Schaller locking tuners

[Caddie]

Has Schaller finally managed to do it? They figured out how to sell 3x3 locking tuners in the USA that are drop-in replacements for the M6 that were standard on Hamers for years. Sha-zay-um!

Are these truly drop in? No drilling?

Its held in place with a pin now instead of the tab and screw. The pin is sufficient to keep it from turning?

Thanks in advance oh great expert panel for sharing your knowledge.

Gunga gunga galoonga.

caddie

[LordsoftheJungle]

Has Schaller finally managed to do it? They figured out how to sell 3x3 locking tuners in the USA that are drop-in replacements for the M6 that were standard on Hamers for years. Sha-zay-um!

Are these truly drop in? No drilling?

Its held in place with a pin now instead of the tab and screw. The pin is sufficient to keep it from turning?

Thanks in advance oh great expert panel for sharing your knowledge.

Gunga gunga galoonga.

caddie

this would be welcome news if true,,,,

[Feynman]

I don't think so. That may leave open holes in the headstock, and those let the tone out.

Also, I seem to recall that they were too short or something. I forget the details, but they weren't the tuners we were looking for. My apologies for the vague and probably incorrect information.

[geoff_hartwell]

Yes, they've been around. I've been using these for years. Were they called something else - M6 locking, or something - before now?

Anyhow, You remove the old tuners and the screw, and drill a little pilot hole for the post, but it's covered by the tuner itself.

Since the new ones don't have the extra screw when you switch the hole will be visible, but I haven't had anyone revoke my guitar license yet, haha.

A string change is instantaneous and tuning stability is awesome.

[Caddie]

Yes, they've been around. I've been using these for years. Were they called something else - M6 locking, or something - before now?

Thanks Geoff. Were they M6-2000 perhaps? I prefer the look of these rather than the M6-2000. A headstock full of the M6-2000 reminds me of things I saw in the London Tower Torture Museum.

I don't think so. That may leave open holes in the headstock, and those let the tone out.

A few more black holes that suck tone out are tolerable. I have 10 fingers doing a fine job of sucking copious volumes of tone. There may not be much sucking tone left for 6 tiny little screws holes to suck.

For the good of The Loyal Hamer Nation I'll call Stew-Mac to get their advice on this. Our Hamer USA Studios n Specials n most 3x3 headstocks came out loaded with M6-Mini, correct? A full report will follow my investigative research.

caddie

[Caddie]

Ok, ladies and gentlemen. I just got off the phone with Jamie at Stew-Mac. YYYYYesss! The Schaller Locking Tuners will fit directly into the hole left by the M6 mini. But (everything has a butt doesn't it?),the locking tuner uses a pin to hold the tuner in place (to keep it from rotating). The pin is pushed into the back of the headstock as you tighten the tuner down. The pin is drive in .16". Click the link above, when you get there click on specs, it will show you the drawings for the tuner. Sooooooo as Feynmann III observed, those pesky tone leaking holes will be left exposed in the back of the headstock. I have a few solutions for that

• get over it, its a guitar
• take it to your luthier and pay him a $100 to make it look perfect again
• take it to a mani/pedi shop. ask them to find some polish to match the back of the headstock. take it home, stick a little piece of toothpick into some wood glue. stick the toothpick into the hole, use what's left of the toothpick to put nail polish over the top. Go easy on the polish, a little goes a long way. Apply polish with a toothpick, not the tiny little brush that came in the nail polish bottle.
• Leave the holes alone, save the orig tuners. when you get ready to sell it, take the locking tuners out and put the orig tuners back in. No muss, no fuss. Now you can truthfully claim that its 100% original.

[Feynman]

Still, most Hamers I looked at are not M6 Minis, but standard size M6s. i am in dangerous and uninformed territory here, but just be sure that's what you are replacing.

The only drop-in locking replacements I have found are the M6-7502a, but I think those are the torture devices you referred to.

If you don't mind the little holes and such, I think you can go with Sperzels or Schallers, but I'm not sure which models.

Edited to add - I hope I don't seem argumentative. I am truly just trying to be helpful.

[Caddie]

Argumentative? Nooooooooo no no no, lots of great info, the pics are the best evidence.

Where did you buy those? Seems like the only place that offers them are a few online merchants with UK web addresses.

On another topic, any recent pics of you? I seem to recall your old avatar with a super pointy Hamer like the ones Lita Ford played and Marshall full stack behind you. A true rock icon pic if there ever was one.

Thanks Mr. Feynman III

caddie

ps - I saw Lita hanging out poolside in Maui a few years ago. A few?! gotta be at least 10y. I don't know how old she is, but she was still lookin' good. Quite MILFy.

[Caddie]

Folks I've decided to take one for the team. Stew-Mac's return policy seems to be pretty fair and they have a good reputation as an online source. So I'm gonna buy a set of these, take 'em down to The CaddieLab n put 'em on a '96 Studio. i will report back with results n pics.

Cheers

caddie

ps - Ouch! $10.75 to ship a box of tuners from zip 40571 in Ohio to 60540 in IL. Standard shipping 2-4 biz days.

[aknapp]

Folks I've decided to take one for the team. Stew-Mac's return policy seems to be pretty fair and they have a good reputation as an online source. So I'm gonna buy a set of these, take 'em down to The CaddieLab n put 'em on a '96 Studio. i will report back with results n pics.

Cheers

caddie

ps - Ouch! $10.75 to ship a box of tuners from zip 40571 in Ohio to 60540 in IL. Standard shipping 2-4 biz days.

If you've never ordered from StewMac, they are a first-rate operation.

I'm just down the road a piece (60554) and ALL my orders from StewMac show up in 2 business days.

[tbonesullivan]

Ugh. I hate the holes that are on the back of two of my guitars due to the addition of locking tuners. One was replacing the grover imperials on my Newport with Sperzels. Another was replacing the Schallers on my Heritage H150 with Locking Grovers.

When did locking grovers come out? If they were out when the sperzels got put on the newport that is just wrong.

I don't see why schaller can't just use the exact same mounting specs for both the locking and non-locking like grover does.

[geoff_hartwell]

I don't see why schaller can't just use the exact same mounting specs for both the locking and non-locking like grover does.

Right On. Personally, I couldn't care less about the tiny holes in the the back of the headstock nobody will ever see, but... Y'Know?

I'm sure there's a reason for the difference, but I'd hope their engineering would've considered it at some point...

[Caddie]

Not to be inappropriate butou'd think if anyone could do it the Germans would be at the top of the list. Subcontract it to Siemens.

I don't see why schaller can't just use the exact same mounting specs for both the locking and non-locking like grover does.

Right On. Personally, I couldn't care less about the tiny holes in the the back of the headstock nobody will ever see, but... Y'Know?

I'm sure there's a reason for the difference, but I'd hope their engineering would've considered it at some point...

At the risk of saying something inappropriate, Schallers are designed n made by German Engineers in Germany. With a rich history of clever engineering and fine precision manufacturing you'd think if anyone could do it the Germans would be at the top of the list. Subcontract it to Siemens.

May I suggest a field trip to Oktoberfest to bring these 2 fine companies Schaller n Siemens together.

Fair warning Munich, The Hamer Nation is coming to town and we mean business baby.

Cheers

caddie

[geoff_hartwell]

Amen Brother! The Germans have engineered some greatness - and who doesn't love Brats and Beer?!?!?

[Uncle Thor's Hamer]

I put Grover locking tuners on my Newport. 18:1 Ratio which I really like. They have a screw in the correct place. They are a bit heavier than the standard tuners were, which does change the balance of the guitar slightly.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guitar,_solid_peghead_tuners/Grover_Tuners/Grover_Roto-Grip_Full-size_Locking_Guitar_Machines.html

[velorush]

The FM I had had those like Feynman's on it - they were 'imported' from Germany by an HFCer as they were not available in the States.

Ironically, I sold that guitar to Capridriver last year. He lives in Germany.

[tbonesullivan]

I may eventually just put back in imperials. I really kinda like the look they have.

[Caddie]

Perhaps I should visit Germany buy dozens of sets of Schallers n ship 'm back. I know, I know, I may have trouble getting them through customs. I have a solution for that. I'll put them in a container filled with packages of weed n heroin, it'll throw off the dogs from smelling the machining lubricants. Ingenious, eh?

I received the new Schaller locking tuners yesterday from Stew-Mac. At first glance they look like the old orig tuners, Cool, just what I wanted. So i took it The Lab and heft a '95 Studio up on to The Slab.

• First diff I notice, no numbers on the bottom of the new ones to indicate position in the headstock. No Schaller logo anywhere. Just plain Jane chrome.
• Fullspeed ahead I remove the tuner for the "fat E string" from the headstock. It has the Scroll S Schllaer logo, Made in Gmbh. Number on the bottom indicating headstock position.
• Well hello it appears that some previous owner had installed some other tuners that had a peg to hold the tuner in place and the hole is juuuust outside the distance of the peg on the new Schallers.
• Plus the old Schaller and the new tuner is a rather sloppy fit in the hole in the headstock.
• Drop in, my ass. Hmmm, poor wording. Nothing is drop in when it comes to guitar hardware is it. I went over the drawings, asked the guys at Stew-Mac. I don't believe anyone misled me. Its just there is no such thing as "drop-in".
• Hmmm its a guess but perhaps a former owner installed other tuners that had a slightly larger dia that required honing out the headstock hole. And a diff in holding peg position. That person saved the orig tuners and put them back in come resale time.

Back to Stew-Mac they go. I'll have to flip thru their on-line catalog today, find some thing else to try. Store credits are always easier to get than refunds.

Disappointing but I'll get over it. Feynman's didn't look so bad, maybe i'll try those.

Cheers

caddie

ps-nobody ever mods an Ecilpse right? No matter how much you mod it its still the ugly duckling of Hamer. Well say what you will but I luv mine. I'll take a tuner off the Eclipse and see if we get better results.

[proxmax]

afaik schaller has made the most tuners in the past for hamer.

so there is no problem in replacing!

http://guitar-machine-heads.com/hp12610/Guitars.htm?ITServ=CY41207f05X1448a6ab2e3XY156c

[6onthesly]

I put Grover locking tuners on my Newport. 18:1 Ratio which I really like. They have a screw in the correct place. They are a bit heavier than the standard tuners were, which does change the balance of the guitar slightly.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guitar,_solid_peghead_tuners/Grover_Tuners/Grover_Roto-Grip_Full-size_Locking_Guitar_Machines.html

Any idea if these will be a good fit for a mid 90's Special FM?

[tobereeno]

every single instrument I own is equipped with Sperzels. All the guitars. the 12 string bass. the acoustics. even my wife's Mandobirds. You might say I like them.

they did come out with a version that didn't require drilling a hole for their locating pin. I haven't had any problems with either type.