Too soft 90's Gibson Deluxe tuners

[NINFNM]

Hi.

Is there a way to make the turning on those harder? It is not that the guitars goes out of tune, but when lying it against the wall, for example, they turn too easy.

 

[Dolebludger]

What kind of tuners does your guitar have. If they are "Grover type" with a metal tuning and with a screw at the end of the key, you might be able to tighten things up a bit by tightening that screw. If they are "Kuson Type" with a pressed-on tuning key (usually a plastic material), I have no idea.

 

[JesseXGibson]

What Dolebludger said. Depending on their age it could just be time for new tuners if that doesn’t work

 

[NINFNM]

They are kluson type, with screwed on bushings. I was thinking about introducing superglue through the tiny little hole, to add some friction to the mechanism, but I doubt if this is a good idea...

 

[Dolebludger]

If you put super glue into the works through the tiny hole I have on my Klusons, you will glue the gears together and have no tuner at all.

 

[slug_maine]

Looks like there is no internal tightening device, if you opened it up you could try putting a very small o-ring on the shaft to create some friction, but opening it risks breaking the tabs that hold the back cover on. I think I'd just stop leaning it against the tuners instead.

 

[NINFNM]

Very informative pic. Thanks!

 

[Dolebludger]

This may be off topic, but I really don't like tuners of the kluson design of the type above. Their "action" feels crude to me, even when they are working right. I seem to recall seeing an ad for replacement tuners that will fit the same holes as a kluson-type but have sealed bodies like a Grover. I think the OP would like those much better.

 

[NINFNM]

What I like about klusons, besides from their looks, is that they are light, and in case of a guitar fall, they absorb the shock, breakening or bendind themselves instead of the headstock.
A drop fall with grovers is more critical. My LP has had zillions of accidents, and no big deal for the moment

 

[DarrellV]

Using Sluggo's pic for a reference it looks like they use the top 2 ears to provide friction against the tuner shaft.

A careful bend inward with the shaft removed and then pressing the shaft back in would restore the tension on the shaft.

Don't know how confident OP is at doing this stuff.

Almost looks like it could be done without disassembly ...

 

[mdubya]

You might as well just get a set of replacement tuners. I will say, I have never heard this particular complaint before.

For giggles, here is a photo of my old 1990 SG Special with 5 Patent No. Grovers and a single (bent) Kluson. The Grovers came about when I broke one of the original Klusons on a low ceiling at a gig. I needed at least 1 replacement tuner, desperately. I found the Patent No.'s at a pawn shop, last minute, before the next gig. Then I broke the tip off of one of the Grovers at another gig (apparently I was tough on tuners ). Again, in desperate need, I just reinstalled one of the original Klusons, which itself has been bent while gigging. Now here we are 20+ years later and everything is still holding tune.

 

[DarrellV]

You might as well just get a set of replacement tuners. I will say, I have never heard this particular complaint before.

For giggles, here is a photo of my old 1990 SG Special with 5 Patent No. Grovers and a single (bent) Kluson. The Grovers came about when I broke one of the original Klusons on a low ceiling at a gig. I needed at least 1 replacement tuner, desperately. I found the Patent No.'s at a pawn shop, last minute, before the next gig. Then I broke the tip off of one of the Grovers at another gig (apparently I was tough on tuners ). Again, in desperate need, I just reinstalled one of the original Klusons, which itself has been bent while gigging. Now here we are 20+ years later and everything is still holding tune.

Necessity is still the mother of invention....

 

[slug_maine]

Using Sluggo's pic for a reference it looks like they use the top 2 ears to provide friction against the tuner shaft.

A careful bend inward with the shaft removed and then pressing the shaft back in would restore the tension on the shaft.

Don't know how confident OP is at doing this stuff.

Almost looks like it could be done without disassembly ...

View attachment 298532

I follow what you're saying there Darrell, I love tinkering with this little mechanical stuff, I'd be all over digging into that. You could probably give the main body on the other side of the shaft a little pinch too. The problem with disassembling these is the tabs that hold on the back cover, you don't get too many bends out of those before they break. In fact I've got one now I need a back cover for because of that. Anybody got a broken Gibson Deluxe tuner with a good back cover, I could use it.

 

[mdubya]

Maybe consider something like this? No only to they look super cool, I think you could add tension via the screw on the gear wheel. Or you could just stop leaning your guitar against the wall? Stands cost less than $10.

 

[DarrellV]

I follow what you're saying there Darrell, I love tinkering with this little mechanical stuff, I'd be all over digging into that. You could probably give the main body on the other side of the shaft a little pinch too. The problem with disassembling these is the tabs that hold on the back cover, you don't get too many bends out of those before they break. In fact I've got one now I need a back cover for because of that. Anybody got a broken Gibson Deluxe tuner with a good back cover, I could use it.

Yup, me too!

But it looks like that is the factory method to me.

Look close at those little tabs and you can see one is sharpened a bit and there is a split there in the casing. It looks made to take a small chisel or screwdriver to give them a pop and a little twist to apply tension.

Not a very elegant system for sure, and it would explain why some don't like the feel of them. It would be metal on metal friction while tuning them.

I don't much like them either for that.

My Schallers are very smooth and adjustable by way of a small screw in the center of the tuner head.

 

[NINFNM]

I came to the similar conclusion looking at that picture, and have tried squeezing hard the housing with no results. It would be fine if a rubber ring was added in that point

 

[moreles]

Klusons are a poor design and you're experiencing one of the drawbacks. Grovers are better and adjustable, and I like them much better, but they have a downside, too, as they weigh a ton. Tone Pros made their own version of the Kluson tuners (or at least they said they were their own make) and they were somewhat nicer visually and had a better tuning ratio, but were similarly non-adjustable, and in the case of the set I got, whippy. I think a lot of people put Kluson style buttons on other branded, better, tuners.

 

[marksoundguitars]

I use Klusons on a lot of new builds. I like them. :shrug: