The Guitar Refinishing and Restoration Forum

[DustyMurphy]

Hi guys-

I'm working on a guitar for my nephew (or I will be if the weather calms down. May 4th and already it was near 100% humidity today. It was awful.) and I have a question about the headstock tuners.

I've somehow never owned a Floyd equipped guitar. The closest I've come is a Peavey Nitro I that I got for $25 last year. Someone had refinished it neon yellow with neon orange burst. They didn't tape off anything and left the bridge, pickup, etc. attached while they did it. He was able to get the pickup cleaned but the bridge was shot and had a cheap chrome Strat style bridge where it originally had a two-post Kahler. But it still has a locking nut. And that's as close to a Floyd as I've yet come.

This is my main question. On a Floyd, since you do fine tuning on the bridge and lock the strings at the nut, how important are the tuners on the headstock? I don't necessarily mind spending the money for a good set, but if I could get away with a set of $15 black chrome eBay tuners and it wouldn't make any difference, I'd just as soon save my money. It seems to me that the headstock tuners don't really mean much in the equation as long as they're able to tune the guitar feasibly before you lock the nut. Am I right? Wrong?

Any tips, knowledge, info, or advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Don't blame me, I voted for Willie Nelson.

[ID Crisis]

All the tuners need to do is work. Once the nut is locked, the tuners are out of the equation.
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[DustyMurphy]

Perfect, thanks! He doesn't actually know he's getting the guitar, I just occasionally ask him "If you putting something on a guitar, what would you use?" and it's worked so far, haha. He saw a picture of George Lynch's Skulls & Snakes guitar about two years ago and ever since when he talks about guitar that's the one he wants. It was way out of my league so I'm making one with a decal front. But the price is more than I anticipated, so I was hoping to save a few bucks here and there. And this will really help.
_________________
Don't blame me, I voted for Willie Nelson.

[Thumposaurus]

Decent locking tuners can be had now-a-days for not much extra than a regular set of tuners.
Then you can eliminate the need for the locking nut in the first place.
If the neck is already routed for the lock nut though it's easier to just go with that since it looks funny to have a locking nut with no other hardware on it.

[Tenafly Viper]

I don't use the locking nut on mine but locking tuners and a graphite nut. If you have the locking nut then anything will do.

[DustyMurphy]

The neck I bought for this project came with a locking nut installed. I'm not crazy about the look of the locking nut and considered getting locking tuners and not using the lock on the nut, but it seemed silly to have it and not use it. And since it wasn't for me I couldn't be sure that's how it would used once my nephew gets it anyway.

The guy I bought it from on eBay threw in a set of tuners with it, he said they were new, but I figured they were cheap as heck so I didn't know if I should invest in better ones or not. I may still when it arrives and I see what it's like. I'd never had a set of locking tuners until last year when I built my Charvel Star and I really like them. I'm building myself a "Super 80's" (that's what I'm calling it, haha) guitar this year at some point, and I think I'm going with a Floyd and locking tuners and leaving the nut out. (I have a banana/hockey/Explorer style neck that I could use for it, so it'd be cheaper/easier for me, haha.)
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Don't blame me, I voted for Willie Nelson.

[RolandR]

Is the hockey stick headstock neck reverse?

[DustyMurphy]

I think so, but I'm not certain. I haven't looked at it in ages. I got it REALLY cheap because it was only scribed for a nut, rather than cut for one. They just cut a slot where it should go when they cut the fret slots, and that way it could be cut for a regular nut or a Floyd. I haven't had the time or energy to mess with it much so it's been tucked in a closet until I've got the drive to start on it.

The one for my nephew (if that's the one you meant, rather than the one in my most recent reply) is a reverse headstock.
_________________
Don't blame me, I voted for Willie Nelson.