Product recommendations wanted

[Bard2dbone]

Hey guys

When I started thinking about this, it was just to ask about a specific part. Then I decided it would be good to ask if there's anything you just thought everybody should use every time the opportunity presented itself.

So basically this thread is the "What's your favorite _______, and why?" thread


Oh and the original thing I was wondering about was tuners for guitar. Guitar. You know those things that are like a tiny piccolo bass with weak strings? They usually have an idiot attached?

Yes! Those things! I knew you'd know.

I wanted to mod my strat with better tuners. For that particular guitar, it's a no-brainer to go with Sperzel locking tuners. But I also intend to swap out the tuners on my Hamer import, and I'm not sure that the 3+3 Sperzels will fit in the existing holes that the cheap Kluson knockoffs are in.

I start wondering what is the best locking Kluson replacement and then I suddenly realize I haven't ever seen a Gibson flavored guitar like the Hamer with Sperzels on it. Is there a reason for that? Will they not fit? Who invented liquid soap and why?

I have so many questions!

I also heartily recommend the Intellitouch electronic tuner. I love mine. It clamps onto the headstock of whatever instrument I'm playing and reads the pitch by sensing vibrations in the wood of the instrument itself. It has a backlit LCD display so I've used it successfully in pitch-black environments. The batteries seem to be good for, on average about two years. I lost mine for a few days once and I missed it terribly. Get one. They are awesome.

[wilser]

use hipshot locking guitar tuners. They fit strats and are VERY high quality.

liquid soap was invented to cheat you out of your money because it runs out faster and it's more expensive

[erikbojerik]

My favorite clam chowder is Campbell's Chunky. Yes, that's right....from a can.

And I used to live in Boston, which has its share of great seafood restaurants. The chowd at No Name Seafood is 2nd only to Campbell's.

[Bard2dbone]

Originally Posted by wilser

use hipshot locking guitar tuners. They fit strats and are VERY high quality.

I was already planning on Sperzels for the Strat because I've done that before and had great results. The Hamer is the one I couldn't figure out what to use, because I needed a locking equivalent for a three to a side Kluson. Will the Hipshot locking tuners do that as well?

liquid soap was invented to cheat you out of your money because it runs out faster and it's more expensive

Actually, that part was rhetorical because I'm a smartass and was quoting a movie.

I'll look up those Hipshots. Thanks Wilser.

[wilser]

Originally Posted by Bard2dbone

...
Actually, that part was rhetorical because I'm a smartass and was quoting a movie.

I'll look up those Hipshots. Thanks Wilser.

umm, HELLO?!?!? I know, my answer was also joking!

Give Jason a call, those guys up there are GOOD! Hipshots are better than Sperzel in my experience.

[Musiclogic]

As I am the lone Hipshot hater here , I will have to politely disagree with Will on ths one. My experience has been more favorable with Sperzels. Grover Cam Locks are also fantastic, along with the 510/520 series of Gotohs. Schallers are fantastic, but cost waaaaay too much.

As for Liquid soap......LMAO...I agree with Will....2 funny either way.

.....and Chowder.....LMAO Campbells Chunky rules the "Canned Chowder" world, but my homemade Chowder rules the galaxy.

[wilser]

well, I'll agree to disagree. As you know, all it takes is one bad experience. I've actually had 2 stripped Sperzels on 2 different basses. Unlucky for me, I guess, they were the only basses where I use them. So for now, Hipshot gets my vote ...the day they fail me I'll have to switch to the Japanese or the Germans

[JSPguitars]

They sell 3x3 sperzels. I just hate those little pins on the back that 'seat' the tuners, as they tend to come out and are so small they get lost. I've also had some multi-colored sperzels where the color of the gold plating was just way off between tuners. But that was a while ago.
I want to try out some Waverly's, but they are damn expensive.

[Bard2dbone]

I played an octave mandolin with Waverlys on it. I think they cost more than the whole rest of the mandolin.

[Musiclogic]

Originally Posted by wilser

well, I'll agree to disagree. As you know, all it takes is one bad experience. I've actually had 2 stripped Sperzels on 2 different basses. Unlucky for me, I guess, they were the only basses where I use them. So for now, Hipshot gets my vote ...the day they fail me I'll have to switch to the Japanese or the Germans

Agreed Will.... never have used Sperzels on a Bass, I like the Schallers and Wilkinsons personally on Basses. I've had Hipshots come in with broken posts, one with the post hole broken out, which was an obvious casting defect, and Hipshot wouldn't do anything about it. So that left a bad taste in my mouth with Hipshot. Although, if a customer requests Hipshot hardware, they get it, I never badmouth Hipshot to customers, they do make some nice stuff, though it is slightly over priced. But, I do more repairs an mods, so I see a lot more abused parts....LOL

[spudmaster34]

Originally Posted by Bard2dbone

Guitar. You know those things that are like a tiny piccolo bass with weak strings? They usually have an idiot attached?

that would be my new sig but I can only have up to two lines or something like that

[wilser]

Originally Posted by Musiclogic

Agreed Will.... never have used Sperzels on a Bass, I like the Schallers and Wilkinsons personally on Basses. I've had Hipshots come in with broken posts, one with the post hole broken out, which was an obvious casting defect, and Hipshot wouldn't do anything about it. So that left a bad taste in my mouth with Hipshot. Although, if a customer requests Hipshot hardware, they get it, I never badmouth Hipshot to customers, they do make some nice stuff, though it is slightly over priced. But, I do more repairs an mods, so I see a lot more abused parts....LOL

ok, I don't want to digress here, as we're turning this thread into pro-con hipshot, but I am really surprised at your experience because a) Hipshot customer support has been nothing but 100% responsive to me and b) their parts are machined now, though I don't know if they were ever cast. Of course, I've their fender style tuners, but the bridges (A and B style) CNC milled (the vintage style are stamped from thick steel) and so are the ultralite tuners (guitar and bass).

[tjclem]

Clam chowder:

one can potato soup, one can milk, one can minced clams. Black pepper and old bay seasoning to taste. Done..t

What are tuners?

[Rodent]

speaking of product recommendations - does anybody have a product list and quantity spec for New England clam dip? I really miss it since moving away ... a sporting game on TV just isn't the same without it


O, and I prefer Hipshot products and use a ton of their Ultralights, Type A bridges, and Vintage bridges. I also liked Gotoh 206 bridges, but I hear that they've been discontinued.

S.P.A.M. is also a good beefy tuner machine thread lubricant, and the gelatin can be used to eliminate trussrod rattle in a warped neck

all the best,

R

[Angus]

Originally Posted by wilser

I've actually had 2 stripped Sperzels on 2 different basses.

As in they arrived stripped, or someone had overtightened them at stripped them? I've seen the latter happen before on a guitar tuner that was caused by my ex-guitarist way overtightening his E string to "keep it from loosening". Nice. It's very very fine thread, so it wouldn't surprise me of people do this fairly often, as most people don't understand the fine line between "tight" and "way the hell too much".

If it arrived stripped, that's messed up!

I'm definitely not a builder obviously (yet?), but I have spent years changing everything on my instruments over and over.
I've had only good experience with Hipshot tuners, and have ultralites on most of my instruments. Big thumbs up. I do not like their B-style bridges at all, but I really like their aluminum A-bridge.

If I'm using a brass bridge, though, I much prefer ABM to a brass Hipshot A. More expensive, little more of a pain to adjust intonation (though I greatly prefer this to screw-adjusted saddles), but both heavier and more solidly built, and if you are looking for a heavy brass bridge, why settle for the halfway? I have ABMs on most of my instruments (found a cheap distributor, so that helps!!).

I have Sperzels on my Yamaha guitar-tuned bass (3 bass, 3 guitar) and haven't had any trouble with them thus far. I didn't like the fact they came with very little preload on the internal gear, so it slips out of tune after a few hours, yet tightening by about a tenth of a turn makes it hold in tune better but requires a very significant amount of force to turn. On the Hipshots I always add a bit of preload to give a better feel when tightening, but with the sperzel's it's almost on/off between not tight enough and too tight. The bass ones are ok, but the guitar ones are really a PITA. Granted, those three are being used a much higher tension than they see normally.

On my 8 string I have Schaller locking tuners for the octave strings, and they're great. They're quite a bit heavier than the Sperzels, but the locking mechanism works very well (although it has a narrower strings size range) and the peg shaft is longer so there is more freedom for installation. I'd use them again.

I recently installed a set of the ultralite Sperzels on a friend's guitar, by the way, and those things are RIDICULOUSLY light!! I weighed them but I forget what it was now. I have it written down somewhere though.

The Gotoh 206 stuff is great, too. That's probably the only common bridge I'd use besides ABM/Hipshot.

The ETS stuff looks nice.

[Musiclogic]

Originally Posted by wilser

ok, I don't want to digress here, as we're turning this thread into pro-con hipshot, but I am really surprised at your experience because a) Hipshot customer support has been nothing but 100% responsive to me and b) their parts are machined now, though I don't know if they were ever cast. Of course, I've their fender style tuners, but the bridges (A and B style) CNC milled (the vintage style are stamped from thick steel) and so are the ultralite tuners (guitar and bass).

I agree Will....I have heard nothing but good about Hipshot CSR's, I guess I just had a bad one...LOL(my usual luck)
Like I said, I'm not against Hipshot parts, there are just parts "I" like better. Hipshot as become the hardware "du jour", much like Schaller and Grover in the 80s and 90's, because I have been using Schaller for so long now, I am just a Schaller guy.....LOL

[Bard2dbone]

Originally Posted by Angus

As in they arrived stripped, or someone had overtightened them at stripped them? I've seen the latter happen before on a guitar tuner that was caused by my ex-guitarist way overtightening his E string to "keep it from loosening". Nice. It's very very fine thread, so it wouldn't surprise me of people do this fairly often, as most people don't understand the fine line between "tight" and "way the hell too much".

If it arrived stripped, that's messed up!

I'm definitely not a builder obviously (yet?), but I have spent years changing everything on my instruments over and over.
I've had only good experience with Hipshot tuners, and have ultralites on most of my instruments. Big thumbs up. I do not like their B-style bridges at all, but I really like their aluminum A-bridge.

If I'm using a brass bridge, though, I much prefer ABM to a brass Hipshot A. More expensive, little more of a pain to adjust intonation (though I greatly prefer this to screw-adjusted saddles), but both heavier and more solidly built, and if you are looking for a heavy brass bridge, why settle for the halfway? I have ABMs on most of my instruments (found a cheap distributor, so that helps!!).

I have Sperzels on my Yamaha guitar-tuned bass (3 bass, 3 guitar) and haven't had any trouble with them thus far. I didn't like the fact they came with very little preload on the internal gear, so it slips out of tune after a few hours, yet tightening by about a tenth of a turn makes it hold in tune better but requires a very significant amount of force to turn. On the Hipshots I always add a bit of preload to give a better feel when tightening, but with the sperzel's it's almost on/off between not tight enough and too tight. The bass ones are ok, but the guitar ones are really a PITA. Granted, those three are being used a much higher tension than they see normally.

On my 8 string I have Schaller locking tuners for the octave strings, and they're great. They're quite a bit heavier than the Sperzels, but the locking mechanism works very well (although it has a narrower strings size range) and the peg shaft is longer so there is more freedom for installation. I'd use them again.

I recently installed a set of the ultralite Sperzels on a friend's guitar, by the way, and those things are RIDICULOUSLY light!! I weighed them but I forget what it was now. I have it written down somewhere though.

The Gotoh 206 stuff is great, too. That's probably the only common bridge I'd use besides ABM/Hipshot.

The ETS stuff looks nice.

That scared me for a minute. It's been a while since I bought a set of Sperzels for a guitar and I was afraid they had changed some important stuff. But if you are using them at way past mormal tension, then that might be why they are acting up.

The ones I have had on a strat before were made about fourteen years ago. Are they different now? I really want exactly what I had before.