Taylor tuners...damaged?

[Fichtezc]

Hey guys, I have a Taylor 712 (as you can see in my Sig) and I've had issues with it over the 2 years that I've had it but the worst by far has been the tuners. It's a 99, so Taylor was still using Grover instead of their own branded tuners. They all have ridiculously different ratios for turn to pitch adjustment (not sure if this is unnormal or not, but all of my electrics are perfectly even) and when I try to tune them anywhere past standard they lock up terribly.

I finally took it to a tech and asked him to look at them and he said the gear screws had been screwed in too tight for too long and that the gears were pretty shot. I play with an open G# a lot on the 3rd string and I really have to torque the peg to get that extra half step even though tuning up to about F is relatively easy. I've played newer Taylors in shops and the tuners are so deliciously smooth compared to mine, it's effortless to go to a G# on the 3rd and an E on the 4th like I do almost daily.

I've been looking into Taylor's brand tuners but also the Gotoh 510s that everyone seems to rave about. Regardless, I believe these Grovers need to go unless any of you have any word of wisdom.

tl;dr, I have two questions:
Are my tuners actually shot, or is he just trying to get me to buy new (expensive) ones?
Would I be okay with the Taylor standard which I've found that I already like or should I spend the extra to go Gotoh?

[Dwight]

I would go with a new set of Grovers. They are an inexpensive and direct replacement and will be as smooth as Taylor's branded Ping tuners. Gotohs will cost a lot more and I'm not sure if they can be ordered with the screw in the exact same spot.

[Fichtezc]

Originally Posted by Schoolside

I would go with a new set of Grovers. They are an inexpensive and direct replacement and will be as smooth as Taylor's branded Ping tuners. Gotohs will cost a lot more and I'm not sure if they can be ordered with the screw in the exact same spot.

As far as I can tell the Grovers are only 10 dollars cheaper than the Gotoh. I also have a full wood shop at my parents house and can easily install tuners if they don't match. The grovers worry me since I haven't had a good experience with them yet but if other people agree I could look into that.

[badbazil]

Spend the ten extra dollars, it's money we'll spent. The 510's look better.

[tadol]

Go with the Gotohs - you'll never look back -

[Dwight]

I have and really like Gotoh 510's, the problem is finding them with a hole that lines up with the Grover screw hole on the back of your head stock.

It's not a problem replacing Taylor tuners because they use a hidden pin rather than a visible screw. If you don't mind having 6 open screw holes in your guitar, than absolutely go with Gotohs!

[the.ronin]

You can patch up those screw holes surprisingly well using any sort of wood filler you can get from even the supermarket … although I recommend something more effective from Home Depot. I ordered a variety of Minwax filler (they come in different colors to match the wood).

I put Grovers on my Big Baby and swapped out the heavy knobs with ebony ones and I’m really digging the tuners, the balance and the look.

[tadol]

Not familiar with replacing Taylor tuners, but I know that Gotoh makes them with the screw hole in a few different locations - but you may need to order the right ones. Check the Gotoh catalog, and you will probably find something that is mighty darn close to a drop-in replacement -