Vanson Locking Tuners....Drop in replacements for SEs

[jcolmn]

I have been looking for some drop in locking tuners for my SE and have tried the Grover 406c's in the past, but do not prefer them due to their small buttons. Everyone knows PRS US locking tuners are the best, but I wanted to avoid any drilling.

On a whim I purchased some Vanson locking 3+3 tuners off of ebay. They ship from the UK.

For <$50...Arrived in less than 2 weeks.

They look pretty good.


They do drop in


Arghhhhh! Small buttons!!!!


But wait...The original SE buttons fit (unlike Grovers)


They could be a bit heavier (I didn't weigh) and they do take up more space.


But look pretty good and work good so far.

 

[alantig]

Nice! I've been thinking about getting a set of locking tuners for my SE-7. I'll have to keep these in mind.

 

[CoreyT]

Very nice!
Never heard of this brand before, glad they worked out for you.
Cool how the bigger buttons worked with them too.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Nice!

 

[toothace]

Looks great! Good info to have on the Vansons!

 

[Vicenzzo Paiva]

Do they still work good so far?

 

[CoreyT]

I remember this thread since I had replied to it.
I think it would be cool if PRS would source these to World Music Company to use on all SE guitars.

I know a lot of the other brands that WMC makes guitars for puts locking tuners on many models.
Even if these cost a bit more than the standard non locking SE tuners, PRS could readjust the price to reflect it.

I have the Planet Waves Autotrim locking tuners on all of my SEs and I like them, but...new screw holes need to be drilled for them.
Since these drop right in, it would be a piece of cake for WMC to switch to these.

 

[Vicenzzo Paiva]

I remember this thread since I had replied to it.
I think it would be cool if PRS would source these to World Music Company to use on all SE guitars.

I know a lot of the other brands that WMC makes guitars for puts locking tuners on many models.
Even if these cost a bit more than the standard non locking SE tuners, PRS could readjust the price to reflect it.

I have the Planet Waves Autotrim locking tuners on all of my SEs and I like them, but...new screw holes need to be drilled for them.
Since these drop right in, it would be a piece of cake for WMC to switch to these.

Planet waves autotrim are not drop ins????? for sure??
I'm thinking on buying that Vanson or PW, but the PW have plastic studs and that black stuff all over kills me What's your experience with it?

 

[Alan Manning]

Thanks for the tip I just checked them out & for an extra 4 quid they also have them in gold. Cool good to know.!!!!

 

[CoreyT]

Planet waves autotrim are not drop ins????? for sure??
I'm thinking on buying that Vanson or PW, but the PW have plastic studs and that black stuff all over kills me What's your experience with it?

I have them installed on all the SEs except my bass, on Fernandes guitar, and my Gibson SG.
I would put them up there with the Phase III tuners as far as quality goes.
I like them that much, that is why I use them.
18:1 gear ratio I think, and no having to cut your strings since the tuners cut them for you after the first turn.

No, they are not drop ins except for the little Fernandes, they dropped right in with no modding.

 

[Vicenzzo Paiva]

I have them installed on all the SEs except my bass, on Fernandes guitar, and my Gibson SG.
I would put them up there with the Phase III tuners as far as quality goes.
I like them that much, that is why I use them.
18:1 gear ratio I think, and no having to cut your strings since the tuners cut them for you after the first turn.

No, they are not drop ins except for the little Fernandes, they dropped right in with no modding.

oh boy really sad day for me. lol
Did you have to modify exactly what? new holes, expand the 10mm hole?

 

[CoreyT]

oh boy really sad day for me. lol
Did you have to modify exactly what? new holes, expand the 10mm hole?

Nope, just the screw holes which are pretty easy to do.
My dealer has done all of mine, but you just set the tuner in through the shaft hole, and make new screw holes with a sharp object or pencil.
There are a few vids out there, this is just one showing you how they work.
Like I mentioned earlier, I wish these came stock on all SEs.

 

[Rockula]

You are aware that you can swap buttons between Grovers and the stock SE tuners, right? I put Grovers on my Santana SE, and the original buttons it came with. Works great.

Now what I really want are core tuners...

 

[Vicenzzo Paiva]

You are aware that you can swap buttons between Grovers and the stock SE tuners, right? I put Grovers on my Santana SE, and the original buttons it came with. Works great.

Now what I really want are core tuners...

Do you think its worth? $150 for a phase II...we can get a schaller for $90, grover for $60, vanson for $40...
I mean, if we upgrade our SE parts with core parts... $600 guitar with something around $300 pickups, $20 nut, $150 tuners... wouldnt be better to get an S2 or even save a little more to get a used core?

 

[Rockula]

Do you think its worth? $150 for a phase II...we can get a schaller for $90, grover for $60, vanson for $40...
I mean, if we upgrade our SE parts with core parts... $600 guitar with something around $300 pickups, $20 nut, $150 tuners... wouldnt be better to get an S2 or even save a little more to get a used core?

Yeah, I just went with Grovers myself. At least until someone comes up with locking, extra light, open back tuners for a reasonable price.

I suppose it depends what you're looking for. If I saw brand new versions of my modded SEs in a store next to a used core or an S2, I'd probably still buy the SEs. They've got what I want, for a price I can afford. There aren't any S2 or core models that have the same sets of features anyway.

Not to say I won't buy a core model someday. I probably will. It's just taken me 30 years of playing to warm up to anything not Fender or Gibson as it is.

 

[archey]

Gotoh Magnum locking tuners are a direct fit. Also they are GREAT tuners. The Vansons look identical to a set of unbranded tuners made in China I bought off eBay once. They were decent, especially for the price. I ended up buying the gotohs because the Chinese tuners kept sheering off the high e.