Tuners for Eastman E10SS

[trumpus]

Hey all,

Looking for recommendations for replacement tuners for my Eastman E10SS. I've found that the A and D tuners are not particularly responsive (compared to the others and compared to other guitars), in that it seems I need to turn them quite a few times to affect even a small tuning change.

Any recommendations for upgrades?

[FThomas]

I just did an upgrade to Grover. They literally dropped right in on a Alvarez MDA70CE. I would measure the existing tuners with a caliper and go to StewMac and find the one closest to the size you need. The two biggest modifications on some guitars are opening up the holes in the headstock to fit 10mm and if the screw on the back is not in the same place filling the hole and drilling a new one. I had to do nothing.

[ripdotcom]

grover sta-tite or some open gear martin tuners are a great alternative to Waverly

[DM3MD136]

Originally Posted by ripdotcom

grover sta-tite or some open gear martin tuners are a great alternative to Waverly

OP, PM me if you are interested in either of those options... I have a few spare sets of new open gear Grovers and Martins (and some Larrivee open gears with etched buttons) that I can let go at a good price.

[lowrider]

Something's not right here. The tuner is just a gear. They should all work at the same ratio. Without seeing anything, I'm guessing that your strings are sticking in the nut slots. Try a little pencil lead in those offending slots. Or take it to someone. I really doubt that you need new tuners.

[gr81dorn]

Originally Posted by ripdotcom

grover sta-tite or some open gear martin tuners are a great alternative to Waverly

Pretty sure the Wavery style Sta-Tite Grovers are the stock tuner on the E10SS....

For drop-ins, everything will be a down grade and (in my experience) Waverly's are a direct drop-in, but $150ish for a lateral move.

Lots of other options if you want to have exposed holes and are willing to redrill, expand existing holes, etc.

I'd echo the comment above regarding binding issues or possibly too many winds. Hard to say w/o photos or feeling what you're feeling, but may be something other than the tuner altogether.

[Zissou Intern]

The Eastman E Series guitar I have owned had Ping V93N tuners. They look like Waverly and Grover 18:1, but they are not up to either level of quality. Gotoh also makes a nice open back style tuner, the SE700-06M.

The new Schaller Grand Tunes look really, really nice as well. I have read great things about them, including from someone who installed them on an Eastman E20OM-TC.

I believe the Grovers, Schallers, and Gotohs are all a direct drop in replacement, but it depends on how precisely the holes were initially drilled.