Guitar Machine Heads

Guitar Tuners wear out and make staying in tune impossible.  

Consider, the ratio for tuning, diameter of hole, and the number of screw holes in your current tuner.

The original tuner will leave an imprint in the headstock so you may want to consider using OEM stock. If you are using the guitar as a player and not a collector piece, screw holes don’t matter.  Staying in tune is the most important thing to consider. I always look for Grover brand due to my positive experience over the years.  If you are playing a Stratocaster in Marietta or Alpharetta GA. and enjoy dive bombing the strings, locking tuners may be your best option. They are fast for changing strings and your guitar will come back in tune when there are not as many windings on the peg to re-tighten.  Locking tuners may be used on any guitar but most beneficial for guitars fitted with “Tremolo” bars.  Some tuners have different peg lengths 3 are shorter than the rest.

The ratio 18:1 and 14:1 determine how many time the key needs to be turned around to get the peg to turn once.  The lower ratio is faster for changing strings but the higher is better for fine tuning the string. 

You may be able to service the machine heads with careful cleaning and lubrication.

If you have any questions, contact Rockit Guitar Repair.