Longevity of locking tuners?

[voxylady]

Didn't see Schallers mentioned much but I've got some Schaller mini locking tuners installed in my Warmoth build, and they've been working flawlessly

 

[monkeybrains]

I sorta like locking tuners but I do like to get at least 1 or 2 turns on them. I have had problems with breaking strings at the tuner (while playing the guitar not on initial tuning) when I just pull the string through and lock it.
May well be user error but that's my experience. The tuners I got are locking sperzels

 

[Gclef]

If they are good tuners with no issues, then they will last for the life of the guitar.

My experiences:

Fender schaller circa 1990 vintage - no issues but a bit sloppy in the gear mesh

Sperzel - 2 have stiff points during the rotation. Carvin sent me 2 new ones, then another developed the same issue. So 3 out of 9 were bad. 2002 vintage. 12:1 ratio is not fine enough for adjustments on the fat strings.

Planet waves auto trim - 18:1 ratio. They cut the string ends as you turn! I love these!!

My feeling is this: if you are buying new tuners, spend the 20 or 30 extra bucks for lockers. Yes, you can wind the stings around regular ones and have no issues, but lockers take a half to 1 full rotation to get to tune

 

[Drew816]

If you buy quality, they'll last forevers. You buy cheaper or knockoffs, well...

I don't know what the oldest set of locking "tuners" I have, I was late to the game I must admit. Certainly over a decade though for several sets/types.

 

[willyboy]

I have 16 yr old sperzels and never had an issue. I also have the Fender/Charvel ones and a set of the Suhr's. If the tuners themselves are of good quality there's no issues. And in terms of added mechanical complexity it's extremely minimal and couldn't be any simpler

 

[Strummerfan]

I've had a Fender set for over 20 years, 7 of those gigging, no problems. Thumb wheel to lock and unlock, look great, work perfectly.

 

[TFR]

I had one Sperzel that had problems within a few years but I've had many others that didn't.

 

[JasonE]

I change everything I can over to locking tuners. What is the longevity of them? Lifetime.

 

[vortexxxx]

Sometimes I have seen stripped threads on the tightening wheel in the back.

 

[Defendant]

I had a Sperzel that lost its ability to grip the high E string many years ago.

That's my only known locking tuner failure across many sets and years.

 

[supergenius365]

I love them for quick string changes in a live setting. They let me bring 1 guitar instead of 2 to a show. I don’t put them on guitars I rarely gig with.
A builder friend swears by Hipshot tuners, so I bet those have a very good lifespan.