20 Best Locking Tuners For Strat (2023 Updated)

I first discovered these when purchasing a Fender American Deluxe Strat. Fender only puts them on the American Deluxe Strats and Teles, so far as I know. Since then, I have purchased these and put them on three other of My Fender Teles and Strats.

These are a perfect way to upgrade, if your Fender neck has the two-pin guide holes, like most of their modern necks (vintage style excluded). These really are the smoothest Fender machine heads/tuners I’ve ever found.

The lower priced two pin tuners as used on the Player series just aren’t as smooth and it seems like the gear ratio is different, too. maybe lower than the Player machine heads, like 18:1. Yes. more expensive, but even without the locking device, well worth it, IMO.

The pic is a Tele I recently built with V-Mod pups and 12′ radius fret board. I just installed the tuners the other day. The guitar deserved these and I love ’em!.

Have had these new Fender locking tuners on my Stratocaster for a few weeks now, and I must say that I really like them! I think one of the big benefits of locking tuners on a Fender with a whammy bar is that there are no wraps of the string on the tuning pegs, the wraps dont always go back the same way after returning from a dive.

Also the new tuners seem to have a little more weight to them than the original tuners. The added weight and mass seem to make the tone of the guitar a little more solid with possibly a bit more sustain.

I definitely noticed a big improvement with tuning stability after the first time of doing some dives on the guitar. The feel of the tuners while actually tuning the guitar is very nice too, very smooth and precise.

I would not hesitate to buy these tuners again to put on my other Fenders.

I’m giving these tuners a 5 star rating because they are very good locking tuners, as I have these on my 1991 Fender Strat Plus DLX. HOWEVER, make sure to ensure you are going to get the tuners shown on the page that describes the tuners as “Fender Locking Tuners”, with a SKU # 361333.

These tuners shown are the older style Schaller made locking tuners that Fender used before they switched to a different builder/supplier. You can see the difference by looking at the actual locking button/screw.

The older Schaller made tuners have a knurled, cross hatch pattern on the locking button, and the button is thicker than the newer style. The newest Fender locking tuners have a thinner locking button, and the knurls are vertical not cross hatched.

Also, the locking button has an “F” Fender logo stamped on it. The older Schaller made locking tuners do not have anything stamped on that locking button. The newest Fender tuners are named “Fender Deluxe Locking Machine Heads” on this site.

And, their SKU # is 361404. That is a different tuner. I ordered a new of the Fender Schaller made locking tuners, SKU#361333, but they sent me the newer Fender Deluxe tuners SKU#361404. The Deluxe tuners are nice, but they are not the same as the tuners I ordered.

Also, the Fender Deluxe tuners SKU#316404 cost less than the SKU#361333. I’m a bit ticked that Musicians Friend/Guitar Center sent me the wrong tuners, and didn’t refund the cost difference. I called and now I’m waiting for the correct tuners to be sent to me, the Fender locking tuners that do NOT have the Fender “F” stamped on the locking button.

I was told that the shipping warehouse will double check to make sure the correct tuners get sent to me. I’ll update soon, if everything goes well. :).

I have always preferred slotted tuning machines. There are no string ends sticking out to prick your fingers on and they have the cleanest look. I am glad Fender makes them available. I have installed them on all my Fender and Music Man Guitars.

I had to buy both left and right sets of six to work on a Music Man 4+2 head but I much refer these to the cross drilled posts on modern guitars. I wish they made 3+3 sets so I could put slotted machines on my Gibsons.

I first saw them on Fender guitars. Clarence Leo Fender was an amazing designer. Fifty years of owning guitars and basses have make me increasingly aware of his design genius. My favourite Gibson is my Blueshawk.

It is heavily Fender with a 25 1/2″ scale and string through body. Only things missing are a bolt on neck and tuning keys all on top. I wish I had slotted post tuning machines on all my instruments.

These tuners were a drop-in replacement for the original tuners on my Squier Classic Vibe 60’s Strat. I didn’t need to replace the bushings – the tuners were an exact fit for the original bushings. However, this style of locking tuner is not as easy to use as the style that has the locking mechanism on the back of the tuner.

With that style, you insert the string, tighten down the wheel on the back of the tuner, and then turn the tuning key a couple of turns to tune to pitch. To maintain the vintage appearance, which is a positive, these tuners do not have the wheel on the back of the tuners.

Instead, to tighten the string, you turn the tuning key many, many times. There is so much turning required that it’s not that much better than the standard vintage tuner. The end result is positive – at most 1 turn of the string around the post, which promotes tuning stability.

As a guitarist and luthier with decades of experience, I’ve always liked Gotoh “Magnum Lock” tuners, and getting together with Fender is the smartest move. These tuners look just like Fender stock tuning machines, from the front and the back, but that’s where the similarity ends.

The EPIC, rock-steady tuners need only to be strung through and wound up to engage the vise-like string locks, and they won’t ever drift or slip. Add a graphite nut or Fender LSR roller nut and you will NEVER go out of tune, no matter how vigorous you play! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

First of all, start with a 9mm drill bit. 23/64ths is too much. 5/16ths is not enough. The flanges take the bushing to 9. 1 millimeters, and if you are trying to get these into very hard wood, there will be an epic struggle.

You may need to ream the post hole just a tiny bit, but if the wood has some give, you will be able to jam them in. Once they are in, they are stable. Don’t worry about the lack of wounds, believe it or not, 1/2 to 3/4 wound is all you need with these tuners.

A little tricky to use at first, but after the first install, you’re a pro.

This is my second set. Does not slip. really lock on my tuning made with my Peterson Strobo+HD. Your guitar will sound much better. Watch for Chinese copy with the Groover name on it which a US citizen was selling on eBay.

They are really bad. They dont make copy of the 106G. This is probably the best tuner set actually on the market. I already have one set on my Epiphone Olympic 1937. This set will be on my custom made jazz guitar.

Robert.

Nice tuners. Very similar to the locking tuners PRS uses. I didn’t know Grover made this style locking tuner. They are smooth and work well. Have used Grover tuners a lot over the years. Always been happy with them.

these are nice tuners, but they’re not stock LP. these are a little bit taller but you cant tell the difference unless they’re installed together with stock ones. over all they are great, I would definitely buy them again and recommend them.

I play mainly short scale guitars because they are so much easier for my aging hands. But the same thing that make ‘small’ guitars easy to play, also make them harder to tune accurately. The shorter strings are looser,and higher gear ratios are needed in the tuners, in order to be precise.

Some companies are starting to put higher ratio machine heads on their guitars, but 14:1 isn’t enough. Haven’t tried 16:1 but I have put new 18:1 pegs on two Les Paul Express short scales and I could hardly believe the vast improvement.

Tuning is accurate,fast and stable. Grovers were $30 cheaper than the others I tried and every bit as good. The locking pegs is just icing on the cake, so much faster and easier to change strings now.

I will probably put these on all my guitars eventually; but for the shorties, these high ratio pegs will turn your hard-to-tune “beginners” guitar into a fine musical instrument.

Grover precision and quality is superior to many others as we become to appreciate when we buy a guitar WITHOUT them! These have a genius design to lock your string and make restringing quicker and add excellent tuning stability.

Get them!.

These tuners fit my PRS Angelus SE and Tremonti SE perfectly. No drilling needed. I have no idea how I ever lived without locking tuners, and these Grovers are excellent. No play in the machine heads and they lock easily and hold tuning perfectly.

Changing my acoustic strings took less than 5 minutes instead of 20 minutes with regular tuners.

I bought these to put on a 2013 Gibson LPJ to upgrade the stock Kluson style tuners. These are indeed a great upgrade! Much, much, much smoother than the factory tuners and a higher gear ratio. Also, they are not much heavier than the originals (I got the “open gear” variety).

I didn’t weigh them to say this, but the headstock does not droop or neck-dive, probably lighter than comparable Grover locking tuners. The included UMPs made installation a breeze, no holes to drill, just drop them in, tighten them up, and restring the guitar! Locking tuners make stringing the guitar so much easier, no string winder needed.

My only problem is the shape of the buttons, strictly based on the way they look, non-traditional, no effect on how they work. So I bought a set of buttons shaped like the Grover buttons, “problem” solved.

I cannot recommend these highly enough over the stock Gibson tuners! I’m going to get more sets for my favorite guitars, they are that good.

I can recommend actual hipshot griplock tuners. Im not sure these were genuine. They were in a different shaped box, smaller than the ones Ive gotten before. The screws are junk. I predrilled like I always do and two broke off before I even got close to tight.

Ive literally put hundreds of tuners on guitars so its not like Im just going to randomly forget how tiny those screws are. They were substandard which is the second thing about these which makes them suspect.

Tuners seemed ok on cursory look. Like I said, genuine hipshot griplock tuners are the bees knees.

Everything is in a nice easy to install package. Con: The tuners do not line up correctly with the headstock on a Single Cut Santana Egyptian Gold PRS. To make them fit better is to fill the tuner holes, drill new tuner holes at different distances to the edge of the headstock so the amount of tuner buttons are at the proper height.

Then all you’d have to do is refinish the exact matching paint, get Carlos’s signature replaced along with all the other writing and you be all set! Nope I’ll live with the slight misalignment, enjoy the smooth tuning, and the locks.

Then concentrate on playing. Willie D.

When it comes to the bottom of the barrel I would recommend musically as an inexpensive alternative to a more reputable company. Musically sells just about everything but in order to sell inexpensive goods there is a lack of quality however for the quality that is provided from the company musically, I’m actually quite surprised did the quality of these inexpensive cheaply made instrument components are made to the qualities that they are.

So if you’re not confused yet or even if you are and on a low budget, don’t feel ashamed to buy your instrument goods from the company musically. In my case I couldn’t help it because I’m Scottish and I’m a cheap SOB!.

I would call these good ‘entry-level’ locking tuners. They aren’t on par with Sperzel’s or Fenders, but they’re also 1/4 the cost, so it’s a bit of ‘you get what you pay for’ with these. I use 0. 10 gauge (put these on a Mexican Strat) strings, and they don’t actually lock down the B and high E strings completely.

The locking screw is as tight as it can go, but the string still moves back and forth within the tuners for those two strings. But for $20, that’s good enough for this guitar. I wouldn’t put these on a higher valued guitar, but for an entry-level/lesser valued type instrument, they do the job; on 4 out of 6 strings anyways.

;).

Very poor quality. Would not stay in tune for five minutes. Replaced with a set of Groovers. Do yourself a favor just get the groovers or hip shot first save yourself the aggravation of having to change them twice.

I originally got them because I needed to replace tuners, the price was very attractive. The finish is very good, alas the quality of the internals was lacking.

I purchased these tuners to go on my PRS SE 30th Anniversary CU24. I chose these tuners specifically because the locking mechanism is an easy to grip cap on the back of the tuner (instead of a post requiring a screwdriver on the front) and (most importantly) they use the same anchor holes as the original tuners can came on my guitar.

These Schaller tuners are high quality, and they look and feel that way when you use them. My only complaint is that they have a lower gear ratio than the tuners they replaced, 16:1 instead of the 18:1 of the originals.

I knew this at the time, but I decided it wouldn’t be a significant difference. If you don’t know already, that means that for every full revolution of the spindle, you have to turn the tuning keys fully around 16 times.

As the gear ratio gets closer to 1:1, moving the tuning key a given distance makes the spindle turn further. Like I said, I didn’t think the difference between 16:1 and 18:1 would be noticeable, but I was wrong.

It requires just a bit more care when tuning up to pitch, because it’s easier to overshoot! If I had it to do over again, I would buy tuning machines with an 18:1 ratio. On the other hand, once tuned to pitch, these tuning machines hold tune very well indeed! Bottom line, these days 18:1 tuning machines are becoming more or less the standard, and these machines, at 16:1, suffer a little bit in comparison.

But they work well in spite of this, and they definitely feel and look like a high-quality product.

1 out of the 6 tuners didn’t work, so I called musician’s friend customer service. They said that I’m outside of the return window, so they won’t exchange the set, send a new tuner, or anything even though the tuner was defective.

I don’t blame Schaller so much as I blame Musician’s Friend. Manufacturing defects happen, and given the opportunity, a good manufacturer will make it right with their customer. What musician’s friend’s customer service did is unacceptable and has lost me as a customer.

The 1st rep left me on hold for 15 minutes before disconnecting, and the second was unpleasant and unhelpful. The fact that the tuner was defective made no difference: “you passed the return window and we won’t do anything.

” Do better.

Bought a set to replace some stock tuning machines on my BC Rich w/Floyd rose; They fit perfectly and really easy to install there are no special instructions. I like the locking feature and how it captures the string in place so it prevents some slipping.

Now the fact that they have to be loosened and tighten on their own as the string is wound through me off a bit because I’m not use to it. The instructions that it comes with are just badly written but after seeing them at work I got the idea.

Also, after breaking a string I found out that replacing it takes longer. Despite that, I don’t bother tightening the neck nut and the guitar stays in tune. Bought a second set and installed it on a Fender, same deal it stays in tune despite using the tremolo bridge.

Kudos!.

These really are great machines. I love the way that they lock. No knob on the back to hurt your fingers. Just unscrew the top part of the tuner shaft until your string slides in and tighten the string.

It’s a self locking machine so you don’t over tighten. They hold extremely well. The movement is smooth and accurate and they keep your guitar in tune. I’ve been playing since the early 70’s and as of now these are my favorite tuning machines.

Installing takes a little time but that’s no big deal at all. They are really quite easy to install. I highly recomend them.

I bought these to replace steinberger tuners on a epiphone firebird. Due to their position on the headstock I had to get left handed ones. The posts fit perfectly in the holes that were there, nice and tight.

I was really confused on how these things worked, so try to watch a video and read the info on the main website before you start thinking about sending them back.

Nothing beats locking tuners. Just the ease of changing strings alone makes you hate string changes on guitars without them. The stock tuners worked quite well, but putting the Phase III locking shaft on SE tuners is a game changer.

They look great and function perfectly. Are they worth $95? Not really, compared to other name brand locking tuners. There’s a premium on PRS branded accessories, so if you want the USA look, you have to pay.

Personally, I feel they’re worth the money.

These are nice tuners. They fit my SE Pauls Guitar quite well (had to ream out the headstock holes a bit to get them to fit). Not the cheapest option out there but the finish/look is nice, they are nice to use and locking facility works well (as expected).

PRS original Phase 2 tuners, with PRS logo. How can I be disapointed. Fast delivery, priced wise, quality package, best tuners available for my PRS SE, period. 5 stars. Be aware if you plan to install those on PRS SE, you need to drill new mounting holes, Main shaft fits, but there is no screw.

I just installed them, so I can’t testify that they will add tuning stability at this point. What I can say is they were very easy to install. I have horrible memories of upgrading to Grovers on an Epiphone Les Pauls.

Thankfully, there was no need for a reamer for this job. If I knew how stable it will be, I would give them a 5 star rating. Another plus is the price, much less expensive than the other options that were recommended.

This is a great drop in replacement for the standard tuning machines on a PRS SE guitar. They are still an 18:1 ratio, so you won’t get any more control than the stock tuning machines. As with any locking tuning machines, they make string changes faster and easier, and they definitely help to stop string slipping or any tuning instability if you use a trem.

Highly recommended!.

I just got my SE Custom 24 yesterday. Followed some of the reviews here and other places. I ordered the locking tuners at the same time as the guitar. Dropped them in and off I went in 20 minutes time.

I even noticed a sustain difference for the better. Solid brass posts.

I purchased these for my 2005 Gibson Les Paul Standard for several reasons. First, these are configured just like the OEM Klusons on my LP, so no drilling or routing was required. The vintage look of my instrument, which I like, remains unchanged.

Second, the OEM Klusons are 12:1, these are19:1 making fine, precise tuning possible; a great upgrade. Lastly, they are locking tuners, a technology I have come to appreciate having experienced them on a Tom Anderson Strat I own.

String changes are now very simple and quick. A few words of advice (I learned the hard way) – if your LP is configured like a vintage instrument, you will likely need the non-collared tuners. I initially purchased the collared tuners and was momentarily frustrated that what was promised to not require drilling, could only be fitted with it.

I contacted Kluson and learned what I needed. The exchange with the Arkansas Musicworks was simple and soon I was making music again.

These tuners drop right into vintage spec Gibsons as they should. Their turn ratio is finer than the originals and they have the convenience of locking. The colour of the pegs is more or less accurate.

The only difference is screws can be seen on the end of the pegs, whereas not with the original pegs. I guess that means they’re screwed on instead of glued. It’s not a downside, just a difference. I much prefer these tuners.

Class!.

Excellent tuners. Look great and function perfectly. Installation was tricky because the holes in my 2001 American Standard Telecaster neck are slightly larger. I was able to use electrical tape to snug them in – but it is not a great solution.

So if you are planning to use these tuners in a neck drilled for some other type of tuner beware of this potential problem.

Overall: So i recently had my stock LTD tuners seize up on me on my EC1000 weeks before a gig they did indeed fit the already drilled holes but they are hanging by little but appear to be stable. My only gripe is how tall the posts are so it isnt sitting correctly which as everyone knows can affect resonance and tone.

But in a quick pinch works. However i recommend they build them with smaller posts to accommodate more guitars a bit better. Other than that. Solid tuners.

Overall: These feel great when turning the buttons. The high E doesn’t take ages to get to pitch, the G and low E are actually tune-able, no more slight finger and thumb pressure to coax it sharp to hope gear backlash brings it back down flat and into tune.

The low E and G also stay in tune now, only deviating a few cents when using the bar heavily (with Tusq nut). The locking mechanism takes more turns than Sperzels to unlock. This threw me off. I find it to be a good thing.

Sperzel’s mechanisms always almost came off when unlocking the posts. Now that I have learned the throw of the screw I can quickly finger spin it out making stringing up faster and less cumbersome. The buttons are secured very well, much like Schallers, meaning they do not move.

Grover, Sperzel and other cheap brands have buttons that always need retightening and make tuning annoying. The included adapters are unpolished aluminum, but functional. I chose to drill new holes. The included washers have a cupped design that lets you use them on modern or upside down in larger vintage instrument holes, it centers the tuning shaft.

The only disappointments are cosmetic: the dot on each tuning peg, which you can see prominently in the pictures makes them seem like cheap tuners. These appear die cast and the edges are rough and very noticeable with gold plating, again making them appear cheap.

Great overall. I want to buy these for all of my guitars now. Definitely recommended and will buy again.

Great quality. I installed these on a new Gibson LP Standard, and they are a perfect fit.

It’s a matter of personal like. Evey Guitar I buy if it doesn’t have locking tuner’s the 1st thing I do is put a set of locking tuner’s on. So much neater & they look great. Just so much easier to change your string’s also the Guitar STAY’S in tune better.

As the sting on a normal tuner that’s not locking the wind’s that go around the post make’s for more stretching making your guitar go out of tune. A must LOCKING TUNER’S.

These are one of the best tuners on the market. I have them on all of my Gibsons, LPs, SG. Not having them is just nuts, they keep the strings in tune and if they break it’s a quick change.

I purchased these as a replacement for my 1979 USA Fender Strat tuners. The Kluson tuners fit perfectly. I did not have to drill out the holes in the headstock to accommodate the bobbins, the tuners matched perfectly with the mounting holes on the back of the headstock.

However, the Kluson screws were a smaller diameter than the original Fender screws. I used a wooden toothpick as dowling in the screw holes to allow for use of the Kluson supplied screws. The tuners are very smooth.

I bought these tuners to upgrade a 70’s reissue Fender Stratocaster (MIM). I did have to press the old bushings out and press these in, but there (for me) wasn’t any reaming of the headstock of the guitar neck.

They mounted easily, and my guitar now stays in tune much better. I wasn’t sure I’d like the smaller tuner knobs, but after looking at them again, I’ve grown to like them. It sure is nice to be able to change a set of strings as quick as I can now, and also have my guitar in tune much longer.

A bit overpriced, but a great direct replacement tuner to replace the Fender style F-tuner without drilling any extra holes in the headstock. They come available in multiple finishes in locking and standard non-locking configuration.

The stem is a bit larger than the F-style tuner, but otherwise they maintain that vintage look if that’s a concern. A definite upgrade from the Fender style F-tuner that is smooth (19:1 gear ratio) and holds its tune.