Significant Tonal Improvement Changing Klusons for Grovers

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

I bet Clapton coud do 2 identical takes of You look wonderful tonight.

... or any of his solos

 

[Quiglam Panster]

Don’t be sorry. Grammar Nazis should be sorry for being, well... You know, just grammar nazis.

X2 YUP

 

[Quiglam Panster]

So I installed some Grovers on my ol’ beater of a Les Paul and I have to say the tonal improvement with regard to response, sustain and note to note balance across the fretboard is not subtle. The guitar as a whole feels more alive and vibrant.

I know there is a simplistic view that added weight at the end of the headstock deadens the response but this is completely contrary to basic physics. Even acoustic guitar makers know that proper bracing is crucial to enhancing and tuning tonal response.

Prior to the Grovers, The guitar was tonally a bit “unfocused”. The lighter kluson tuners allowed the resonances to either cancel out or dissipate creating a somewhat muddled response plugged in despite the guitar being acoustically quite loud. The Grovers have not lessened the resonances as the guitar still rings out loudly acoustically. However that muddledness when plugged in is gone. Now the guitar has greater definition and punch with plenty of sweet overtones and harmonics that a great Les Paul is able to deliver.

I do think to Grover or not to Grover maybe guitar dependent. Some guitars have a compact and very strong fundamental tone that would be better served with klusons. But acoustically loud Les Pauls especially those that seem to have a tonal response that a little more prominent in the lower mids might very well benefit from them.

I also like the looks, has that old school rock n roll vibe

Agreed, there are guitars that almost got a way because of not trying this, and glad we did. Something wasnt translating through the neck to the nut to the bridge etc. The grovers fixed that problem

 

[michelguitar]

Yes, of course changing mass at the end or the beginning of the string change the tone, so people think it's strange while they're convinced that changing the stop-bar changes the tone? What's the difference? Same thing. The best upgrade I've never made on my LP was to change the bridge (for a faber) and an aluminium stop-bar, the difference is not subtle amd very evident. I advised a friend to do the same and he was chocked by the difference. The sustainer thing/plaque, very popular in the 80's (I think it was made of brass, a plaque added in between the headstock and the tuners) was a bunch of bs, as I guess the difference is not that huge that it communicates to all parts in contact with the parts in contact with the strings....but logically on the guitar all parts are somehow in contact with parts that are in contact with the strings, some guitar are more vibrants than others, regardless of the tuners, and some not. I've heard small differences when changing tuners, yes, I love the grovers, but only because they're (to me) better tuners, so I'd put them on every LP I have. I mean it's all relative, I'm still recovering from eric Johnson hearing the difference in different batteries put in pedals ....but for having played 35 years and being a guitar-teck 30 and being a licenced luthier I confirm that the mass of the tuners certainly make a subtle change....then add subtle + subtle+subtle and sure at the end.....same thing for the weight.......then somehow the difference is more audible on some LP than on others, no idea why, I have to ask a doctor in Psycho-acoustics ....

 

[Big Do]

Anywhere the string touches the guitar is going to make a difference to the tone. That's a fact that Paul Reed Smith strongly advocates. PRS use brass parts on bridges and tuners as a result. A great sounding resonant guitar starts with a decent bridge, nut and tuners in my opinion.

 

[Russfalkowski]

I really like the Grover vintage deluxe tuners, model number 135N if I’m not mistaken. They look cool and function perfectly. I did go ahead and try some Grover locking tuners and I hate them. The ratio is so damn high I feel absolutely disconnected when I’m tuning. It makes me think the tuning post isn’t spooling up taught. So those are gonna go up on Reverb for someone who will enjoy them more than me.