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Old 04-28-2017, 10:33 AM
Mark Hatcher's Avatar
Mark Hatcher Mark Hatcher is online now
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Green Mountains
Posts: 4,859
Default Tuner Buttons

I make a large number of custom tuner buttons. I include them in my base price when using Gotoh minis. My favorite ones are the round ones I use for my sculpted pillow topped headstock. They remind me of those worry stones that were so popular back in the seventies, well actually they have been popular throughout history and have shown up independently in many cultures around the world. I often get comments from customers appreciating the "feel" of these "worry stone tuner buttons". I guess I'm a bit OCD investigating every touch point between the guitar and player. It's just that there are so many which I'm certain contributes greatly to the popularity and icon status of guitars.

One on the problems I've had making custom wood buttons is there are woods I can't use because the countersunk screw head that holds the button on can act like a wedge and split the wood when it's tightened. The proper way to fix this is to use a brass flat bottomed counter sunk washer which eliminates that wedge effect. Using brass also make turning that set screw smoother. I think most players know that in addition to holding the tuner button on the tension on that screw eliminates slop and play in the tuner gears and also sets the turning resistance. A brass washer there makes it easy to finely adjust the tuner to just they way you like it.

I've been looking for these little washers for years while having to avoid softer woods like Koa or brittle woods like Bloodwood. So I guess this is the long way of saying, sometimes if you want something done right you just have to do it yourself. So after some trial and error I can make them and I now provide an improved custom tuner button and more woods to choose from;



And I can get back to finishing up Roland's guitar! It has Macassar Ebony tuner buttons made from the same board the bridge and fret board came from;





Thanks for viewing and reading all that!
Mark
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Mark Hatcher
www.hatcherguitars.com


“Let me make the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws.”. Andrew Fletcher

Last edited by Mark Hatcher; 04-28-2017 at 11:36 AM.