It's Help-An-Idiot Day! Slothead tuner replacement concerns.

camf

I have developed an entire irrational dislike for a perfectly fine set of Schaller tuners on my guitar, so I'm thinking of changing them. I've found ones that I like much better (yes, they are stupidly expensive... so feel free to slap me!) but the measurements are not like-for-like. In you collective expert opinion, will these be interchangeable?

Details and schematic for the perfectly fine Schallers here: https://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_Parts/Tuning_Machines/Slotted_Peghead_Guitar_Tuning_Machines/Schaller_3-on-Plate_Guitar_Machines.html

The potential replacements here: https://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_Parts/Tuning_Machines/Slotted_Peghead_Guitar_Tuning_Machines/Golden_Age_Restoration_Tuners_for_Slotted_Peghead_Guitar_-_Engraved_Bell-end.html 

(You might notice the new one's include the description 'bellend' - they're clearly made for me.

Thanks,

cam f

ICBM

Not without plugging and redrilling at least a couple of screw holes, no - probably all four of the end ones, possibly all eight if you're unlucky - and two of the old holes will be visible at the far end of the headstock since the new plates are substantially shorter there.

camf

@ICBM I was trying not to bother you. Even from my very untechnical eye, I feared that might be the case. After I posted this, it occurred to me to ask StewMac if they had anything that would be a direct replacement. There's something about the big, bright white buttons that I find really annoying. It's irrational, I know. But thanks for the advice.  

ICBM

I have a big box full of ratty old tuners if you want to have a look through for some that fit and can be rebuilt with good gears...

Andyjr1515

Double check, but I think they are these?
https://schaller.info/en/machine-heads/346/grandtune-classic-hauser?c=53

Certainly appear to be the same screw holes.

As you can see, they have options of buttons and pins as well as the plate finish.  Not cheap, mind you!

camf

ICBM said:

I have a big box full of ratty old tuners if you want to have a look through for some that fit and can be rebuilt with good gears...

That sounds like it might be kind of fun.

@Andyjr1515 Yep, too dear and too fancy for what I need. 

Looking at the tuners I have, if I could just replace the buttons that would be fine. Unhelpfully, the replacement buttons for the GrandTune model have a screw at the end but the Hauser models don't. I suppose the Hauser ones I have will just screw off, though. I guess it's then just a case of trying to hunt down replacements that have the same size thread - I suspect that will be the tricky part. 

Andyjr1515

No way of knowing if these are the right size, but they do appear to be 34mm 35mm 31mm from a steel rule against the computer screen (!) as with the Schallers.  They have other button options too.  

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_parts_guitar_machine_heads.htm

At £5.00 - worth a punt?  They are not going to be super-slick, but HB - Thomann's own brand - tend to punch way above their weight. 


They have Schallers too on their site but they are closer to £60.

camf

Thanks @Andyjr1515 ;; It seems a bit mad to replace a set of £40 tuners with a set for a fiver.

One other option might be to see if I can stain the buttons a bit. I saw Dan Erlewine staining new white buttons with shoe polish. That might just be enough to solve the (admittedly stupid) problem. I might try it and post the results. The worst that could happen is that nothing happens.