Phase II by Gotoh!?!

[juka]

My SCT IRW is my only PRS I have a really deep love-hate-relation with. As long as it works, it's a great guitar but it also had its "issues". The latest issue was that it started to go out of tune quite often. So when changing strings last time I had a closer look at the tuning machines and discovered that two of the tuning posts had become quite loose.
The other thing that I discovered was that when I removed the tuning machines there was "Gotoh Japan" imprinted on the inside
Strangely enough the set of replacement tuners I ordered from PRS had the usual Schaller look, that is to say just those wellknown "III" on the inside. Putting those "Gotoh" and "III" Phase IIs side by side revealed lots of tiny differences. All in all the Schallers looked more "sophisticated" (as if more work had been put into them, like rounding some edges and so on).
What really annoyed was that they weren't 1:1 copies, even the size of the "ears" (where you put the screws through) was slightly different so that the original holes didn't fit.
So as you can imagine it was no smooth replacement and left some scars :cry:

So when did PRS switch over to Gotoh as manufacturer of the Phase II (my SCT IRW is from 2008) and was this change permanent?

 

[Shawn@PRS]

To keep up with our needs, about 5 years ago we started getting Pase II tuners from two sources, Schaller and Gotoh. The Gotoh tuners have proven to be just as well made and reliable as the Schallers. Gotoh has made our vintage "McCarty" style tuners for years and we contine to have a great working relationship with them.

 

[juka]

Dear Shawn,

thank you for your kind reply.
As I am from Germany living not far away from the Schaller site, I know about their weak spot and already suspected something like this. They produce top notch hardware, but always seem to be short on supply. I don't understand why they have never managed to live up to the demand and by this lost most of the big guitar companies over time.
If I look back at all the guitars I played over the decades most of them were equipped with Gotoh hardware. As they never failed me, I rated Gotoh even higher than Schaller as being able to deliver the same high quality and being even more innovative at times.
With that in mind Gotoh not only should have been able to render perfect 1:1 copies but even surpass the Schaller phase IIs. At least in my case they failed miserably.
I don't know what the price situation is in the US, but over here in Germany I had to pay about 50% more for the PRS replacement tuners as compared to original Schaller or Gotoh hardware. But I paid this upcharge gladly as I wanted to preserve the original look of my PRS.
As your various suppliers obviously are unable to keep to the same specs, this attempt failed, which leaves me quite disappointed... :evil:

 

[Shawn@PRS]

Hi Juka,

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the replacement tuners, we've had great results with them. Let me ask you, are these the new tuners with unplated shafts?

 

[Proxmax]

hi shawn,

who makes the phase III?
will they be available as replacement soon like the other mechs?
i want to take them for my Goldie McRosie since the screw distance is the same.
to widen the hole in the headstock seems not to be a problem.

thx for your help
klaus

 

[juka]

Hi Juka,

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the replacement tuners, we've had great results with them. Let me ask you, are these the new tuners with unplated shafts?

Yes, Gotoh and Schaller both unplated brass

 

[Shawn@PRS]

We’ve found the Gotoh tuners to be just as well made as the Schaller tuners, but I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Gotoh makes our Phase III locking tuners. I find they work very well and are also really great looking.

 

[Proxmax]

thanks, shawn.

so will the phase III be available soon?

 

[Shawn@PRS]

The Phase III tuners are not a direct replacement for anything we've done in the past, so I don't see a need to sell them anytime in the near future. Eventually we'll need to offer them for sale because guitars will change hands, warranties will expire and tuners will get damaged, but they won't be available within the next year or so. Sorry.

 

[juka]

We’ve found the Gotoh tuners to be just as well made as the Schaller tuners, but I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Gotoh makes our Phase III locking tuners. I find they work very well and are also really great looking.

Dear Shawn,
I'm not shure if your first sentence above was meant as a reply to me, because the problem I decribed has nothing to do with the look of the tuners (which is basically the same), but it is about original replacement parts that do not fit exactly, because your suppliers produce to slightly different specs so that the unlucky customer has to modify his guitar to make them fit.
So maybe for the future it might be a good idea to simply offer both types so that the customers can get exact replacements without a 50:50 chance