Phase 2 or 3? For my new cust 24 se....

[Agent707]

Hey guys. I just got me a new Custom 24 SE w/trem a couple months ago ($400 black Friday sale!!! Can you freaking believe that???!!!???) Love the guitar!

….But I need to get this thing fixed.

Fixed??? How dare I!!!!

Seriously though, floating trem with no locking tuners? What were they thinking? This was something the industry learned 40+ years ago….

I had the trem bar on only the first day I played it. Hasn’t been on since, being it goes out of tune anytime I used it.


You all know this already, so why am I even mentioning this????

Big question for all you experienced PRS owners, which tuners should I go with? Phase 2 or 3?

Looks like either one I get I’ll have to drill new screw holes. No big deal there. With the phase 3 I’d have to drill 2 per tuner? Am I seeing that right?

What I really need to know is - are the peg holes the correct size? I won’t have to bore them out any will I?

With either the phase 2 or 3 tuners, it “looks” like it’s going to leave the existing screw holes “exposed”.Not that I really care though.

Are there any pros/cons with either of these tuners?

I'm looking at this strictly from an install perspective, not cost. Cost doesn't matter.

Thanks!

At some point I’ll probably want to replace the bridge pickup… but that is for another day/thread.

p.s. WOW! The message editor for this forum is HIDEOUS! I don't see how you guy can stand it..
Is there any way I can turn OFF this god awful wysiwyg editor - and just have a plain text editor?? :angry:

 

[sleary]

If you want direct drop in with no drilling then Grover 406 c or Schaller m6 tuners are the way to go. I have the grocers on my se and love them .

 

[Agent707]

These?
http://www.amazon.com/Grover-406C-Rotomatic-Locking-Machine/dp/B0007Y3XGW

Sounds too good to be true.

Some of the comments say you need to do 1 wrap with the high e, and maybe the b string. Or suffer string breaks. Have you had to do this?

At second look, looks like those suffering string breaks use 09-42. So won't be an issue for me.

Thanks for the response.

 

[sleary]

I've had them on the guitar for a year and no broken strings at all. Don't wrap either..

Watch however what gauge strings you use. 12's can get pretty tight in the low e ....I had to pull mine through but I went back to 10's so no issues at all...

 

[John Beef]

What size string gauge do you use? If you put larger strings on there than the stock 9s and didn't at least check to see how the strings fit through the nut, your strings are likely binding up in the nut slot. If you wrap your strings correctly on the non-locking tuners, you really don't need locking ones. My SE with stock tuners stays ion tune with great stability.

 

[garrett]

I love the Grovers. No reason at all to spend the money and hassle on PRS keys. I've had a set for several years and never broke a string (10's or 9.5's).

If you put a wrap around the posts, you're not using them right.

All that said, remember the nut is the number one culprit for tuning issues. If the slots are too rough or tight, no set of tuners is going to help you. Great as SE guitars are, the nuts are hit or miss. Have a good luthier assess the nut before you spend any money.

 

[sleary]

I love the Grovers. No reason at all to spend the money and hassle on PRS keys. I've had a set for several years and never broke a string (10's or 9.5's).

If you put a wrap around the posts, you're not using them right.

All that said, remember the nut is the number one culprit for tuning issues. If the slots are too rough or tight, no set of tuners is going to help you. Great as SE guitars are, the nuts are hit or miss. Have a good luthier assess the nut before you spend any money.

That's good advice....

I just locking tuners because I'm too lazy to wrap. String changes are quicker too...

 

[Agent707]

I appreciate all the comments. Thanks!

Orderd the Grovers fom Amazon. Drop in installs, for WAY less than Iwas planning on spending made it a no brainer.

I honestly don't know what gauge strings came on my guitar (still has factories). Seems I remember it saying they were 10-46? I see mixed configurations for these guitars. (bought mine from Sweetwater). I see some models have 9-42's while others have 10-46??

I can't see putting 9's on a 25" scale. Doesn't make much sense. I'm sticking with 10's.

+John Beef. You have a one of a kind guitar my friend! Either that, or you don't do full octave dive bombs.

I'll update this thread when I get them installed and test drive them.

Thanks for saving me a hundred+ bucks!

 

[dsenoj]

An SE Custom 24 comes from the factory with 9-42 strings.