Staggered Tuners and string trees?

skinfreak

I am going to upgrade my American Special Strat and was looking at the Fender Button locking tuners which are staggered. 
My Strat currently has two American standard string trees and my googleing has led me to wonder if they are both necessary, especially if I install the staggered locking tuners. Part of me doesn’t want to remove the trees and have the holes left behind so I might even consider Kluson form StewMac: https://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_Parts/Tuning_Machines/Solid_Peghead_Guitar_Tuning_Machines/Kluson_6-In-Line_Locking_Diecast_2_Pin_Tuning_Machines_for_Fender_Guitars.html

Thoughts?

HAL9000

FWIW my US Standard Tele has staggered tuners and just the one tree (B and high E).

ICBM

Leave the trees on.

I always find a tree for the top two strings is necessary even with staggered tuners - there just isn't enough break angle over the nut otherwise. The second one isn't, but if you fit the tuners with the lowest posts for the G and D, the strings may clear it anyway - or touch it so lightly that there's virtually no friction.

With one string tree (with a spacer) I usually fit them in this height order, from tall to short:

Low E, A, B, D, high E, G.

That gives a good break angle for the G - the one that causes most trouble - while minimising friction for the B and high E.

If there aren't six individual heights you can still juggle them around to get the best angle for each string - the only exception is if they have vintage Kluson style baseplates, where you're limited to using the lowest one for the high E, then I would just swap the B and G.

skinfreak

ICBM said:

If there aren't six individual heights you can still juggle them around to get the best angle for each string - the only exception is if they have vintage Kluson style baseplates, where you're limited to using the lowest one for the high E, then I would just swap the B and G.

The Fender ones are 3 tall, 3 short. 

ICBM

skinfreak said:

The Fender ones are 3 tall, 3 short. 

I seem to remember that now - a bit crap, you really need three different heights at least.

Given that I would probably fit them as intended, unless the post hole height is high enough to make the D string bend sharply upwards at the tree, in which case swap it with the G. Basically you're trying to minimise the change of string angle at the contact points, to keep the friction down.

hollywoodrox

I fitted lockers gotoh sg 381 I think the number is. They were staggered. I asked tech to set it up for me and asked if he would reccomend no trees but he said prob be better with them so I gave him two graphtec tusk ones to put on.  It’s a Squier contemporary strat