Orange Amps Forum

I think I need some new ones.

Sperzel locking tuners are pretty nice, and it's really fast to change strings due to not having to wind them. Grovers are pretty good too.

What makes you think you need new ones though? If it's a tuning problem, the majority of the time the problem isn't the tuning pegs, the nut being the main culprit.

What does a problematic nut look like? Thanks.

nlimbaugh wrote:What does a problematic nut look like? Thanks.

I'm not exactly a guitar tech so not sure I can say exactly what to look for. But the grooves in the nut should be cut to accomadate certain string gauges. I noticed from another thread that you may use bigger than normal gauge which means the grooves might not be wide enough for the strings you're using.

Strings can sometimes "catch" in the grooves and cause the strings to be out of tune, that's why people often use pencil lead or nut sauce so the string glides freely, you can try this first too. I'd probably invest in a proper setup and have a tech look at the nut and see if it needs re-cutting for your string gauge before going to new tuning pegs.

My ES335 with the 12's seems made for them and I've not had issues with 11's either. The Special's 11's look higher in the nut than the 12's on the ES335. I suppose I should try 10's on the Special and see if that helps. Thanks.

nlimbaugh wrote:What does a problematic nut look like? Thanks.

Look for signs of chafing and possibly a blue coloring.

I love the Grovers that came on my Les Paul Trad Pro. I installed Fender locking tuners on my Strat. both are very good and make string changes easy. i installed them on my strat because of tuning issues and they worked by not putting as much down force on the strings as they pass over the nut. i used to tend to put too many winds on the old pegs to keep them from slipping. my second choice would be vintage style Fender tuners with the slotted holes on top. they're almost as easy as locking and don't slip.

Randy Bass wrote:

nlimbaugh wrote:What does a problematic nut look like? Thanks.

Look for signs of chafing and possibly a blue coloring.

Time for lubrication!

Seriously though just drawing in the base of the nut slots with a pointed pencil can work wonders...

I use a Stanley knife to shave the end of a normal pencil lead. Pour the shavings over the nut and push them in with your finger.
Re insert strings and wipe of any mess with a baby wipe. Job done!
Works really good too

Mrjones2004x wrote:I use a Stanley knife to shave the end of a normal pencil lead. Pour the shavings over the nut and push them in with your finger.
Re insert strings and wipe of any mess with a baby wipe. Job done!
Works really good too

How to turn a 2 second job into a task... Do you work in construction?

All my electrics have locking tuners (schallers on my Fenders and Gotoh magnum locks on my PRSi).

Icarus wrote:

Mrjones2004x wrote:I use a Stanley knife to shave the end of a normal pencil lead. Pour the shavings over the nut and push them in with your finger.
Re insert strings and wipe of any mess with a baby wipe. Job done!
Works really good too

How to turn a 2 second job into a task... Do you work in construction?

Engineer lol

Can't fit a pencil in 4 of the slots so simple easy way.

Mrjones2004x wrote:

Icarus wrote:

Mrjones2004x wrote:I use a Stanley knife to shave the end of a normal pencil lead. Pour the shavings over the nut and push them in with your finger.
Re insert strings and wipe of any mess with a baby wipe. Job done!
Works really good too

How to turn a 2 second job into a task... Do you work in construction?

Engineer lol

Can't fit a pencil in 4 of the slots so simple easy way.

That's what I do to.

How to turn a 2 second job into a task... Do you work in construction?

Lol... the man's right in that you can't always fit the pencil tip into the slot: if you can, your slot is probably too wide! Plus if you shave the graphite in, you can always get plenty in there.

Tuning pegs... a good set of Grovers or Sperzels will be fine. Don't need to be locking... just remember the pencil lead trick, and to loop sufficient string around the tuning peg so that it doesn't slip, and not too much mind! If you google it, you can see a couple of recommended methods.

I never have tuning problems with my guitars now...