Martin 00015SM Machine Head Replacement

[goufousdoufous]

I recently purchased a used Martin 000-15SM. Everything about the guitar is good except for the tuning machines. After having the guitar for couple of months the 4th string tuner stripped out. Supposedly The guitar came with Golden Age 3 on a plate machine heads made by Stewmac. These tuners are crap! I’m not in a position to pay $180 for set of Waverly. I would appreciate recommendations for replacement tuners.

Goufous

[zoopeda]

Originally Posted by goufousdoufous

I recently purchased a used Martin 000-15SM. Everything about the guitar is good except for the tuning machines. After having the guitar for couple of months the 4th string tuner stripped out. Supposedly The guitar came with Golden Age 3 on a plate machine heads made by Stewmac. These tuners are crap! I’m not in a position to pay $180 for set of Waverly. I would appreciate recommendations for replacement tuners.

Goufous

I’d call stew Mac and see what they say. And if you’re the original Martin owner with warranty, I’d call Martin and see what they say too. Martin uses stew Mac golden age tuners on all their slot head Authentics. I have a 000-15sm as well with zero tuner issues. Sounds like you got a bad tuner.

[Wade Hampton]

Nah, he bought it used, so the warranty won’t apply.

Goufous, you might look into getting some Grover Sta-Tite tuners intended for slotted headstocks. They won’t cost you as much as Waverlys.

It’s also worth looking into communicating with Stewart-MacDonald about the failure of that tuner. Believe it or not, those are actually a pretty good brand of tuners, but you obviously got a defective one.

StewMac might be willing to give you a replacement for the three on a plate tuners that failed.

It’s worth checking with them, if nothing else. They have an 800 number you can call during regular Eastern Standard Time business hours.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[DesertTwang]

Ugh, I'm so sorry this happened! I have no idea why the previous owner messed with the original tuners. I've had my 000-15sm for years, and the stock tuners are perfectly adequate. I hope Stew Mac fixes the issue for you. If not, my recommendation would be to take them off and try to get the original tuners installed.

[Wade Hampton]

Goufous, StewMac’s 800 number is 1-800-848-2273. I’m pretty sure they’ll be open on Saturday, and if not then definitely on Monday. Give them a holler and see what they say.

Seriously, you owe it to yourself to give talking to them a try. You got a defective unit, but I have put those Golden Era tuners on guitars and been fairly impressed with them. And as anyone who’s familiar with my (many) posts about tuning gears knows, I’m a genuine perfectionist where tuners are involved. I’m not trying to placate you with polite murmurations here - I’m quite sincere. Those tuners are of much better quality than your unhappy experience with a defective example stripping out would lead you to believe.


Wade Hampton Miller

[raysachs]

I have that guitar and also find the tuners to be about it’s weakest point. Not awful, mine work adequately, but of the various guitars I have and have had, they’re about the least good tuners I’ve had on an otherwise incredible guitar.

Looking at the various possible replacements, none of them look like they’ll drop in without some modification to the headstock, including boring out the holes where the shaft goes through. I’d be OK drilling the little holes needed to replace the three on a plate tuners with six individual ones (like the Grovers), but don’t want to get into more major surgery than that. The Waverlys are insanely expensive and even those look like they require some boring to make them fit. So I’m just gonna live with them and hope they get a little smoother with use. I mean, they hold the guitar in tune just fine, but they’re not very smooth or precise getting it there. When I compare them to the Gotohs on my Emerald, it’s a night and day difference. Even the vintage type Fender tuners (with the hole down the shaft) on my strat and tele are a lot better in use and those are pretty cheap tuners...

Assuming the OP is screwed on any sort of warranty coverage, Stew Mac does sell those identical Golden Age three on a plate tuners for not very much. You can even get them with a funky antique finish that would probably look nice on that guitar. And I think with various different buttons. So you could get it back to functional quite easily. But I wouldn’t expect them to be any better in performance than the ones it comes with. But they’d work fine to replace one that’s stripped out...

-Ray

[Arthur Slowhand]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Goufous, you might look into getting some Grover Sta-Tite tuners intended for slotted headstocks. They won’t cost you as much as Waverlys.

+1 to that and the ones for the slotted headstock are even less expensive than the peghead versions.

[goufousdoufous]

Thank you all. I ordered set of gulden age vintage tuners from Stewmac. They should fit. Due Wednesday or Thursday next week.

[DukeX]

These are fairly cheap tuners. Not the same ones they use on the higher end Martins. I've read a lot of complaints. Some folks like them. Mine are ok but not great. AFAIK there are no direct 3-1 drop ins. You could order another set from SM and return them if not satisfactory.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by DukeX

These are fairly cheap tuners. Not the same ones they use on the higher end Martins. I've read a lot of complaints. Some folks like them. Mine are ok but not great. AFAIK there are no direct 3-1 drop ins. You could order another set from SM and return them if not satisfactory.

It looks like they’re the same ones they use on the 00-17 and 00-18 Authentic slothead models, which are pretty high end. Unless Golden Age makes different functional levels of more of less the same tuners. But they all seem to have the same ratio and they all cost about the same at Stew Mac. I’m mildly bummed at the quality of these tuners on a $1275 guitar like the 000-15SM - I’d be REALLY bummed to settle for them on a $5000 - $6000 guitar...

-Ray

[DukeX]

Originally Posted by raysachs

It looks like they’re the same ones they use on the 00-17 and 00-18 Authentic slothead models, which are pretty high end. Unless Golden Age makes different functional levels of more of less the same tuners. But they all seem to have the same ratio and they all cost about the same at Stew Mac. I’m mildly bummed at the quality of these tuners on a $1275 guitar like the 000-15SM - I’d be REALLY bummed to settle for them on a $5000 - $6000 guitar...

-Ray

I think you are right. I don't know about the overall quality, but even though they use different tuners for the Authentics, the the pricing is about the same.

[goufousdoufous]

Thanks everyone for your input. Ordered set of Golden Age tuning macHines from StewMac. O problem to install them, perfect fit. They seem to work really well. I bought the guitar used. It is a 2013 model so it’s nearing 7 years old. Great Guitar! So much fun to play

[Wade Hampton]

All's well that ends well.


whm