Grovers vs Klusons

[A4effort13]

If I buy a guitar with grover tuners but swap them out to klusons will all the holes line up or not? I plan on purchasing one of the new les paul standards but my dilemma is that I like the bourbon burst on the 60s spec better than the cherry burst on the 50s but I realllly dont want grovers I just never cared for the look. If they swap out perfectly I'll just get the 60s and do that, if not I'll deal with the cherry burst. I'd rather have that than extra holes in the back of the headstock

 

[dodona]

they wan't. It's a irreversible step. Furthermore grovers are more modern and therefore better than 50th style klusons. Hence let it be.

 

[MooCheng]

there was a time a lot of folk ditched the Klusons and put on Grovers
Jimmy Page was one

 

[jstarr823]

The Gibson Deluxe “Kluson” style tuners with the 10 mm bushing bolt will work. The bottom hole will line up and you’ll need to drill a new hole for the top.

 

[A4effort13]

Good to know thanks and yes I know that grovers are technically "better" but I really don't care, they look terrible on a Les Paul in my opinion. If I thought "modern" was better I wouldn't be buying another Les Paul
50s spec it is I suppose

 

[moreles]

Klusons "look right" only because they're what Gibson used -- in part because they were cheaper. Grovers function better, and also match the curves and shapes of the guitar. You can get Kluson-style tuners that fit the larger Grover holes, and that use the now-standard threaded ferrules (one reason why players switched to Grovers) for a much better, solid fit. I had to use Kluson style tuners to make one of my old SGs look period-correct, and I went with the Tone Pros/Kluson tuners that fit Grover holes. They're OK -- not nearly as wobbly as the old press-in-ferruled Klusons.

 

[lpfan1980]

My LPs have Grovers my 50s style Strat has Klusons I think Grovers look good on LPs/ Klusons look better on Strats . I love vintage LPs and they had the plastic topped Klusons and look mighty fine! But are they as smooth as Grovers? never used LP Klusons.

 

[Guitpicky]

I always thought the Kluson tuners were hideous with their snot green knobs and stamped housings. They remind me of some cheap wind up toy from the 50s. I think Grovers both look better and work better by a wide margin

 

[jktxs]

+1 the solid green keys look incredibly cheap. The milky translucent keys on newer historics look nicer imo.
Klusons on standards and Grovers on customs for me.

 

[PierM]

It’s your money, but picking a guitar model over another because you dont like how tuners looks, sounds a not so smart move. They are different guitars, one has slim neck, the other has rounder, they also have different pickups. Again, instead of the look of the tuners, you should go with the one which feel better and sound better for you...these are much important things in my book.

 

[Coldacre]

there was a time a lot of folk ditched the Klusons and put on Grovers
Jimmy Page was one

that was 1969, when a 12:1 ratio was the best you could get.

not really applicable in 2019

 

[Coldacre]

I always thought the Kluson tuners were hideous with their snot green knobs and stamped housings. They remind me of some cheap wind up toy from the 50s. I think Grovers both look better and work better by a wide margin

theyre not all snot green. the yellows look great! and they’re significantly lighter than Grover’s. I tried Grover’s for a while but preferred the lighter weight Klusons...

 

[Duane_the_tub]

What @PierM said above is spot-on. There are some significant differences between those two models that are far more important than how the tuners look. Neck profile and pickups are arguably the two biggest factors in determining a guitar's "fit."

 

[Jeremiah]

[email protected]"better"...

 

[jvin248]

.

You can get different Grover knobs: different shapes, materials, and colors. You might even find someone to make you some Kluson-like knobs from scratch or modify Kluson knobs to fit the Grover.

Someone was playing around with private stock woods and built these. I'm not fond of the stains here but you can get an idea of options for your Grovers using wood. There was another that did this kind of key scheme with blues and aqua and white that I couldn't find quick. Get the shape you want and the stain you want.

 

[viking20]

I prefer Kluson , or look-alike Klusons
I just installed a set of Gotoh Stealth tuners , very small , very expensive , and not many carry them , but , 18-1 ratio , and 71 grams for 6 tuners.
Grover's and similar can weigh up to 300 gr
Gibson Kluson look-a-like , with screw in bushings , 192 gr
Old school Kluson type , around 150/160 gr

 

[A4effort13]

It’s your money, but picking a guitar model over another because you dont like how tuners looks, sounds a not so smart move. They are different guitars, one has slim neck, the other has rounder, they also have different pickups. Again, instead of the look of the tuners, you should go with the one which feel better and sound better for you...these are much important things in my book.

The thing is neck profile has never bothered me. I can go from an Ibanez to a chunky les paul and it doesnt throw me off in the slightest, as far as pickups I like the sets in either of those guitars, for different reasons obviously but either one suits my taste.

 

[sonar]

The difference in tuners between these two guitars should be a non-factor in your decision. Both are more than adequate for the job and (imo) tuners are the lesser aesthetically significant part of hardware. I would notice the difference between a Nashville or ABR before tuners because the bridge is in the proximity to where I would actually play a guitar.

Leave it stock and preserve resale value.

 

[mikejr]

I made the very expensive mistake of buying guitars with my eyes and not w/ my hands... If it feels good, and it plays good, and it sounds good, everything is arbitrary (to me).

 

[guitaroholic]

Klusons USED to be the 'inferior' tuner, so many switched them out with Grover. Today's Klusons are much better than back then.
I've stayed clear of Klusons for the longest time and was surprised how solid they are on my '05 Faded and '18 R9.
I'd just leave in whatever comes with whichever one you get.