Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm still hoping someone will wake-up and offer a 10:1 or, better yet, an 8:1 tuner, once again!

Sorry about the ratio highjack....

So what makes a "good tuner" anyway?

That will depend on the user, and the use. If weight is THE only factor, then friction pegs will be a good tuner. If looks are THE only factor, then whatever pleases the eye of the user, will be a good tuner. If smoothness in operation is THE only factor, then whatever feels smooth to the user will be a good tuner.

If.....

See where this is headed?

A "good tuner" is what -you- decide is good. If for you, all it has to do is bring a string to pitch and hold it there, then any tuner will be a good tuner, so may as well get the cheapest things you can find....

But nobody is that simple, really? Of course not! So, we have to decide where our priorities lie, and choose accordingly.

Me? I love fine workmanship and good engineering, both of which leads to something that pleases my eye. Weight is important, but if it comes down to a gram or two per set, then the first rule trumps. I also hate to over-spend, but knowing that a set of tuners should last 100 years, the cost differences between the choices that fit the first 3 requirements becomes pretty much moot.

And then there's smoothness in operation. This can actually fall under my first requirement, since good engineering and fine workmanship -should- lead to smooth, flawless operation, but it isn't always the case.

Now, what is "smooth"? Well, that will again depend on the end user. Remember back in grade school, when the teacher accidentally(or not..) touched the blackboard with his/her fingernail, or maybe the chalk had a nick in it, and caused that "--screech/squeal--" sound that sent shivers down the spines of at least half the students? Well, I was one of the half that got shivers, big time, every time that happened. Yet the other half of the students weren't bothered... This tells me that some of us can sense smoothness, and the lack thereof, more so than others. Me, I'm hyper-sensitive. I disassemble the doorknobs in our home every now and then and give them a good cleaning and pack 'em with a high quality grease. I oil the hinges. I kid you not! I HATE a rough, scratchy doorknob! Even if the door doesn't squeak when opened or closed, if the hinges are dry, it grates on my nerves! Every drawer in my shop is on full-pull, all ball-bearing slides. I don't want stuff to move smoothly, I NEED stuff to move smoothly. I'm quirky that way, but I am what I am. Oh, and don't even get me started on pencils and pens! Heck, I've even tossed-out entire, new, note pads because the paper was scratchy.....

So for me, first and foremost, what makes a good tuner is smoothness in operation. But that's just me.... Most of you have likely never even noticed if your homes' and shops' doors operate smoothly or not, so for you, what makes a good tuner will take-on a different set of criteria....

And this long-winded story was simply to say that, what is a good tuner to you, is whatever it takes to be good, for you.

Haven't used them, but typically, brass is slightly smoother, and longer lasting, since brass contains a small amount of lead which makes it self-lubricating; this may, or may not be an issue for you. The non-brass gear would be best if you're going after a period-specific look, since many(all?) of the pre-war open-back tuners used a non-brass gear.

Sorry about the ratio highjack....

btw, I don't get the beard thing either, and I usually have an infallible eye for internet irony ...this one passes me by ...