Which of your guitars stays in tune best (and what kind of tuners does it have)?

[wrxplayer]

I recently purchased an EBMM Ball III BFR. It's got Schaller locking tuners. Only had it a couple of weeks but every time I pick it up to play it requires only very subtle tuning adjustments, if any. Much different from my #1, a T style with vintage style Kluson tuners.

I've got the Schallers on a Grosh NOS MT and I think they perform as well on it.

Thoughts?

 

[Mark Ray]

'95 PRS CU22

Original winged tuners. I can bend it like Beckham, rock solid tuning for an entire set.

 

[Buddhist#6]

My Jazzmaster, it has the Fender Vintage slotted Tuners where you gotta pre cut the strings before you wind em. Actually all of my guitars that have those stay in tune, I think it’s due to the way they wrap and the fact that I stretch em Out a lot. I tune once before the set and unless I need to go to drop D I don’t touch it.

 

[Balinus]

My Godin Stadium 59. Stock "Godin" tuners with Gotoh compensated saddles. Stays in tune forever!

 

[OotMagroot]

'88 PRS Standard. Also has the original winged tuners. Also rock solid.

My newer PRS SE Standard 24-08 has Hipshot lockers on it now and it stays in tune really well.

 

[Mikhael]

The ones that stay in tune best are the ones with locking vibratos. Of the others, I'd say the Parkers, with the locking Sperzel tuners..

 

[starvinmarvin]

It's almost never about the tuners, and almost always about the nut. Guitars that stay in tune have the nut slots properly cut for the string gauges in use, and have also been prepared with a lubricant on every string change (Big Bends Nut Sauce, Rene Martinez Graphit All, etc.).

 

[Guyotron]

Ibanez RG Prestige with the Lo Pro Edge locking tremolo. Once the strings are stretched/broken in, it's always in tune.

 

[kev]

@wrxplayer - for your T style - consider a set of locking tuners - Gotoh make a vintage Kluson look-alike that can be staggered (SD91 HAP), and also happen to be on my 'stays in tune best' guitar, a T style

beyond my T style with the locking set of tuners - my guitars that stay in tune the most consistently also have a headstock design that allows for straight strings

as @starvinmarvin points out, addressing the nut is critical (along with all contact points the strings make)

 

[Family Man]

My PRS S2 594s and a hardtail Strat partscaster. All three have non-locking vintage-style tuners. All three stay in tune for days.

 

[beezer]

I have a 2005 Les Paul Standard completely stock and its tuning is rock solid .

 

[ctreitzell]

'74-'75 Gibson Byrdland with Kluson Seal-Fast
It rarely goes out of tune
hanging on the wall for two weeks untouched...I'll grab it and it's in tune

none of my other guitars are even close
I'd say Kluson Seal-Fast is/was the best ever tuning machines

 

[monty]

My Tele with vintage style tuners, rock solid. Great design that has stood the test of time.
Of course my Floyd equipped guitars too but the tuners have nothing to do with that.

 

[GreenieMan]

My Jazzmaster, it has the Fender Vintage slotted Tuners where you gotta pre cut the strings before you wind em. Actually all of my guitars that have those stay in tune, I think it’s due to the way they wrap and the fact that I stretch em Out a lot. I tune once before the set and unless I need to go to drop D I don’t touch it.

All of my guitars bar-one has the vintage style klusons. All stay in tune perfectly. I think a properly cut and lubricated nut, and lubricated bridge saddles (when appropriate) are the key to tuning stability.

 

[sleewell2]

both of my guitars with floyd roses.

 

[Lepinkäinen]

Usually, if you have problems with tuning it's not the tuners nowdays. It's the nut, or vibrato, if the guitar has one.

For vibrato, I'm really happy with Suhrs with Gotoh 510, I can do pretty heavy stuff without the bother of locking nut.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

This one:



Or this one:



Or this one:



Or this one:



Or this one:



Or this one:

https://i.imgur.com/3XB8vWa.jpg

Hmmm… starting to notice a pattern.

 

[cap10kirk]

The tuners have nothing to do with tuning stability. All of my guitars stay in tune just fine...the Junior with a Bigsby and stock Reverend tuners, the Strat with a floating vibrato and Gotoh tuners, and the acoustic with Grovers, they're all good. I've got a Squier Affinity Tele here that I'm setting up for a friend with the stock tuners that is good too.

 

[Bluedano1]

I have an assortment of tuners ( none locking), to include:
Vintage style Fender/Kluson, Ping ( Martin), Grover, Gotoh ( open/Waverly style
It could be the way I string and play guitar, but they all seem to behave the same way
- they keep all guitars very well in tune, but need tweaking, when starting a gig, then stay in tune ( except when drastic temp changes outside, which happens)

- on any electric ( even after tuning stretching new strings) they will go uniformly flat just a bit, during the 1st set of a gig ( new strings, I mean)
- will go sharp or flat uniformly ( a bit) depending upon heat or A/C changes at home, say overnight
* no big deal, things are always 90-95% in tune, plus we all have headstock tuners

Sometimes I 'fake tune' ( pretend) my guitars during gigs, just to take a quick break; think of the next song!

 

[Gitarman]

For me, it's probably either the kit guitar that I built around '05, but used an original Schaller FR & locking nut that I've had since the 80's OR the CE24 over there << in my avatar.