Replacing vintage winged tuners for the Phase III on an '88 Custom?

[István Fülöp]

The winged tuners on my '88 Custom 24 are falling apart, and I'm considering switched them out with the new Phase III tuners. Will this present me with any issues? Are the holes in the headstock the same for both? Are the pre-drilled screw holes that secure the tuners aligned on both?

I love my vintage PRS and don't want to do anything to mess with it. Would this be a safe switch to make?

Thanks!

 

[themike]

The winged tuners on my '88 Custom 24 are falling apart, and I'm considering switched them out with the new Phase III tuners. Will this present me with any issues? Are the holes in the headstock the same for both? Are the pre-drilled screw holes that secure the tuners aligned on both?

I love my vintage PRS and don't want to do anything to mess with it. Would this be a safe switch to make?

Thanks!

Phase III turners have a different hole pattern than the originals up through the Phase II so it would require drilling.

With that being said, I believe the PTC has developed a way to converty older tuners into a newer variety by changing a majority of the components except the base.

I would shoot them an email and ask: [email protected]

PRS Tuner Conversion

Scotty B from the PTC devised a way to reconstruct your original shared D & G tuners using a set of Phase II shafts and gears. This allows you to keep the same tuner footprint on your older PRS guitar without drilling new holes, but also offers the performance and function of the Phase II tuners. Currently these tuners are only available through the PTC

 

[István Fülöp]

@themike, thanks for your help!

So it sounds like the Phase II would be fine? This might be the way to go, since it sounds like the Phase III isn't even available yet for separate purchase (at least I can't find it anywhere).

 

[themike]

@themike, thanks for your help!

So it sounds like the Phase II would be fine? This might be the way to go, since it sounds like the Phase III isn't even available yet for separate purchase (at least I can't find it anywhere).

No problem man! Yes, Phase III aren't available for purchase individually yet.

Hope you decide to stay and hang out here on the forum!

 

[István Fülöp]

So I reached out to PRS Customer Service, and discovered some unfortunate news:

"[FONT=&quot]The Phase II and Phase IIII tuners would have a different footprint and would not be a direct replacement for your tuners. The Phase III tuners are not currently available for separate sale. The Schaller M6 non-locking tuners would be a direct replacement or you can have your guitar sent to our PTC center to have Phase II’s installed with the option of having exposed placement holes or having them filled and the headstock refinished."

[/FONT]Therefore, it is not possible to simply replace the old winged tuners with the Phase II. It requires drilling new placement holes and either filling the old placement holes or having them exposed. As much as I would have loved to have original PRS parts on my baby, I might have to go with the Schaller M6 to retain the structural integrity of this vintage model.

Any thoughts on this? Would you modify the headstock to get the locking PRS tuners, or keep it intact and go with non-locking, non-PRS?

 

[FlameTop]

This what it will look like if you don't decide to fill the holes (this is a converted 90 Studio). Does not bother me TBH

 

[Shawn@PRS]

So I reached out to PRS Customer Service, and discovered some unfortunate news:

"[FONT="]The Phase II and Phase IIII tuners would have a different footprint and would not be a direct replacement for your tuners. The Phase III tuners are not currently available for separate sale. The Schaller M6 non-locking tuners would be a direct replacement or you can have your guitar sent to our PTC center to have Phase II’s installed with the option of having exposed placement holes or having them filled and the headstock refinished."

[/FONT]Therefore, it is not possible to simply replace the old winged tuners with the Phase II. It requires drilling new placement holes and either filling the old placement holes or having them exposed. As much as I would have loved to have original PRS parts on my baby, I might have to go with the Schaller M6 to retain the structural integrity of this vintage model.

Any thoughts on this? Would you modify the headstock to get the locking PRS tuners, or keep it intact and go with non-locking, non-PRS?

We can retro-fit the Phase II locking mechanism into the housing of your original wing collar tuners. Here's a video of what it looks like once we're done.
[video]http://prsguitars.com/forum/showthread.php?2326-PRS-Tuners[/video]

 

[István Fülöp]

We can retro-fit the Phase II locking mechanism into the housing of your original wing collar tuners. Here's a video of what it looks like once we're done.
[video]http://prsguitars.com/forum/showthread.php?2326-PRS-Tuners[/video]

Hi Shawn, that looks gorgeous!

Earlier in the thread @themike had alluded to this, but when I contacted custserv@prsguitars, a service rep replied and told me that this was not possible. I guess I'm confused at this point about who I should talk to about making this happen, since it seems like some of the folks at PRS aren't aware of this modification. Can you point me in the right direction about who I could talk to about timing, shipping, cost, etc?

Many thanks!