What's the story with green keystone tuners?

[Knoby]

Since forever I've thought a Les Paul isn't a Les Paul without keystone button tuners. They complete the look. But the green ones just seen off. Cream matches the binding and other plastic. And it's hard to find cream.

So my question is why are they green? What is the history behind that? Is it meant to be an aged look? Did 50s les Paul's come with cream buttons that turned green over the years?

 

[mudface]

I would say around the mid 1960's the greenish hue Kluson plastic Keystone tuner key appeared. Ever since they have manufactured with a less or more greenish hue.... or even milky white. The originals would never turn green,...they may turn brown. They changed the plastic formula because the originals would shrink and crumble,... i don't know if this is why the color became green or not,...but they never shrunk after that.

Today they can make them in any color.

 

[Roxy13]

The ones on my old 1983 SG were truly a hideous snot green! Those were the most green ones I ever had.

I prefer the color on the Gotoh SD 90s but the Kluson Revolutions look pretty good.

 

[Knoby]

Thanks guys. Yeah even the aftermarket ones are all over the place. I want to get some schallers but afraid because I can't tell what it will look like until it's in my hand.

 

[DarrellV]

Thanks guys. Yeah even the aftermarket ones are all over the place. I want to get some schallers but afraid because I can't tell what it will look like until it's in my hand.

Got some place local you could see them? Most guitar outlets sell parts, or you may find a guitar with them on it..

Schaller has pretty good quality control IME and a long history of supplying parts to Gibson and others.

Shouldn't be too big of a gamble.

 

[Knoby]

The local places only have them for order. I don't doubt the quality. Just the colour I see on internet pictures varies. But I'll have to bite the bullet and provide an update.

 

[Roxy13]

Thanks guys. Yeah even the aftermarket ones are all over the place. I want to get some schallers but afraid because I can't tell what it will look like until it's in my hand.

I do have a set of Schallers actually and they look pretty good too, although I may always mentally compare key colors to those old sinus infection green ones lol.

 

[MP4-22]

Love the green ones myself..... My SG and My 93 Studio have them.

 

[moreles]

Kluson will never win any prizes for quality. I think they largely survive because they're traditional Gibson OEM. Virtyally no other company uses Kluson (except to imitate Gibson), so it's hardl;y a surprise that their reformulated plastic knobs ended up ugly, though that is one step up from literally disintegrating. If this were Fender, I would chalk it up to Mint Mania, through which the greening of old plastics now becomes increasingly exaggerated in new, wannabe repro parts. The Klusoin green is a really unfortunate mismatch with the colors of most LPs. Oh well -- just a cheesy part that is, unfortunately, period-correct.

 

[ReWind James]

It’s a common occurrence where a manufacturer intends to replicate a desirable vintage part but, either out of ignorance or cost usually, ends up copying a later not so desirable part.

Nobody wants McCarty-era machine copies with Norlin-era or later color buttons but that’s what you get when manufacturers half-ass something up front.

 

[ReWind James]

Kluson will never win any prizes for quality. I think they largely survive because they're traditional Gibson OEM. Virtyally no other company uses Kluson (except to imitate Gibson), so it's hardl;y a surprise that their reformulated plastic knobs ended up ugly, though that is one step up from literally disintegrating. If this were Fender, I would chalk it up to Mint Mania, through which the greening of old plastics now becomes increasingly exaggerated in new, wannabe repro parts. The Klusoin green is a really unfortunate mismatch with the colors of most LPs. Oh well -- just a cheesy part that is, unfortunately, period-correct.

Maybe other series are different but the Kluson Deluxe machines don't have any green to them. At least, ones made in the last 3-5 years or so. If anything, they are too clear and could be a bit more milky.

 

[jstarr]

Green button tuners = The first thing I change out on a used Gibson.

 

[JMP]

I dig the green tuners on my Traditional…..and they function just fine to boot. But whatever you like is what I recommend.

 

[Injector]

Yeah, Gibsons look wrong without Kluson-type pegs.

 

[Neofelis Nebulosa]

 

[Neofelis Nebulosa]

I've never seen green Keystone tuners
Had to do an internet search
Kinda fugly

 

[KStopper65]

View attachment 552465

 

[ReWind James]

I think folks must be including "Kluson-style tuners" in here, along with the real Kluson brand tuners.

The ones that say "Gibson Deluxe" or "Grover Deluxe" are not Klusons. The ones that say nothing at all are generally not Klusons either, though they do make some "no line" machines that just have the blank spacing for stamped text but not text, like you'd see on an early 1950s Nocaster.

The look and style wasn't registered and everyone copies them, but can't use the "Kluson Deluxe" stamped text.

The real Kluson Deluxe machines don't have green buttons.

I took those photos and the background is just typical white poster board, like you'd find at a craft store or grocery store in the pen and paper isle. You can compare to that, as reference.

 

[Guithartic]

I think folks must be including "Kluson-style tuners" in here, along with the real Kluson brand tuners.

The ones that say "Gibson Deluxe" or "Grover Deluxe" are not Klusons. The ones that say nothing at all are generally not Klusons either, though they do make some "no line" machines that just have the blank spacing for stamped text but not text, like you'd see on an early 1950s Nocaster.

The look and style wasn't registered and everyone copies them, but can't use the "Kluson Deluxe" stamped text.

The real Kluson Deluxe machines don't have green buttons.

I took those photos and the background is just typical white poster board, like you'd find at a craft store or grocery store in the pen and paper isle. You can compare to that, as reference.

What about back in the 50s or 60s? Do you know if real Klusons were green?

 

[rjwilson37]

I love my Kluson Revolution Locking Tuners, top notch.