Gotoh the best 'Kluson' type tuner these days?

Nightburst

Nightburst

New member
Been looking for the best tuners I could find for my strat and SG and dug in deep.
I've found out some things about Klusons that makes things a bit complicated and it makes me wonder...
Are the best 'Kluson' style tuners made by Gotoh these days?
I've read on several occasions that the regular Klusons are made somewhere in asia by a company named: 'Ping' under the licence of WD Music which hold the rights to the Kluson name brand. Apparently this is where Fender gets their OEM tuners from?
What about Gibson? Same origin? That would be a shocker! :eyecrazy:

Then again I could be terribly misinformed, I just go by what I've gathered on many other forums on the web.

However it seems that Gotoh also makes 'kluson' style tuners which have a good reputation on all the forums. Namely the SD91 vintage 'no line' get a lot of credit, more than the Ping made Klusons... Now I don't know which one is better but all I know is that those Gotoh's are awesome on my strat! It stays in tune now and they look just 'right'. The fact that they list all their specs and dimensions on their website, that they are made in Japan (Japan is stamped in the inside of the bottom plate so I assume they are MIJ) and that they get a lot of praise is what made me decide to go for Gotoh's rather than the 'real' Klusons...
Would I be just as happy with Gotoh's for my '74 SG?

I just find it confusing that there are so many different 'Kluson' type tuners available on the aftermarket. Wilkinson, Gotoh, Kluson Deluxe, Grover, Schaller etc... The prices range from €30 to €80 and these Gotoh's were only €36!

What tuners do you guys like best?
 
Re: Gotoh the best 'Kluson' type tuner these days?

I like any tuner that holds a tune. I've never had to replace tuners except for cosmetics reasons.
 
Re: Gotoh the best 'Kluson' type tuner these days?

I like the Gotoh brand tuners. Never had a problem with them.
 
Re: Gotoh the best 'Kluson' type tuner these days?

I dig the Gotohs because they work, they have the right press-in bushings, and they're light. The Kluson/Gibson Deluxe styles are bulky and have the big hex bushings and I've had a couple that just fell apart for no good reason.
 
Re: Gotoh the best 'Kluson' type tuner these days?

Ping is by no means a small company, they're the ones that build the OEM Floyd Rose "Originals" as well (the after market ones are still built by Schaller). Being built by ping is not by itself an admission of lower quality.

That said, Gotoh has over the years consistently built parts of far superior quality to any other manufacturer based anywhere in Asia and easily rivals with any manufacturer anywhere, period. Wilkinson bridges (and I'm betting the rest of their parts) are built by Gotoh as well.

My guitars have more Gotoh parts than any other one manufacturer and I can attest to their quality, consistency and great design. the fact that they're modestly priced is just a (huge) added bonus, the matter of the fact is that they "just work".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top