To Lock Tuner or Not? Help!

[bobio]

Just another one of my Teles with locking tuners
I have Fender F Style locking tuners on every one of my Fender Teles.
Looking out the window, the sky doesn't seem to be falling



Waiting for the perfect Tele project to put this set on



Gotoh Vintage locking tuners, have them on every one of my Squier Teles.

 

[buzzword]

Interesting, because I measured the balance point of my tele before and after replacement of the heavy fender locking tuners, and it moved significantly. The effect of weight of the tuners is magnified by the length of the neck. It’s not the additional raw weight, it’s what it does to the balance, ie, neck dive.
Whether this shift matters to a particular player I can’t say, only that it’s not nuthin’.

I see what you're saying, and it makes sense, however I'm still not convinced a third of an ounce is relevant, even extended.
All I can say is I have them on 2 teles and 2 strats, none of which suffer from neck dive in any way shape or form. I have a partscaster tele with a Warmoth chambered body that suffers a little from it, but it did with regular tuners as well, it's a light body. So YMMV if you have a very light guitar, otherwise I'm still inclined to nada. Unless maybe your neck is on the heavy side, and parhaps the tuners tip it just into the dive zone.

 

[Beachbum]

I love locking tuners and put them on all guitars. I’ve not noticed increased neck dive. I’ve not noticed an improvement in tuning stability, but I DO find string changes are quicker. It’s your money to spend how you see fit. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Having said that I will never understand why when sealed tuners became a thing slotted shafts mostly went by the wayside. I've got an old Ibanez that has sealed tuners and slotted shafts. It's the best of both worlds.

This. They're a good thing. Neck dive? Give me a break. Most Teles weigh in at +- 8 lbs. A couple of ounces isn't going to change a thing. Having said that I'll never understand why back when sealed tuners became a thing slotted shafts mostly went by the wayside. I've got an Ibanez Artist from the 80's with sealed tuners and slotted shafts. It's the best of both worlds.

 

[Beachbum]

If you know how to restring a guitar, the amount of time saved using locking tuners is around a minute for each string change.

If you don't gig and don't change your strings until they go totally dead or start showing rust then you don't need them. If you do and change strings every third or fourth gig then I'd say they are a must.

 

[dave1z]

I remember my hobbies through the years. Not talking against the "pros" who use their guitars for a living, I am NOT a pro. But I remember having RC cars. I wanted all the "hop up" parts I could get. I remember my first real car. A 1978 Buick Regal in the worst color you could get. I first replaced the factory hub caps, then replaced the wheels for mags. At the end of the day, non of my efforts made the little 231 v6 made my car any faster. But it made me feel good. I put locking tuners on my guitars. Because it makes me feel like my guitars are a little fancier. NOT because it makes them any better than anyone else's. Bottom line, if it makes you feel good, if it makes ya want to play a little more, if it makes you smile .... it's your guitar. Make it yours!

 

[Jakedog]

I have guitars with them. And guitars without them. No real tuning difference at all. They do make strings changes faster. But if that wasn’t something I really cared about, I wouldn’t spend the money.

 

[Refugee]

Yeah, I too am one with, and one without. I don't touch the whammy on my strat because it goes out of tune terribly. I can probably work on that, but not today. I have a Gotoh 510 trem on my Rasmus, and if I use Big Bends Nut Sauce on the nut and saddle I can go nuts with thing and it stays in tune great. Pretty much every guitar I've ever had stayed in tune well. If it doesn't it goes bye bye.

 

[JohnnyCrash]

I’ve got a ton of guitars. Four Gibsons, six or so Teles, and assorted others… more than several with Bigsby’s and only two with Strat style tremolo units…

I only have one guitar with locking tuners.

The only two reasons I bought them are: it’s a baritone with a homemade hand lever B-Bender using a modified Bigbsy style trem for the bender and I wasn’t sure baritone strings (or, at least, the B string) would be long enough to wrap around the bender unit and tension bar (turns out, I worried for no reason).

And they were a deal at the time.

I don’t even use locking tuners on my trem equipped guitars. Everything stays in tune.