Need help figuring out which tuners to get

The guitar in question is a Squier Master Series Chambered Tele (http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Master-Series-Chambered-Tele-Electric-Guitar?sku=511952). The tuners have a lot of wiggle room in them, are difficult to work with, and don't stay in tune as well as I would like. Ironically, my Squier Affinity Strat's tuners seem to be relatively fine in comparison (at least on the first two points).

I'm thinking a new set of tuners is in order. I don't really know much about tuners. I do know that I am looking for a more modern type of tuner, not a vintage tuner.

I need to know:

1. What type/size of tuner to get. (I don't want to have to drill holes or do anything like that.)
2. What brand(s) are going to be my best bets.
3. Should I go with locking or regular tuners? I don't have any sort of tremolo. Will locking tuners stay in tune better?

I can't tell from the picture if they are old style tuners or grover/schaller style.
http://www.sunmusical.com/upload/1161.jpg

But basically you want to pay attention to the diameter of the holes in the headstock (the referenced picture shows 10 mm) and spacing so that they will all fit in a line.

I've personally never used locking tuners. The closest I came to them was Wilkinson EZ-Lock tuners (not really locking) that I had on a guitar with a Bigsby. I guess it depends on how much you bend the strings.

http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/accessories/ez_lock_tuner_thumb.jpg

I liked those Wilkinson's and Grovers.

Locking tuners are a must have for me. I bend like crazy and I don't want to tune my guitar between songs - there usually isn't time anyway! Like mkhhunt said - hole size and spacing. I love my Sperzel tuners. Really smooth.

Giantslayer, I recall your Master Series has the 10.5 mm bores.

If it were me, I would retrofit the guitar to Gotoh vintage style split shaft tuners in nickel.
You will need the 10.5 mm conversion bushes which are a newer offering and not universally found. I suggest Stew Mac because 1) they have the tuners and 2) they have the conversion bushes. The conversions should press right in, then you insert and align all 6 new tuners and align them with a ruler. Mark and drill (not too long) 7 tiny screw holes for attaching the vintage tuner bodies to the back of the headstock. Except for the conversions you are precisely like a No-Caster, tuners wise.

I've installed over 50 sets of this type of tuner, so obviously I hate them. :rolleyes:

Boris, that is some good info. Just looking around, it seems like all the tuners use 10mm, so I guess I would need the conversion brushes no matter which tuners I use? Am I off base here?

I'll consider the vintage style tuners, but, at this point, I still leaning towards a more modern style tuner. Aside from aesthetics and the convenience of being able to stick the string into the tuner, are there any differences between the vintage and modern style tuners?

I don't do very much string bending, but I do thrash away on the strings pretty hard from time to time. Would a locking tuner offer better tuning stability in my situation?

If you're going to need to do a conversion,I'd recommend going for locking tuners anyway. I don't really see you getting away w/out doing a bit of drilling anyway seeing that most tuners will need it on the back of the headstock for a screw or a pin. I love the Grovers,they have precise 18:1 tuning.
But I still have my original stock Fender tuners on my Tele and have never had a problem with them. Whereas on my Strats I have either Grovers or Sperzels(which are not my first choice). I've also got the Wilkinson's which are OK but too much of a pain in the arse to re-string.Once you get the hang of them they're alright though.
There's plenty out there to choose from now. Just do your homework and remember - "if you do have to drill larger holes ALWAYS start from the front of the peghead."

I highly recommend Gotoh Vintage kluson style when possible. I don't think you can beat the performance and authenticity of these if they fit your headstock.

I agree with Boris. The good thing about press fit bushing tuners like the Gotoh split posts, are they don't require any reaming. You put the bushings in, put the tuners in, line them up square with a straight edge, mark for your pilot holes, and install. A lot or grover style tuners require you to ream the back of the hole to fit. Plus, if they are 10.5, you might have trouble with the screw in portion of the tuners sinking into the tuning peg hole.

I've been reading up on it, and, if I understand correctly, I need either tuners made for 10.5mm holes, or stew-mac's 10.5mm conversion bushing and some vintage style tuners to go with it. Am I correct in assuming that any 10mm tuners won't fit if I have 10.5mm holes? It does seem odd that there are very few aftermarket tuners made for 10.5mm holes if Squier does it on a lot of their guitars.

The only tuners I found that seem to be able to fit 10.5mm are Wilkinson E-Z Lok tuners. What do you guys think of those? On paper, they seem like a pretty good idea, although they are a bit more work to use than regular lockers and they are cheap enough that I am a little concerned about the quality. Here's a couple links on them...
GFS, which is probably where I'd buy them from (http://store.guitarfetish.com/wiezlotu6inf.html)
This place lists them as fitting 10.5mm holes. (http://www.guitarpartsonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=359)

I ended up ordering some Wilkinson EZ Lok tuners. I read on one site that they are fitted for 10.5mm holes. Reviews I read on them were pretty good overall, with people complaining about the two hole system, but not the quality of the tuners. To top it off, they were only $35 shipped from guitarfetish, which made it hard to justify spending twice as much given my current situation.

I highly recommend Gotoh Vintage kluson style when possible. I don't think you can beat the performance and authenticity of these if they fit your headstock.

agree 100% i have these on two of mine and don't think I'll ever go with anything else

Locking tuners are a must have for me. I bend like crazy and I don't want to tune my guitar between songs - there usually isn't time anyway! Like mkhhunt said - hole size and spacing. I love my Sperzel tuners. Really smooth.


Sperzels are great but my Klusons on my strat are about 45 years old and that guitar has been in tune since the late 70s. Saying you have to have locking tuners if you bend a lot is pretty misleading.

I just put the wilkinsons in my tele. I noticed they don't have that little wiggle, where it's like it's not quite in gear for a moment when you turn it. That's a good thing. The two hole thing is a bit of work. I broke my E string on it. I had it strung up and was tuning it up to pitch when it snapped. I didn't want to waste a whole pack of strings for an E, so I broke into an old set of 9's that I had and pulled the B string. It's an 11, as opposed to a 10, but I figure that's better than sticking a 9 in there. I'll find out how well they stay in tune soon.