RUSSIAN-STYLE LOCKING TUNERS

[GuyaGuy]

well, everyone loved my tip about the strat trem (a.k.a. WOBBLY STRAT ARM?) so much, i've decided to post another thread about another bit of breakthrough DIY technology.

locking tuners rock. we all know that.

however, they can be pricey AND you have to shop around for the right fit for your guitar, not to mention the defacing done while screwing new holes, etc.

here's my solution:

needed: drill, thumbscrews, lots of hand-eye coordination, maybe a pen top, nerve.

basically, most locking tuners have a long bar that goes through the back up to the capstan. turning the thumbscrew on the back raises the bar, which then clamps the string in place. (there are more complicated versions, but this is the basic concept.)

MY solution does the same thing but from the TOP.

carefully drill a hole into the TOP of the capstan, just enough that it the bit goes clear thru to the hole and no further. the bit used should obviously be of the same size as the screw.

put on thumbscrew, put string thru, tighten screw to clamp string in place, tune to pitch.

PRESTO.

(mmm...presto...)

basically, this should require no more work than installing locking tuners, which usually require new holes, etc. i would, of course, strongly advise against doing it on vintge instruments, as if it's neccessary to say that anymore.

it should be stated that while i did invent this, i apparently wasn't the first. (i "invented water," as they apparently say in croatia.) i was about to unleash the concept on the GN1 forum, but i found out from DUNKELFALKE that a russian player had come up w/ the same idea. this russian guitar-tinkerer uses a clear pen top to guide the drill bit. that's a good idea. (ideally, you'd want to find a machine drill for the job, but i guess you do what you can.)

if dunkelflake is around, maybe he can post the link to the site. it's in russian, but there are good pix of the process and you can get the gist of the text from babelfish.

(note that i've left out technical info and sizes, as those vary. and i accept no liability for damaged guitars or missing digits!)

[GuyaGuy]

p.s.
i'll answer in advance the question "will my guitar look dumb?"

no.

not really.

basically, you can get thumbscrews w/ heads of the same diameter as the capstan and file down the rounded top of the capstan so that the screw is flush. thumbscrew heads are usually small so the capstan will in effect just make the capstan a fration of an inch taller. plus you can get em in chrome or black (once again, home depot, ace, etc) to match the existing tuners.

[wesman]

Sounds useful for us low budget modders like myself;

got any pics?

[dunkelfalke]

here you are:

guitar.ru/articles/making_guitar/strat_lock/

it is not only drilling the hole, it is also making the winding (photo 4)

ah yes, another thing by the same guy - modding your vintage strat vibrato to a floating one:

guitar.ru/articles/making_guitar/strat_tremolo/

[GuyaGuy]

oops. guess i forgot to make it clear that you need to properly thread the hole to receive the screw. silly me. as i mentioned, a machine drill would be perfect if you have one or if you can take yr tuners to a machine shop. otherwise, you'll just have to drill carefully.
also, it's mentioned in the russian text that you should file down the screw where it meets the string. probably not a bad idea, so as to avoid string breakage.


anyhow, thanks a lot for posting the link, dunkelfalke!

it is something for low budget modders, as you say, wesman, but on the other hand it has its advantages over manufactured locking tuners:
1) no drilling into the actual wood of the instrument for mounting screws or new bushings
2) i think you can see/feel better how much pressure is being applied to the string so you know if it's clamped down properly, not enough, too much, etc.
i don't have a digicam so i don't have pix but the link has some good ones. i basically wanted topost the general idea of the mod. as i mentioned, a machine drill would be perfect if you have one or if you can take yr tuners to a machine shop. otherwise, you'll just have to drill + thread carefully.

[wesman]

GuyaGuy:

Perhaps frugal minded would have been a better choice of
words.
Things are tight around here and I have a drill..........
and I have some taps ........
and I have to mod the guitar....

[dunkelfalke]

there is a possibility to mod this mod.

i have kluson locking tuners on my guitar. to avoid string breakage the screws don't tighten the strings, instead they apply pressure to a small metal ball (like from a very small ball bearing) and the ball holds the strings tight without breaking them. i suppose you can extract such bearing balls from any failed cpu fan.

[GuyaGuy]

now you're talkin', dunkelfalke!
good idea! i love any idea that involves a)strings and b) rolling parts: roller nut, roller bridge, etc.
i was on the lookout for thumb screws w/ unthreaded, rounded tips but was pretty sure they'd be hard to find. ball bearings aren't; it'll just take a bit more precise measuring so that the bearing sits in the new shaft. also, the length of the screw will have to take in considertion the size of the bearing.

thanks for the tip!
wesman: if you decide to do the mod and have a camera, put up some pix if you can!