Anyone put locking tuners on their acoustic..?

[ASATClassic]

I love locking tuners on my electrics. I was thinking about putting them on my acoustic to make string changes quicker/easier. Dumb idea..?

[exhaust_49]

Why would you do that? Locking tuners are ment for guitars with a tremolo. I haven't found an acoustic with a whammy bar yet (this dosen't include hollow bodies cause I know somone will ask me) and I dought I'll find one.

I've never had any trouble with regular tuners. I think people are stringing their guitars wrong and not stretching their strings when putting them on.

[Thwap]

Originally Posted by ASATClassic

I love locking tuners on my electrics. I was thinking about putting them on my acoustic to make string changes quicker/easier. Dumb idea..?

No not dumb. It's your guitar, and if you like the convenience factor...why the hell not?

[suttree]

wasn't there once an acoustic with a whammy (a peavey i think?).

thwap's right... if you like em, and it's your guitar, then why not. i don't see it improving anything, really.. but it won't hurt, that's for sure.

[Fishin'Musician]

Originally Posted by exhaust_49

Why would you do that? Locking tuners are ment for guitars with a tremolo...

Whoever told you that?

[exhaust_49]

Originally Posted by Fishin'Musician

Whoever told you that?

Only everyone I have discused this with.

[Thwap]

Originally Posted by exhaust_49

Only everyone I have discused this with.

Well, maybe. But lets just look at it realistically. Locking tuners were initially used on whammy equipped guitars to replace a locking nut, for a convenience factor.

You seem to think this is a bad idea....but you've never really said why. Do you have some evidence that there will be a tone degradation? Why is this such a bad idea to yourself, and everyone you've discussed this with?

How will this negatively impact his acoustic guitar?

The original poster wasn't complaining about his guitar going out of tune, so you pointing out that you don't think people are winding their strings correctly wasn't really speaking to the point of his post. He said he liked the convenience, and is happy with the setup on his electric....so what's the problem?

[GuitarGuy510]

That's not a dumb idea at all! I put locking tuners on all my guitars, trem-equipped or otherwise! Locking tuners in general help add to the tuning stability of the instrument, regardless of whether or not it has a tremolo. Sperzel makes one of the best locking tuners out there, that would be my suggestion. :AOK

[ASATClassic]

I have locking tuners on my Tele's (well, actually ASAT Classics, but I digress), which obviously have no trem. I do it to make string changes quicker and prevents string slippage.

Sometimes it'll be 20 minutes before a gig when I realize I need a string change. With locking tuners, I can change strings and get them stretched out with 15 minutes to spare.

Locking tuners on an acoustic seems a little odd, though.

[deluxemeat]

no they are not just for guitars with vibratos.

locking tuners benefit ANY guitar.

every tune-o-matic guitar i have has sperzels.
it DOES make a difference. having less windings on the post gives a guitar a lively snap.

sperzels on acoustics are out there and they sound great.

the only guitar i wouldn't put locking tuners on would be floyd guitars. sperzels/ graphite nut and a floyd is a terrible combo.

[Brett Valentine]

If you do a lot of open tunings, locking tuners should make that easier as you eliminate the extra windings and the "over/under" locking wrap you do with the extra string. That said, I have Sperzels on most of my electrics (but not the 335) trem or not, and the 18:1 ratio Gotoh 510 COntours on most of my acoustics and have had no problem with either; though the D and G strings on my Brian Moore (self installed) to tend to slip just a bit though everything looks to be tight.

Brett

[sosomething]

Originally Posted by deluxemeat

the only guitar i wouldn't put locking tuners on would be floyd guitars. sperzels/ graphite nut and a floyd is a terrible combo.

I have to respectfully disagree. I have a Carvin with that exact setup and it is rock-solid. I think a nearly straight string pull from nut to tuners, the locking tuners themselves, and a well-cut nut make the need for a locknut moot.

There's more than one way to skin a cat.

As for locking tuners on an acoustic - I certainly don't see a problem with it either. I would, however, look at some other brands/types of locking tuners as Sperzels (while super-high quality) are pretty bulky and will add a lot of mass to the headstock, affecting the balance and likely changing the tone of the guitar.

[billv]

I've got Sperzel locking tuners on my non-trem Carvin Holdsworth Fatboy, and I've often thought about putting them on my acoustics. I'd love to be able to change acoustic strings as quickly as I can change strings on the FB!

I would miss the Gotoh 510s, though (on my Lowden). They are so smooth and precise...

[exhaust_49]

Originally Posted by Thwap

Well, maybe. But lets just look at it realistically. Locking tuners were initially used on whammy equipped guitars to replace a locking nut, for a convenience factor.

You seem to think this is a bad idea....but you've never really said why. Do you have some evidence that there will be a tone degradation? Why is this such a bad idea to yourself, and everyone you've discussed this with?

How will this negatively impact his acoustic guitar?

The original poster wasn't complaining about his guitar going out of tune, so you pointing out that you don't think people are winding their strings correctly wasn't really speaking to the point of his post. He said he liked the convenience, and is happy with the setup on his electric....so what's the problem?

I never said it was a bad idea. I just see it as a solution without a problem. I think that a guitar needs a steep angel over the nut for good vibration transfer. I get that by having 3-4 winds on all of my guitars tuners. with lockers you get half a wind at most. I have no evidence of any tone degration but feel better having 3-4 winds on each tuner. It's a bad idea to me because lots of the lockers that are out there now either don't hold the string tight enough or hold the string tight enough to cut it. There is (in my eyes) no reason other than changing strings quickly, to have lockers on an acoustic. I have never used locking tuners and have no intentions to. I don't use a whammy, all my guitars are hardtails for the tuning stability. I'm not trying to turn people off locking tuners, I'm just trying to understand the reason people use them. I have had no problems with regular tuners (ever), even the cheep ones.

[pickaguitar]

why?

Seems like a hassle to me