GotohLocking Vintage Oval Knob Tuners Nickel

Edit: I've since installed another set of Gotoh vintage tuners (non-locking) and I have edited my review of these locking ones because I now realize that it's not feasible to get bushings that will fit exactly in the guitar. When installed this latest set, the bushings were just a little bit too long, so I used a set of pliers and, covering the top and bottom of the headstock in some old t-shirt, I pressed them in. They were able to fit flush without having to drill anything out. Part of my beef with these locking ones was that the bushings didn't fit and I realize now that this isn't a very valid complaint. That being said, I still won't give these 5 stars because the locking mechanism just isn't very user-friendly--primarily when trying to take the strings off. The top-hole vintage ones are just as fast to re-string and must faster to get the strings off. There is some technique for using vintage tuners, but it's easy to pick up.I'm a big fan of locking tuners as a general matter, but these just didn't work out on my Squier CV 50s Tele. This set comes with the tuners, two sets of bushings--one set shorter and slightly wider than the other, screws and a rod tool for popping out the bushings. I popped my stock tuners out and popped the bushings out using the rod tool. All is fine. But, when I went to pop in the new bushings, none of them fit well. The short ones were way too wide and would have required some tool to push them in. The taller, narrower set fit a little bit better, but they were still slightly too wide and also would have required some tool to push them in. I didn't want to do any more damage than necessary, so I decided to stick with the stock bushings, which I knew fit. I then installed the new tuners and screwed them in with the new screws, which have a wider philips head and are a smidge longer. They seemed to work fine. I installed the new strings using the locking mechanism, which many other reviews do a great job of describing. To be certain, the locking mechanism worked pretty well. However, after tightening and tuning the strings, I could tell that there was simply too much play between the tuners and the stock bushings. The tuners were clearly leaning toward the string tension (as a result of the string tension) and the bushings were being slightly pulled up to the point where you could see the gnurling. This is probably why the instructions tell you to only use the bushings that come with it. I'm not sure if I would have run into long-term problems with the locking set having as much play as they did, but I decided to just pop them out and re-install the stock set. Of course because the screws I used were deeper, I had to re-use those screws for the stock set to ensure they were tight. The other thing I noticed was that it's not very easy to pull the strings out of the locks. You have to unwind them a bunch and hold the top part in place in order to unscrew it and allow the string to come out. Much different than the locking tuners I'm used to with the screw thingy on the back of them. Overall, for vintage tuners, I guess I prefer the non-locking type. You can find videos on youtube showing how fast you can change strings on vintage style tuners. They work quite well and you don't have that sharp string-end sticking you. I know lots of folks like these tuners, but they weren't for me. I'm not going to give them 1-star because I know some of the problem was possibly my unwillingness to mod the head too much with the new bushings. However, I'm not using them because of what I view as flaws, so I'm giving it 3 stars. You may have better luck with them than I did.

Bought a set of these for a re-issue Telecaster that had vintage tuners that were sketchy. I looked EVERYWHERE for locking tuners that I could get (I tend to use locking tuners on everything, but I've had to drill holes because of it). I did initially get other locking tuners, which would require drilling, but I held off on putting them on the guitar (and drilling). I then found these, so I returned the others. I will say that shipping did take a minute, but I was kept up to date with shipping statuses and they showed up well before promised. They fit perfectly and were very, very simple to install. It was a bit weird to try and figure out how to actually open up the slot for the string to pass through. You have to unscrew the post just a little bit at a time (just barely enough so that the string will pass through), but be careful as that piece is pretty small and can get lost easy (almost lost on in the sink, and why I decided to do it over a sink...........who knows?). Once the string fits snugly within the slot, start winding the string tight and the lock will engage. Initially, when you start winding, it will appear that nothing is happening, but it's just the lock engaging to tighten the string before it starts winding, that's all.After I put a set on a Telecaster, I went ahead and bought another set. They work great, keep in tune very well, and perform just as they are advertised. Great way to not deface your guitar and have the convenience of locking tuners. This was a great purchase, I'm very happy!

These were a perfect fit for my CV Tele. They were super easy to install in the factory holes. They look the part and seem solid when tuning. Unfortunately, mine do not hold well at all! I’ll be switching back to the factory tuners. Generally when I buy a new guitar, the first thing I do is upgrade the tuners. In this case, I upgraded them and didn’t spend much time playing the guitar directly after the install. It’s been a few months and I’ve decided to start working this guitar into my gigging arsenal. While setting the intonation and action, I discovered that I was able to simply bend a note on any string and drop the tuning on that string by a full step. While I wouldn’t consider myself a Pro guitar technician, I’ve successfully done all my own work for years so I’m confident that they are properly installed.

A direct drop in replacement for my Squier Classic Vibe 50’s Telecaster. No drilling or modding needed. Screw holes lined up perfectly. I even used the old bushings and screws since it was all a perfect match. Less than a 10 minute job with a small Phillips head screwdriver. Took me longer to clean my filthy frets.When inserting new strings twist the top (just above where you thread the string) to open the locking mechanism just enough to to feed the string through. Then while still pulling the string a bit, turn the tuning knob until it grabs the string and starts to turn the string into tune.That’s all there is to it. Keeps that nice vintage look, but you get the fast string change and tuning stability of a locking tuner. Would buy again.

Perfect drop-in replacements for non-locking tuners on a Fender Baja Telecaster. They install very easily.Revised and updated review: After using a short while (2 months), these tuners became very tight and hard to turn and were not smooth at all. I took them off and re-installed the original equipment. I plan to replace them with Graph Tech universal mount Ratio tuners in the near future. They won't have the vintage look, but my fingers won't be getting a work out when I need to adjust a micro-semitone.Update: After 18 months of use in another guitar, a Fender Squire Bullet that came with horrible tuners, these tuners have improved. They are easier and smoother and stay in tune. I recommend them and am adjusting my review to four stars.