Changing machine heads on a Les Paul - diy?

  • Thread starter Thread starter espskully
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espskully

espskully

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I am going to replace the cheesy green plastic machine heads on my Les Paul Studio with some chrome Grovers. Is this a job for a tech or is it simple enough for me to do it? Any special trick or certain technique that must be employed? If it's a job for a tech I'd rather not take the chance.

Cheers.
 
Make sure the screw pattern and shaft size are the same. Take off the nut with the correct size wrench or socket, unscrew the little screws, assemble in reverse order.

Unless one of the little screws breaks off beneath the surface of the wood, you'll have no trouble.
 
ermghoti said:
Make sure the screw pattern and shaft size are the same. Take off the nut with the correct size wrench or socket, unscrew the little screws, assemble in reverse order.

Unless one of the little screws breaks off beneath the surface of the wood, you'll have no trouble.
Click to expand...

Take off the nut? Are we talking about the actual nut or something else?
 
Have you already bought the tuners? If not, maybe consider what tuners you're buying. There are some drop-in replacements for those horrid Gibson keystone Kluson knock-offs that they make out of recycled gum wrappers...

Grover Keystone knobs

Grover Sta-Tites

Gotoh keystone knobs

The Grover Keystones and Gotoh Keystones should be drop-in replacements for your stock Les Paul tuners. I think the Sta-tites would work too, but I'd ask Stew-Mac about it first. I've personally replaced the stock Gibson junk on my Blueshawk with the Grover keystones. They're better than the Gibsons, but I still wouldn't call them "good". I imagine the Gotohs are better - Gotoh tuners are usually better than Grover, dollar for dollar. I really like the Sta-tites on the various acoustic guitars I've played with them, but they'll change your appearance some.

If you want "modern" sealed tuners, definitely get a shop to do that. It involves re-drilling the headstock.
 
I haven't bought them yet. I don't want any re-drilling done. I'll ask what type of Grovers they have. I definitely want chrome.
 
espskully said:
Take off the nut? Are we talking about the actual nut or something else?
Click to expand...

Nah, I think he's talking about the nut that helps secure the tuner to the headstock, like nuts and bolts, as opposed to the nut that is the 0 fret or whatever you wanna call it.
 
tourettes5139 said:
Nah, I think he's talking about the nut that helps secure the tuner to the headstock, like nuts and bolts, as opposed to the nut that is the 0 fret or whatever you wanna call it.
Click to expand...

Correct, I never even thought of the "other" nut, or I'd have specified.
 
The screws are only there to keep the tuner from spinning around, some just have a peg. Just wind the screw flush.
 
Thanks guys. I did it last night - easy breezy. Looks great! Pics to come.

Cheers
 
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