Do locking tuners really work? update

[mrp5150]

There's no need for them if your guitar has a locking nut, unless you want to save a few minutes on string changes. I guess they work a little bit better than regular tuners for fixed bridge guitars, but they don't even begin to compare with a Floyd + locking nut IMO.

 

[Juggernaut]

YES.

I use Planet Waves on all my guitars, LOVE THEM!

give them a shot, see if you like them, they come stock on Gutierrez Guitars unless ordered with someting else.

 

[Mudder]

I would agree. They do work, at least it's better than not having them. You still need a nut that's well made out of a good material to really keep things in tune.

 

[evhfan]

i have sperzels on all my suhrs...they work great...and keep the guitar in tune almost as well as a locking nut...

 

[Telephant]

Fuck yes they do! Let me start by saying, Im a very heavy handed player. I have never been able to keep my Strats in tune when I use the Whammy... Then I got 50th Anni Dlx w/ locking tuners. The bridge on that guitar always stays floating and I whammy the fuck out of. Not to mention Im so heavy handed when I attack the strings I get flutters even when I dont mean to.

But from my experience, on a properly set up strat with a new style two point trem, it works great! I am using the Fender Super Bullet strings with it, because they are so damn slinky feeling, but i think react well with the trem and holds tune beautifully. dont get me wrong, you may need a few tuning tweaks after a few songs but its definitely good enough for government work, and I vastly prefer it over Floyds. YMMV.

 

[turmoil]

Fuck yes they do! Let me start by saying, Im a very heavy handed player. I have never been able to keep my Strats in tune when I use the Whammy... Then I got 50th Anni Dlx w/ locking tuners. The bridge on that guitar always stays floating and I whammy the fuck out of. Not to mention Im so heavy handed when I attack the strings I get flutters even when I dont mean to.

But from my experience, on a properly set up strat with a new style two point trem, it works great! I am using the Fender Super Bullet strings with it, because they are so damn slinky feeling, but i think react well with the trem and holds tune beautifully. dont get me wrong, you may need a few tuning tweaks after a few songs but its definitely good enough for government work, and I vastly prefer it over Floyds. YMMV.

not to jack the thread, but to Telephant, i just bought an american deluxe strat with the same floating 2 point trem and i just cannot get this guitar to hold tuning. it has the locking tuners and all so i put new strings on it and stretched them out but for some reason the G, B, and E strings go out of tune constantly even if i'm just playing normally and it's driving me nuts!!! you (and anyone else with strats) think it just needs a good professional setup?

 

[badger71]

Yes...they work great. I've had Schallers and Sperzels and they definitely work for me. Plus, changing a broken string between songs/sets on a gig is super easy....not that changing with vintage tuners isn't.

 

[SFW]

I get stupid with the bar and have never had a tuning issue. So yes, locking tuners and a good nut job go a long way!

 

[MrDan666]

another big thumbs up from me for Sperzel locking tuners!!!

I have them on my GMW superstrat, and that guitar has no locking nut or floyd, just a Fender two point trem. I swear i havent tuned that guitar in 4weeks once, because it held so well!!

I got a set of chrome Sperzel trim-loks tuners for xmas, for my R7 Les Paul.. will put those on in the next few days and probably get a new nut fitted too!

 

[Pepi]

I sure think they work. Even if they didn't there worth it just for the easy string changing

 

[Vrad]

I have Sperzels on my mahogany guitar and they work ok. But if I bang around the floyd a bit much, they go out of tune. But I also have a locking nut on that guitar... It NEVER goes out of tune! LOL!

That said, I think the Schallers on my Axis are better quality. They seem better made. I could be wrong.

 

[shredhead666]

The idea behind locking tuners is NOT to replace a locking nut. Your guitar will still function exactly as it did before, but may stay in tune only SLIGHTLY better due to the lack of string windings.

What they DO help out with, is the speed at which you can change strings, and the time spent on stretching strings. They're a GREAT upgrade to any guitar IMO, but don't expect them to function the same way a locking nut would (i.e. not letting the strings stray from pitch at all if you have a floyd rose).

 

[Vrad]

The idea behind locking tuners is NOT to replace a locking nut. Your guitar will still function exactly as it did before, but may stay in tune only SLIGHTLY better due to the lack of string windings.

What they DO help out with, is the speed at which you can change strings, and the time spent on stretching strings. They're a GREAT upgrade to any guitar IMO, but don't expect them to function the same way a locking nut would (i.e. not letting the strings stray from pitch at all if you have a floyd rose).

That's how I look at it. Someone asked me why I have both on the guitar I put together... I said because I've had it with guitars going it out of tune. I have to say, it's the most stable guitar I've ever owned.

 

[Random Hero]

They really work, very well indeed.

 

[Strat+Marshall]

The idea behind locking tuners is NOT to replace a locking nut. Your guitar will still function exactly as it did before, but may stay in tune only SLIGHTLY better due to the lack of string windings.

What they DO help out with, is the speed at which you can change strings, and the time spent on stretching strings. They're a GREAT upgrade to any guitar IMO, but don't expect them to function the same way a locking nut would (i.e. not letting the strings stray from pitch at all if you have a floyd rose).

Your first point I agree with completely. Locking tuners have barely anything over some properly wound and stretched strings. The tuning difference is slight at best.

The second point, well...

I knew someone who used locking tuners for that reason and I could string a guitar faster than he could with my vintage style klusons. If you are experienced with stringing guitars that difference isn't all that much either.

Sperzels are good for the fact that they have absolutely no play in the shaft. That doesn't really have anything to do with them being locking or not.

A floyd, if set up right is a great thing. They can be abused and beat on and still stay in tune. The whole half-assed approach of a two point non locking bridge and locking tuners is pretty much worthless. They have to be properly set up and tweaked to stay in tune.

So why not use a 6 screw and klusons? I can go to spaghetti strings and come back in tune if I tweak out my strat and keep it set up right. 6 screw trems and vintage tuners sound alot better to me than their modern equivalents. Thats my two cents.

 

[griff10672]

YES.

I use Planet Waves on all my guitars, LOVE THEM!

give them a shot, see if you like them, they come stock on Gutierrez Guitars unless ordered with someting else.

+1

Auto trim locking tuners rule !!!!!

 

[Chubtone]

I'm going to have to say that they make string changes a breeze. However, I don't think they are even close tuning-wise to my Floyded guitars. I have several guitars. Some Floyded and they won't go out of tune. Some with locking tuners and vintage style bridges and I can't keep them in tune. Even a Suhr I have with the 2 point bridge and Sperzels on it I can't keep in tune if I use the bar. Evhfan in this same thread says his Suhr's with locking tuners stay in and telephant too...... I WISH I could get them to stay in tune even 80% as well as a Floyded guitar.

 

[Vrad]

I'm going to have to say that they make string changes a breeze. However, I don't think they are even close tuning-wise to my Floyded guitars. I have several guitars. Some Floyded and they won't go out of tune. Some with locking tuners and vintage style bridges and I can't keep them in tune. Even a Suhr I have with the 2 point bridge and Sperzels on it I can't keep in tune if I use the bar. Evhfan in this same thread says his Suhr's with locking tuners stay in and telephant too...... I WISH I could get them to stay in tune even 80% as well as a Floyded guitar.

Have you tried Nutsauce or Graphitall?

 

[Chubtone]

I'm going to have to say that they make string changes a breeze. However, I don't think they are even close tuning-wise to my Floyded guitars. I have several guitars. Some Floyded and they won't go out of tune. Some with locking tuners and vintage style bridges and I can't keep them in tune. Even a Suhr I have with the 2 point bridge and Sperzels on it I can't keep in tune if I use the bar. Evhfan in this same thread says his Suhr's with locking tuners stay in and telephant too...... I WISH I could get them to stay in tune even 80% as well as a Floyded guitar.

Have you tried Nutsauce or Graphitall?

I tried Nutsauce on my Suhr and one of my Warmoths has a graphite nut. With the Nutsauce, it seemed to kill the tone of the strings if I put too much on. It helped the tuning a bit, but not like a Floyd. You can stand on a Floyd and jump up and down.

 

[SeaDog]

The idea behind locking tuners is NOT to replace a locking nut. Your guitar will still function exactly as it did before, but may stay in tune only SLIGHTLY better due to the lack of string windings.

What they DO help out with, is the speed at which you can change strings, and the time spent on stretching strings. They're a GREAT upgrade to any guitar IMO, but don't expect them to function the same way a locking nut would (i.e. not letting the strings stray from pitch at all if you have a floyd rose).

In all due respect, they were definately made to replace the locking nut when they first came out or at least sold that way. Many players back in the day didn't like how the floyd changed the sound of the guitar so locking tuners were just one of the many attempts at creating a system that worked. That being said, I used them on on my stage guitars and none of them stayed perfectly in tune. I mainly liked the quick string changes. In the years I worked in a music store I did see the rare sperzel/two point system that seem to work almost perfectly, and I've also seen a "few" stock fender systems that were tuned to work equally well, but none compared to what you can do on a properly setup floyd type system. Think Steve Vai type stuff on a sperzel/wilkenson system and it's not going to happen.