Locking tuners - what is the point?

Tannin · September 2023

Genuine question.

None of my half-dozen guitars goes out of tune once a new set of strings settle in.

(Other than with temperature/humidity changes, which generally just leave the whole instrument slightly sharp or flat and still perfectly playable if you are not recording or playing with another instrument. In any case, these are generally uncommon and no tuner ever invented would make the slightest difference as they are due to differential expansion rates between wood and metal.)

It takes only a few minutes to fit a new set of strings, and a few minutes more to stretch them and bed them in. Then some playing to take off the awful new-string tone.

I don't really notice how often I have to re-tune, but at a guess one or other of my half-dozen needs two or three times a week, so that's maybe on average re-tune any given guitar once a fortnight or so. (I use Peterson clip-on tuners, which are about as accurate as tuning gets.) Oh, and I play for at least an hour, usually more, each day, so they don't just sit there.

Given that tuning stability is a total non-issue with my perfectly ordinary standard tuners (Grovers and Gotohs), what on Earth is the point of locking tuners? Are they for instruments with whammy bars? Or just players who habitually do huge bends?

BigPaulie · September 2023

Tannin said:

Genuine question

Are they for instruments with whammy bars? Or just players who habitually do huge bends?

Yes

Bellycaster · September 2023

I suppose you can string up quicker, just thread in, clamp, wind and cut, instead of loops and wraps etc. I have only 1 guitar with locking tuners and could quite easily live with the rest of them being that way. I am not phased by stringing through regular tuning posts, though.

ICBM · September 2023

They also make restringing in a way that prevents string slipping quicker and easier. It’s perfectly possible to do it with standard posts and lock-wrapping, but locking tuners are simpler for a lot of people - and still do possibly have a small advantage, in that they can completely eliminate (rather than just minimise) string movement on the post.

Not a big deal either way for me - I probably wouldn’t fit them to a guitar that doesn’t have them, but I have a guitar that came stock with them and they’re fine.

fastonebaz · September 2023

It just makes it easy and fun

skullfunkerry · September 2023

I just prefer them. I can do the licking round the posts method, but I prefer the speed & simplicity of locking tuners.

Bellycaster · September 2023

ICBM said:

They also make restringing in a way that prevents string slipping quicker and easier. It’s perfectly possible to do it with standard posts and lock-wrapping, but locking tuners are simpler for a lot of people - and still do possibly have a small advantage, in that they can completely eliminate (rather than just minimise) string movement on the post.

Not a big deal either way for me - I probably wouldn’t fit them to a guitar that doesn’t have them, but I have a guitar that came stock with them and they’re fine.

I'm a bit cack handed, but the best method of regular posts was taught to me by Gary Brawer's channel on YouTube.

Tannin · September 2023

ICBM said:

They also make restringing in a way that prevents string slipping quicker and easier. It’s perfectly possible to do it with standard posts and lock-wrapping, but locking tuners are simpler for a lot of people - and still do possibly have a small advantage, in that they can completely eliminate (rather than just minimise) string movement on the post.

Cheers. I'll have to try restringing a guitar with them - I've never used them. I think my brother's electrics have them, I'll volunteer to change his strings for him next time I visit. (That will earn me some brownie points - it's a task he hates.)

Tannin · September 2023

BigPaulie said:

Tannin said:

Genuine question

Are they for instruments with whammy bars? Or just players who habitually do huge bends?

Yes

Possibly the most succinct, to-the-point answer I've seen on here all week.

BillDL · September 2023

skullfunkerry said:

I just prefer them. I can do the licking round the posts method, but I prefer the speed & simplicity of locking tuners.

You must have some really sticky saliva

drofluf · September 2023

I’ve got them on my travel acoustic. They make restringing a little faster but the real benefit on that guitar is that they keep the strings in place when I take it apart. I imagine with conventional tuners the strings would come off the posts when you took it apart.

I’m a fan but not to the extent that I’d want to change the tuners on my other guitars for locking ones

Blueingreen · September 2023

I have them on all my guitars. It’s good if they come as stock but if they don’t I install them. I probably wouldn’t buy a guitar if it didn’t have them and they weren’t going to be easy to source and install.

Nothing to do with tuning stability issues, purely to make string changes faster and easier.

I appreciate they are a luxury item. People on a tight budget and/or people who’ve become very slick at string changes may feel they don’t justify the cost.

But people pay chunky amounts for marginal improvements in guitars all the time. A couple of hundred quid on a slightly different flavour of pickups etc. For me changing strings on a guitar without locking tuners is a PITA and locking tuners are an easy, relatively inexpensive and worthwhile upgrade.

crunchman · September 2023

Easier string changes

I wouldn't go as far as @Blueingreen and change out functional non-locking tuners, but I definitely prefer locking tuners.

CarbonCopy · September 2023

As some others have said, they're a nice to have and not essential. I have them on 3 guitars. Two of them (Fender Tele Thinline Elite and Gibson Les Paul 2008 Standard) came stock with them and so it's not to do with using a vibrato. The other, a Squier Strat, is one with a vibrato, but the Klusons that were on it (which were themselves replacements for the original no brand tuners) were failing so I replaced them with Gotoh locking tuners.

They are a luxury and just make changing strings that much faster and easier, just as buying one of those electric peg winders is a luxury and not essential.

Stratavarious · September 2023

My Patrick Eggle and Strat both have them… both with floating trems & straight pull.

1/3 the time to restring and more stable for any whammy action.

OilCityPickups · September 2023

Because every guitar isn't fitted with these?

Image: https://www.tdpri.com/attachments/92legbgtuners-jpg.1057529/

Neil · September 2023

OilCityPickups said:

Because every guitar isn't fitted with these?

Best tuners ever IMO.

Bigsby · September 2023

Tannin said:

ICBM said:

They also make restringing in a way that prevents string slipping quicker and easier. It’s perfectly possible to do it with standard posts and lock-wrapping, but locking tuners are simpler for a lot of people - and still do possibly have a small advantage, in that they can completely eliminate (rather than just minimise) string movement on the post.

Cheers. I'll have to try restringing a guitar with them - I've never used them. I think my brother's electrics have them, I'll volunteer to change his strings for him next time I visit. (That will earn me some brownie points - it's a task he hates.)

Keep in mind that there are different types: Most commonly they have a thumbwheel on the back to lock - they've very quick and easy to use. Grovers make a design without the thumbwheel that require the post to be aligned correctly first, then lock with the button, prior to tuning. They seem very fiddly at first (defeating one advantage!), but aren't so bad when you're used to them. Fender also make a traditional-looking locking design, but I've never used those.

I have them on most of my guitars. I wouldn't swap out traditional Fender tuners just to have locking ones, as they're so quick and easy to use anyway, but I might do just to have locking GraphTech Ratio tuners. I've fitted those to a few guitars now, including to Fenders with non-locking modern tuners. They are just so much better in use - for those temperature/humidity changes where the whole instrument is slightly out of tune, it's the exact same pressure and movement to retune on every string. Dropping to E flat is also very quick... I was surprised just how much difference they make.

drpbier · September 2023

Will always have them, either as stock or otherwise. I've little enough time (and no patience) to learn stringing technique as well as actually learning to play.

Snags · September 2023

Unless you're a serial trem abuser for me they're just something that takes about 1 minute off restringing, so I don't care (and don't currently have any).

I've also recently discovered that the fold back and loop or "Gibson knot" is unnecessary, which speeds up changes as the old strings come off easily, and the new ones need one less step to put on.

(Thread new string taught, pull back one fret, right-angle kink the string north of the post but don't bother looping it back under and then folding it over, just leave the right-angle link), then wind it making sure the wraps go under. Tune to pitch, stretch out, tune, stretch, tune and done).

Roland · September 2023

I’ve tried locking tuners because they seemed like a good idea. Tuning is a bit more stable. Removing strings is a bit quicker. Headstock is a fraction heavier. Nothing that would persuade me to retro-fit.

Grumpyrocker · September 2023

I have locking tuners on almost all my guitars, either they came with them, or in the case of my Les Paul I added them.

I change the tuners on my LP because I hate vintage tuners, but while changing thought it was worth having locking.

For me the main benefit is how quick and easy it is to change strings. So much so I'm thinking of putting some locking tuners on my LTD which has a Floyd.

Voxman · September 2023

Easier, faster string changes. Only 3 of my guitars have them but I love the ones on my PRS Cu24.

TeleMaster · September 2023

I have locking tuners on everything. Much quicker string changes, especially when playing live, and better tuning stability.

All guitars go out of tune when you play them. Some people have more of a sensitivity to this than others, and some guitars go out of tune more easily than others (looking at you, Gibson) so locking tuners are part of a wider solution for this.

rlw · September 2023

For me, never having fully mastered the art of putting new strings on, they are the obvious choice.

My non-mastery is down to my doing a pretty good job but never being 100% happy with it. Locking tuners deal with self doubt.

carlos · September 2023

Grumpyrocker said:

I have locking tuners on almost all my guitars, either they came with them, or in the case of my Les Paul I added them.

I change the tuners on my LP because I hate vintage tuners, but while changing thought it was worth having locking.

For me the main benefit is how quick and easy it is to change strings. So much so I'm thinking of putting some locking tuners on my LTD which has a Floyd.

You can use the ball end at the headstock to make it easier, no need for locking tuners. Cut the string to length, thread on tuner, clamp at floyd, use ball end to prevent string slippage as you wind.

GoFish · September 2023

Yup, only convenience on non whammy guitars really, unless ther's a particular tuning issue, but that's probably the nut anyways.

The Fender traditional ones functtion more or less like a standard tuner - the first twist locks the string and then you can wind up for laughs if you choose. I do think that for non whammy guitars a set of really nice tuners will be just as good but these are pricier to produce and require nominally more skill to use, so not going to be the popular choice.

*Disclaimer* - I've never felt the need to change tuners, as I just tune up instead and grin and bear it. Guitars that don't stay in tune tend to have bigger problems to me!

edit: I'm not really a tinkerer. I've also just realised I wrote a whole essay without mentioning "Machine heads" - Shame on me

rhinofeet · September 2023

The cost difference between normal and locking is minor that when upgrading it seems worthwhile to get locking just for the extra stability and time saving. The only real downside is the possible extra weight that could cause neck dive.

impmann · September 2023

Pointless on non Trem guitars unless you aren’t much good at stringing guitars.

Grumpyrocker · September 2023

carlos said:

Grumpyrocker said:

I have locking tuners on almost all my guitars, either they came with them, or in the case of my Les Paul I added them.

I change the tuners on my LP because I hate vintage tuners, but while changing thought it was worth having locking.

For me the main benefit is how quick and easy it is to change strings. So much so I'm thinking of putting some locking tuners on my LTD which has a Floyd.

You can use the ball end at the headstock to make it easier, no need for locking tuners. Cut the string to length, thread on tuner, clamp at floyd, use ball end to prevent string slippage as you wind.

This isn't my first rodeo cowboy

ICBM · September 2023

I'm not a fan of stringing with the ball ends at the headstock - it makes it harder to get the old strings off.

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Locking tuners - what is the point?

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