Tuners for a Fender Strat?

Rex Rocker

Rex Rocker

Well-known member
I got a Frankenstrat (sorta) I put together. It's an old Road Worn Strat with a baked Maple neck. I used the stock tuners which are the Ping-made Fender-branded square ones. They're not all that great. The tuning stability is not all that great. The trem is blocked, the nut is professionally cut, and I use Nut Sauce on it, so it's definitely the tuners.

So which are the best replacements? I don't want to have to drill new holes. I'd prefer to just drop something in.

What are even my options? I know both Schaller and Hipshot make drop-in replacments, but I'd prefer the tuners to be lightweight, so probably not locking.

Help!
 
I have had great luck with Hipshot locking tuners - they come with a mounting plate with tabs that prevent the tuners from rotating without drilling additional mounting holes in the headstock. They come staggered or all one height for use with or without additional string trees. Really nice tuners.
 
I visually like the Hipshots that look like they're made for Fenders, but I'd prefer non-locking. I don't really like the plates and I'm dubious about the open gears, but that's just me. :/
 
Hipshot or Gotoh are my preferences, though unless you're wrapping the strings in an odd way, it's hard for me to see how tuners are causing the problem.

Is the tuning problem from tremolo use? Then yeah I guess locking tuners can help by eliminating any wrapping, but often the problem is from the strings re-settling in a different spot on the saddles.
 
cardinal said:
Hipshot or Gotoh are my preferences, though unless you're wrapping the strings in an odd way, it's hard for me to see how tuners are causing the problem.

Is the tuning problem from tremolo use? Then yeah I guess locking tuners can help by eliminating any wrapping, but often the problem is from the strings re-settling in a different spot on the saddles.
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No, the trem is blocked. The nut is well cut too (I had it professionally set up for my 11-54 gauge of strings when the new neck came in), and I use Nut Sauce. That makes me think it's the tuners. The tuning on my Gibson is more stable, honestly.

Honestly, the problem is not bad, it's just that low C that keeps giving me trouble the most. Sometimes the other strings as well. But I tend to pick hard, and that bottom string in particular keeps going flat.
 
I always liked the 70's Schaller F tuners the best followed closely by Kluson 50's style when I had strats. I never tried tuning down to C though, that's pretty loose.
 
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