I'm looking at buying a pair of Grover Kluson style tuners for my ES-339, and I'm wondering what people's experience with them has been. I'm mainly looking for a sturdier feeling machine head, metal buttons, and maybe a bit more tuning stability, although I know that most tuning problems are related to the nut. My second question is if they will retrofit right into the current tuner holes on my 339.
I recently picked up a used Hamer Echotone with grover klusons. I'm not sure how old this instrument is, but I'm guessing 90s. On two of the tuners the back cover had come loose, which allows the whole mechanism to fall apart. The back cover is held on by two small rivets. I fixed the problem by taking a small center punch and resetting the rivets with that. They've been fine since and in general fell good and stable, although the G string one still feels a little loose.
I haven't tried the Groves, but I can't recomend the TonePros Klusons highly enough. They came standard on my Don Grosh set neck and I have since retrofitted all of my Gibsons with them. They are simply the finest, smoothest, without a bit of slop vintage style tuner I've tried. I'm planning to swtich all my Fender style guitars to them as well. The TonePros Klusons rock!
They are a lot worse than the tuners you have already . If you have tuning issues it will be the nut and the way you are stringing it up. Post close up high res pics.
The Tonepros klusons? I'm not actually having major tuning issues, and have recently had the nut filed out. I'm just a constant tweaker who is never fully satisfied until I've changed out every part.
The OEM Gotohs are as good if not better than these too. Only the Gotoh branded version is better in this style.
They make two types: one with the push in bushing for vintage style Klusons and one with a threaded bushing for modern style Klusons. Just get the appropriate version and you're ready to rock.
Mysteriously a Gibson I bought a couple years ago came with 5 Gibson Deluxe tuners and one of these Grover ones. Guess which one exploded mid-solo on me? The Grover. Never again.
