Anyone Have Experience with Kluson Deluxe Locking Tuners on an SG?

[Daddy D-Rock]

Hey all,

TLDR —
Anyone have experience with Kluson Deluxe Locking Tuners on a Gibson? (Or an SG?)



Some background:

I recently acquired a Gibson SG Standard ‘61 Reissue.

So far, I love the guitar.

It feels and plays great.



However, I don’t like the stock tuners.

They do the classic thing where you…



Turn, turn, turn (nothing happens)…

Turn, Turn, **Suddenly goes too sharp**

Turn it down, then up again, etc



If I had to sum it up — they aren’t very smooth or precise. I find myself having to fiddle with them a lot just to get the guitar in tune.



I had a set of Kluson Revolution Locking Tuners on a Les Paul Special I used to own, and while they are definitely smooth and precise, they are significantly heavier than the stock tuners on my SG and they certainly don’t look ‘stock’.

But they worked extremely well.



With an SG, I have to be concerned with Neck Dive. I’m fortunate in that the SG I own is very much not neck-dive-y. I want to keep it that way by minimizing the amount of weight I add to the headstock.



This is what intrigues me about the Kluson Deluxe Locking Tuners —

They weigh almost the same, look stock and they lock at the string post rather than a wheel mechanism on the back of the tuner.

They have a 15:1 ratio, as opposed to the Revolution’s 19:1, but I have to make compromises somewhere.



Anyway, do you guys think that the Kluson Deluxe Locking Tuners would be a noticeable improvement over the stock ones?

I’m told that the stock tuners are also Kluson, so who knows — they might literally be the exact same thing, minus the locking.



I also don’t have experience with locking tuners that lock at the string post. Anyone have experience with this design?



Can’t find many reviews online, so I figured I’d come here.



On paper, they check many boxes — but any additional insights would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks!

 

[ARandall]

Locking tuners wont change anything - You have a binding nut there.

 

[Daddy D-Rock]

Locking tuners wont change anything - You have a binding nut there.

I think you could be right — somebody else has suggested this as well.

I’m thinking about upgrading to a bone nut

 

[HIDDEN]

I used to love Locking tuners, but don’t anymore.
They add weight to the headstock and don’t offer anything tangible if you’re not using a whammy bar

 

[BigJim]

The whole neck dive thing is so silly, it's very rare and you need a specific set of circumstances for it to occur. I have played piles of SGs over the years, only one had neck dive. It was a super lightweight Epiphone SG with old Grovers on it.

But I understand about the stock tuners, I pulled mine off my 07 SG CS 61 RI and put on the old Tone Pros Klusons. They work tons better, and don't have that green tint to the tuner buttons..

 

[Note Milker]

I had nut ping on my 2013 traditional. Took 800 grit sandpaper and folded it to a sharp point, a couple of swipes through the slots, blew the dust out, a small dab of triflow on the string right where it rides, NOT MUCH. The stock tuners are smooth now, no more sticky nut. Holds tune now. I would like locking tuners to just make string changes faster. Free advice, leave the stock nut.
I have some regular kluson tuners they are pretty good. I was looking into some locking klusons with the plastic knobs. These do have the wheel on the back side to lock the strings so don't look vintage. The more I think about it, the less I really care if they look like 1959. I'm almost 59 and don't have much time left to do string changes. Who looks at the back of the headstock? Get the tuners, kluson is good stuff.