How To Change Guitar Strings (locking tuners)

[christianjerrypogi]

nice D'adarrio string :)

[fishbellyrocks]

@christianjerrypogi thanks!

[CalumHarrison]

why not just tune it normally and lock it at the same time? sure if it was wound quite a lot as well as being locked it would stay in tune better?

[fishbellyrocks]

@CalumHarrison It's easier to not have to deal with winding strings around the tuners, plus the windings tend to compress/stretch-out over time and make it harder to get in-tune--just one more thing to go flat. Some guys say winding a string gives it more sustain, but this is never done with locking tuners, only standard ones. Hope this helps.

[CalumHarrison]

@fishbellyrocks cheers yeah it does. i dont wind it as little as your example however i certainly wind it wayyy less than before :P

[purplepineapple117]

Is it possible to buy tuners like yours? Grover keystone modern chrome locking tuners?

[fishbellyrocks]

@purplepineapple117 I'm not sure. Check on the Grover website. It's possible that Gibson has them custom-made for their Les Pauls, but I doubt it.

[fishbellyrocks]

@purplepineapple117 Dunno. try ebay. I wonder if gibson has exclusive rights. They're nothing special anyway, just decent tuners ;)

[muaythai4lifelife]

What if you want to lower the tuning with locking tuners? Let's say from E standard to Eb or lower. Since there are no string wraps i guess it is necessary to totally release the tension, unlock the mechanism and do the stringing procedure again.... If there's enough string lenght ( not cut).

If not It is better to keep a light amount of the string before to cut it.

Am I right?

[fishbellyrocks]

@muaythai4lifelife Well, There's plenty of string length to handle tuning down a whole step (D standard) because even when you run the string without slack it takes a bit of turning to get it to pitch--that's no problem. If you need to go lower than that I'd recommend getting thicker strings; they will get floppy and lame to play if you downtune anymore than that (in fact Eb is about as low as I go without going up a string gauge...)

[muaythai4lifelife]

@fishbellyrocks thank you

[fishbellyrocks]

@muaythai4lifelife

General rule: Go up one string size for every half step you downtune to keep the same string tension.

[AHUtch81]

My buckethead les paul had these locking tuners, And i didnt know what to do with them thanks for the demonstration!

[96lolstar]

Can locking tuners stay in tune?

[fishbellyrocks]

@96lolstar Yes, just make sure you use them correctly and they will be as good (if not better than) standard tuners.

[wajang1000]

After you loosen each string, use pliers and cut each string in half. You will not scratch the top that way and it will also come out easier without the kink passing through the bridge.

[outlawm1]

thank you sir

[comedybenj]

Are grover tuners locking?

[fishbellyrocks]

@comedybenj Mine are. I think they make both locking and standard types though.

[comedybenj]

@fishbellyrocks Are locking tuners hard to use for beginners?

[fishbellyrocks]

@comedybenj Nope!

[comedybenj]

@fishbellyrocks I'm getting a guitar with Grover tuners as my starter, will it be complicated?

[fishbellyrocks]

@comedybenj Can't say for sure, but I've never found a tuner that was hard to use. Locking are always easier than regular ones (if that's any comfort) :)

[SDJrekoff]

@comedybenj Never as much as it is on a floyd rose type tremolo!!!!! grrrrrr

[MrBenIPresume]

great video man, very helpful

[Piziface]

Great vid man :) do you know what tuners they are and where I could get some?

[fishbellyrocks]

@Piziface They're locking Grover Keystone tuners. came stock on the Les Paul but I think you can find them easily :)

[danmacduff]

Hey man, when you push the string through the peg do you pull it through so it's as taught as possible or do you leave any slack? Cheers x

[fishbellyrocks]

@danmacduff taught as possible. the less slack the less it can de-tune :)

[guillotinedeath]

everytime i try to tune my low e string

the string keeps touching the fretboard why????

[fishbellyrocks]

@guillotinedeath if you string is correctly sitting in your saddle (bridge side) and in the nut (neck side) then sight-down your neck and see if it's back-bowed--most-likely this is the problem. if not, then take it to a repair shop with good reviews online. actually, either way you don't want to try and fix this yourself. if it's bowed then it requires a trussrod adjustment, a simple procedure for a qualified repair tech. hope that helps :)

[guillotinedeath]

@fishbellyrocks

i think it was because i had to adjust my bridge which has tonepros locking

which i have no clue what they are for? do you know.

[fishbellyrocks]

@guillotinedeath Ha! Good point. I totally forgot about the simple reason why!

[ChineseProletariat]

just a fun fact; the guitar strings are sharp, sharp enough for the people in jail to put on tattoos

[boilingpoint3]

Did the tuners improve the stability of your guitar in a high percentage?

[fishbellyrocks]

@boilingpoint3 The tuners help a lot. I also rub pencil lead in the nut underneath it, where the string sits. That helps it to stay in-tune and not bind up. you can have a $3000 les paul and still have a cheap plastic nut put on it. Funny how Gibsons top dogs only see profit margins, haha...

But yeah, they help A LOT. :)

[boilingpoint3]

Thanks for the feedback.

I was thinking of installing locking tuners in my Strat.

It's a kickass guitar but isn't very tune locked so yeah.

[GuitarMonkey91]

I have a Jackson JS23 electric guitar in natural wood.

what type of locking tuners should I use?

Also, how much do they cost?

[fishbellyrocks]

@GuitarMonkey91 Sorry about not replying to this a million years ago when you posted this. I think that the Spurzel and Grover are quite good. Basically you get what you pay for. look for the tuners gear ratio--18:1 is very good. 12:1 is good. Don't go less than that imo. Check ebay but I think around $70 a set it about right. It's well worth it though.

hope that helps.

[GuitarMonkey91]

@fishbellyrocks K, I'll check that out. thanks...

[GuitarMonkey91]

I have the same string cutter!

[BiblePit]

Helpful bro, good vid. \m/

[9kolajbertelsen]

Looks pretty nice. But I just bought something called stringstop - It's freaking amazing locking tuners! It's something that you just put on your standard machine heads. Maybe you know it, but I think it's kinda new. Anyway it works really great...

[2yearsandcounting]

im curious about locking tuners.

do locking tuners increase tuning stability?

that is to say, for example, if you do really intense bending or vibrato, will the string stay in tune better and not fall out as often?

nice guitar by the way! :D

[fishbellyrocks]

@2yearsandcounting

Yes, to some degree they will help tuning stability because there is no string winding around the tuning head to end up compressing from the pressure when you bend. Mostly I think tuning stability comes down to the quality of your tuners (their gear ratio) the distance from the nut to the tuner itself (longer = more problems) and (a personal opinion) the density of the guitar neck wood (maple [hard] vs mahogony [soft] etc...) Hope that helps!

[2yearsandcounting]

@fishbellyrocks thank you! ill take that into consideration! :P

[fishbellyrocks]

@2yearsandcounting

Oh, and also the angle of the string against the nut (how much the string slopes down between the nut and tuner.) The steeper the angle the more pressure is going against the nut, thus keeping that string pinched tightly and in tune. That's why strats have those string 'trees' to keep the upper strings against the headstock--it's super far from the nut to the tuner! Guitars are designed well so don't start messing with yours unless you're into woodshop though :p

[2yearsandcounting]

@fishbellyrocks okay good advice,

but do the tuners themselves increase the stability of tuning? :P

[Joeballz85]

yea she knows whats up!!

[aznpicklez]

Yeah! she knows whats up!

[Jota8326]

Thanks a lot, very helpful for a first timer!

[brian56t]

diligent and legit! thanks I'm planning on getting a LTD with locking tuners and its great to have a step by step tutorial through it. thanks

[peterthomson13]

Nice video, what do you think of the Les Paul 2008 standard you have there - are they worth the money?

Thanks.

[fishbellyrocks]

@peterthomson13

Well, personally I did a lot of research on what I wanted: chambered body, high-gain pick-ups, locking tuners, asymmetrical neck profile... it's perfect for me. Paying big bucks for a pro level guitar is always a LOT more than what you'll pay for a mid-level one, but it's always worth it if you have been playing long enough to know your style and what you want from your instrument. I like the look, feel, sound versatility... Hope that helps :)

[oOMetalManiaOo]

does this include all locking tuners? because i have both gotoh locking tuners and groover locking tuners? preciate for a answer

[fishbellyrocks]

@oOMetalManiaOo

Hey man, thanks for the comment.  Actually (I had no idea) but Gotoh and some Grover tuners are different than my Govers... I haven't used them in years but this guy has a great vid on how to use them:

I think they work in the same way as mine; a shaft inside the tuner pushes upwards to squish the string and hold it. The difference seems to be that these tuners do it in the first few twists of the tuning key, whereas with (cont..)

[fishbellyrocks]

@oOMetalManiaOo

(cont) with mine there's a gear behind the base of it.

Hope this helps and feel free to check out my site and ask in the forum at walkerguitar if you need more help!

cheers!

-coire

[fishbellyrocks]

@senoritoriver:

Yes, they will stretch in on their own, but it will take a few days. Stretching the strings in helps to bypass that process. Not so fun to have your axe constantly falling out of tune :)

[senoritoriver]

wont the strings stretch on their own?