SE Guitars & Locking Tuners

[Mark 10top]

Just bought 2 SE Custom Exotic Tops. One Ziricote and one Rosewood. Love the wood, love the necks. Have replaced everything else except the pickups in the rosewood. I don't understand why these guitars are not offered with either a choice of locking tuners for $50 additional or just raise the price and include lockers. Oh yeah the nuts suck too.

 

[shimmilou]

The whole idea of the SE is to make a lower cost guitar. Most users might be ok with the non lockers and stock nut. If you start adding $50 here, $10 there, more labor costs, kind of defeats the purpose.

You want locking tuners? John Mann can convert the stock ones to lockers for $60. Or buy an aftermarket set for about the same price, or a little less, depending on brand.

You want a better nut, buy one and install it yourself for $10, or pay someone more $ to do it for you.

I haven’t found the need to change the nut on any of my 6 SEs, they work just fine. If I were to change to a bigger set of strings, maybe a new nut would be necessary.

I have changed 2 SEs to locking tuners, the rest are fine with stock tuners.

 

[Mark 10top]

I notice with the cheaper nuts that when you tune the strings the strings stick. Next time you tune try pulling on the string above the nut and see if there is a difference in the pitch when you let go. Seems like you don't need to turn the tuner as much when you do that, also you might notice the guitar stays in tune better. At least that has been my experience with every low end guitar I've owned. Try looking at the SE feedback posts and how they won't stay in tune. An awful lot of people (female dog) about the tuners and the nuts. I've replaced both and don't have any problems now. I know when I buy guitars under $1500 to expect to replace parts. I bought an epi 60's tribute for $620 on sale, it had locking tuners, a graphtec nut and USA 57 classics. In fact the bridge 57 classic + is now in my PRS SE custom Ziricote along with a Porter Blender in the neck. Now I've been customizing guitars for years but someone new comes along, buys an SE that won't stay in tune because of the nut or the tuners or both, they may get a bad taste in their mouth. It happened to me with a $1200 strat. Have not bought another Strat since. Just think having the option of paying extra for lockers would be a good idea. And again like I said I knew what I was getting into with buying SE

 

[shimmilou]

There are some people that have tuning issues, and sometimes the nut is the issue, but sometimes its a setup issue, like too many winds on the tuner post, or the bridge screws are not set correctly (evenly), and sometimes a little nut sauce is all that’s needed.

I have started lubing the nuts and bridge pivot points, and making sure everything is setup correctly, first thing whenever I get a new guitar, then see if there are any tuning issues, and most times there are none. My last guitar, SE Cu 24, I had to setup the bridge mounting screws, lubed it up, and still had slight tuning issues with extreme whammy use. I had John Mann convert the tuners to locking, and that was it, stays in tune even with extreme whammy use, nut is fine. My SE Tremonti was the same, setup bridge screws, lubed it up, locking tuners, and good to go, stock nut is fine.

Funny thing, I did not do this with my new S2 Studio, and it developed a little nut binding on the G string. Pulling the string out of the nut revealed a little piece in the slot, cleared that and good to go.

I have that same 60s Tribute, and I agree, great axe, love the 57 pups. I had mine Plek’d by Sweetwater before I got it.

 

[Eddie kim]

Locking tuner is just to make your string change easier. The nut is another story.

 

[dogrocketp]

I’m a tremolo user, and the locking tuners help keep the guitar in tune. I have Hipshot open back locking tuners on all 5 of my SE’s. If you use the trem a lot, the nut has to be changed as well. All of my USA PRS have a better nut and stay in tune.

 

[grausch]

The whole idea of the SE is to make a lower cost guitar. Most users might be ok with the non lockers and stock nut. If you start adding $50 here, $10 there, more labor costs, kind of defeats the purpose.

You want locking tuners? John Mann can convert the stock ones to lockers for $60. Or buy an aftermarket set for about the same price, or a little less, depending on brand.

You want a better nut, buy one and install it yourself for $10, or pay someone more $ to do it for you.

I haven’t found the need to change the nut on any of my 6 SEs, they work just fine. If I were to change to a bigger set of strings, maybe a new nut would be necessary.

I have changed 2 SEs to locking tuners, the rest are fine with stock tuners.

Changing out nut and tuners can not be such a major cost. For instance, a set of Gotoh MD90s cost me EUR 60 paying full retail. PRS would not be paying retail pricing and be able to negotiate a much better price due to their sheer volume already in place with Gotoh. The cost of the guitar should only increase by the price differential between the locking and non-locking tuners. Same applies to changing out the nut to a USA nut.

 

[shimmilou]

Changing out nut and tuners can not be such a major cost. For instance, a set of Gotoh MD90s cost me EUR 60 paying full retail. PRS would not be paying retail pricing and be able to negotiate a much better price due to their sheer volume already in place with Gotoh. The cost of the guitar should only increase by the price differential between the locking and non-locking tuners. Same applies to changing out the nut to a USA nut.

You think that a manufacturer will only charge you the same as what they paid for an item? They will surely mark it up, they have to make a profit, or else they would not do it.

 

[Mark Ray]

To piggyback into this thread, I would like to change the tuners on my Bernie and Zach Myers to lockers IF I can find drop-in replacements so that no drilling is needed. I would also prefer the buttons to remain the same. Is this a possibility?

 

[grausch]

You think that a manufacturer will only charge you the same as what they paid for an item? They will surely mark it up, they have to make a profit, or else they would not do it.

Depends on various factors - one factor could be that a guitar has to be sold at a certain price point and the only control the manufacturer has is over production cost.

We do not really have enough information and it is all speculation on our part...

 

[shimmilou]

To piggyback into this thread, I would like to change the tuners on my Bernie and Zach Myers to lockers IF I can find drop-in replacements so that no drilling is needed. I would also prefer the buttons to remain the same. Is this a possibility?

https://store.guitarvaultusa.com/MannMade_USA_SE_Vintage_Style_Locking_Tuner_Set_p/7025.htm

 

[Mark Ray]

Thanks for the link shimmilou!

 

[shimmilou]

NP

If you send in your existing tuners, he will convert them for about $30 less. Just leave the bushings in the guitar, keep all other hardware, just send the tuners themselves.