Guitar Machine Heads and Tuning Pegs

You can’t tune a guitar without them so a stable set of well-made machine heads is an upgrade well worth considering. Before you do it is well worth thinking about whether it really is the tuners we need to change, or whether the tuning issues you’re having are being caused elsewhere. For further reading see our FAQ section.

Once you’ve decided you want or need to replace the tuners on your guitar there are a number of questions to look at. These include:

How simple a swap are the replacement set likely to be? Would you need to drill additional mounting holes, or change the style of bushings?

What ratio of adjustment and subsequent movement of the gearing do you prefer? Do you prefer a more or less sudden adjustment? Most tuners fall within the regions of 14:1 – 20:1, with the higher ratios giving increasingly finer adjustment of tuning.

Is the weight of the tuners a factor for you? Thr weight of a set of tuners can affect the balance of the instrument as it sits on you. The weight or lack of it can also play a part in changing the response of the instrument.

And finally, what budget should you set aside for the tuners and where applicable any fitting costs? The costs of replacement tuners can vary wildly and you could pay anywhere from £15.00 to £300.00 for the tuners alone. Whatever price range your budget dictates, there is usually a range of good quality options available.