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Did a bit of a search of the forum and didn't find anything recent about Machine heads (prove me wrong of course).

Sooo, I'm redoing the black Jazzmaster I bought from HNB here a few years ago, getting a new pickguard from Pickguardian for it and replacing the electronics.

I thought while I'm at it I'd get some fancy tuners and a nut and possibly roller bridge to go with. The ones on there aren't terrible but do feel a bit shoddy in comparison to the rest of my axes. I thought it would be nice to maybe try some new tuners and a fancy graphite nut to give the project a bit of oomph.

So what's everyone's favourite machine heads/tuners? Are the locking, self-trimming ones worth the extra few bob? Is a higher ratio better? I see some out at 21:1 and cheaper one's at 14:1, am I right in assuming higher is better??

Thanks all!

The higher the ratio the better. I have a few with locking tuners and I don’t think they make much difference most of the time. Tho less wraps = better tuning stability with trem use.


Preowned tuners are a nightmare as they’ll often look essentially the same. Cheaper OEM Grovers like you’d get on cheaper LTD or Gibson guitars etc are usually 14:1 with the better versions (around £80) being 18:1. The finer tuning is a definite bonus. Especially on the fatter strings as they’ll change pitch more with smaller turns.

I have D'Addario (Planet Waves) auto-trim tuners on one of my guitars and love them. It seems like a gimmick but it's not. It's convenient, yeah, but they also hold tune well. That said, I'd probably just do Kluson-style with the slot where you pre-trim the string and insert it in the top of the post. In my experience those work just as well as any locking tuner, and a 15:1 ratio is fine. Plus you won't have to modify anything or be left with holes in the back of the headstock. Gotoh make a set for roughly $40 US. You could also change the buttons if you want something a bit fancier.

Dillon wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 5:10 pm I have D'Addario (Planet Waves) auto-trim tuners on one of my guitars and love them. It seems like a gimmick but it's not. It's convenient, yeah, but they also hold tune well. That said, I'd probably just do Kluson-style with the slot where you pre-trim the string and insert it in the top of the post. In my experience those work just as well as any locking tuner, and a 15:1 ratio is fine. Plus you won't have to modify anything or be left with holes in the back of the headstock. Gotoh make a set for roughly $40 US. You could also change the buttons if you want something a bit fancier.

Generally, Amazon reviews like these tuners but a substantial minority say the fixing screws aren't strong enough and snap while fitting, so get your own fixing screws.

also agree with the split-shaft tuners and paying a little extra for the higher ratios. friends don't let friends buy cheap tuners.