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A R T I C L E S
Adjusting Your Guitar's Tuning Machines
by Bruce Morrison
We all struggle with getting and staying in tune. Toward that end well-lubricated, properly adjusted tuners are a powerful ally. When an instrument's tuners are correctly adjusted, they turn with as little resistance as possible. When the tuning machines are out of adjustment, the player's focus and energy is diverted to turning the tuner, instead of bringing the string to pitch.
Many guitar tuning machines are readily adjustable. On the Gotoh, Grover and Schaller tuners, there's a small set screw that does more than hold the tuner button to the shaft. Between the button and the tuner casing there's a nylon spacer and a metal lock washer. The set screw is used to adjust the tension of that lock washer. This adjustment controls only how easily the tuner turns, not its ability to hold a string to pitch. If the set screws are too tight, the gearing will eventually wear, causing further problems. There is the danger of loosening them when the set screws are too loose. Tuners should be adjusted so that next to no effort is required to turn them.
The set screw adjustment should be checked every third string change. Every sixth string change check to see that the small screws that mount the tuners to the back of the headstock, and the bushing which hold the tuners to the front of the headstock, are snug, as rattles and buzzes on instruments are often caused by loose tuner parts. Over tightening the bushings will crack the finish.
Coating all contact points of your tuners with a thin film of grease helps minimize their wear and resistance to turning. Green lithium distributor cam grease is just right for the job. Sometimes the so-called "permanently lubricated" tuners need to be greased. Open geared side mounted tuners used on slotted headstock guitars are adjusted by turning the screw which holds the gear to the post. While these tuners are not as adjustable as the other kind, greasing them does wonders.
The planetary geared tuners found on most banjos operate on a different principle. They must be set more tightly as their set screws control how easily the tuner turns and how well a string is held to pitch. As banjos and guitars far outnumber mandolins, the development of better mandolin tuners seems to still be on the back burner.
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