ceases to be a problem when you only go half a turn (or even less) around the post, like you should be doing with locking tuners anyhow. The reason why locking tuners stay in tune better is because they allow you to avoid wrapping in the first place. Undoing the string is just a matter of loosening the tuner a few turns while holding the string in place. If you need to nudge the locks (like with a coin) because you've busted a string right at the tuner, a pick will do on stage. It's no slower than doing it with regular tuners. And they are the only locking tuners that fit old-style tuner holes and pretty much look classic. Add the H.A.P. feature, and you also can equalize the break angles over the nut, which also helps the guitar stay in tune better.

 

[Dahla]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

I've never used a coin to unlock it either. I just unwind it, and stop the string to follow with my finger. Easy peasy.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

What's H.A.P.M. ?

HAP = Height Adjustable Posts. M, i assume, is for 'Magnum', the locking aspect.

I have a set of HAPMs on one of my Strats. The instructions only confused me more, but i worked most of it out by trial and error.

I did some careful filing of the inner bit of the post and the top cap to get the holes of the higher strings right down as low as they could be. But even when that's done, there is some loss of tone, and string trees are still needed to get the full tone. This proved to me that claims of staggered posts eliminating string strees on a Strat (or Tele) headstock are only true if you are happy with comromised tone on the higher strings.

They are worth persevering with because they are some of the only 'vintage' style locking tuners, with the lighter weight needed when setting up a Strat (or Tele) for the more traditional sounds. I have found i need to use a coin or something to hold the locking cap while i start winding the tuner to get the string locked, so maybe i still haven't quite mastered the art.

Good tuners though, i have no complaints with the way they hold the tuning. I'll be fitting another Strat with these, and I'll use the height-adjustable ones again to minimise the angles under the string trees, to help the trem behave better.

 

[B2D]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

Hm... interesting

Well if i don't get used to these or just wind up not liking them, at least I know there's people on here that will buy them from me.

 

[Dahla]

Re: Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners - not liking these

HAP = Height Adjustable Posts. M, i assume, is for 'Magnum', the locking aspect.

I have a set of HAPMs on one of my Strats. The instructions only confused me more, but i worked most of it out by trial and error.

I did some careful filing of the inner bit of the post and the top cap to get the holes of the higher strings right down as low as they could be. But even when that's done, there is some loss of tone, and string trees are still needed to get the full tone. This proved to me that claims of staggered posts eliminating string strees on a Strat (or Tele) headstock are only true if you are happy with comromised tone on the higher strings.

They are worth persevering with because they are some of the only 'vintage' style locking tuners, with the lighter weight needed when setting up a Strat (or Tele) for the more traditional sounds. I have found i need to use a coin or something to hold the locking cap while i start winding the tuner to get the string locked, so maybe i still haven't quite mastered the art.

Good tuners though, i have no complaints with the way they hold the tuning. I'll be fitting another Strat with these, and I'll use the height-adjustable ones again to minimise the angles under the string trees, to help the trem behave better.

Do you hold the string when you start winding? If you do, the string holds the top part in place until the locking part is done and the string starts to tune to pitch. If you hold the string instead of a coin it's practically same same.