F-212 Tuners

[sidebernie]

I love my Guild F-212 but I have never been satisfied with the tuners. I have been thinking of getting some grovers or schallers but wondered if anyone has changed there's and if there is a brand you're aware of that would fitproperly and not leave a bunch of holes showing in the back.
Thanks

 

[capnjuan]

Hi sidebernie and welcome: you might look around Stew-Mac. Several years ago, I changed out the 6-on-a-plate tuners on my F-212 for chrome Gotoh minis which were knockoffs of Grovers but it looks like Stew-mac no longer carries that particular model. I don't believe there is any make/model that will cover the original holes hole-for-hole especially the holes left at the extreme ends of the old plates. Good luck and, again welcome to LTG! CJ

 

[taabru45]

Hi, I changed the tuners on my F112 to Ping......they are on a plate and fit exactly, but the new screws were a little narrower, so I used the original screws. They lined up perfectly, and the screws went back into the same holes......and I am very satisfied with the tuners. Cost around 30 bucks, and they don't add the weight of closed tuners....good luck. Steffan

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

I love my Guild F-212 but I have never been satisfied with the tuners. I have been thinking of getting some grovers or schallers but wondered if anyone has changed there's and if there is a brand you're aware of that would fitproperly and not leave a bunch of holes showing in the back.
Thanks

On my two F-212XLs, I used chrome mini-Grovers...can't go wrong w/ those! 8)

As for the old screw-holes, I filled 'em w/ toothpick tips and touched 'em up so that you have to look really hard to tell what I did.

 

[wileypickett]

The pair of six-on-a-planks that Guild installed on the lower end 12s were miserable tuners, especially for a 12-string, where tuning is hard enough as it is.

I second Terry -- Grover minis are my favorites, as well.

You also may want to consider how often you change strings on your 12-string. I play mine every day, and change strings every three-to-four weeks. So (for me anyway) it was worth the extra bucks for the the Roto-grip locking tuners, which are also 18:1 ratio, a little easier to fine tune.

They make string changes that much quicker and easier.

Good luck!

Glenn Jones
Cambridge, MA

 

[sidebernie]

Thanks Guys,
It's nice to have so many helpful people in these forums. Looks like mini grovers sound like the best alternative. Its a shame that scrimp on the tuners with such a nice sounding guitar. Mine is a 72 and sounds unreal. Better than any Martin or Taylor.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Thanks Guys,
It's nice to have so many helpful people in these forums. Looks like mini grovers sound like the best alternative. Its a shame that scrimp on the tuners with such a nice sounding guitar. Mine is a 72 and sounds unreal. Better than any Martin or Taylor.

Yeah, I never understood why Guild put such cheesy tuners on the F-112/212/212XL 12-strings and related 6-strings (D-25, D-35, etc.)...did that really save Guild that much $$$?

 

[cuthbert]

Thanks Guys,
It's nice to have so many helpful people in these forums. Looks like mini grovers sound like the best alternative. Its a shame that scrimp on the tuners with such a nice sounding guitar. Mine is a 72 and sounds unreal. Better than any Martin or Taylor.

Yeah, I never understood why Guild put such cheesy tuners on the F-112/212/212XL 12-strings and related 6-strings (D-25, D-35, etc.)...did that really save Guild that much $$$?

Yes, they saved a lot of money, much more than on the 6 string because they had 12 tuners. At that time, Grovers were still produced in America and they were very expensive, so much that even the Les Pauls didn't have these (it was a common practice to replace the Klusons, that are much better than the open tuners Guild used for its 12 string, with Rotos, just ask Jimmy Page).

Another good alternative are the Schaller mini, good quality, different shape, I think that they should fit the lower screw of the original tuners, so you don't have to redrill.

 

[Brad Little]

About 10 years ago I replaced the original tuners on my F-212 with mini-Schallers. The original tuners on all 12s were Kluson six in line, changed to Japanese tuners around 1966. The original mounting holes had to be filled in for the Schallers to fit, and there still are the two holes where the top end was fastened. There was nothing wrong with the original set that some lubrication wouldn't have fixed, but I opted for the change. Because of the weight, however, I'd probably go with open-back Waverlys if I did it now. They would require some alteration however, as the body is too long to fit without trimming one end.

BTW, I still have the original tuners, and in the unlikely event I ever sell the F-212 (I've had it 45 years), I'd probably put them back on.

Brad

 

[taabru45]

in the unlikely event I ever sell the F-212 (I've had it 45 years), I'd probably put them back on.

You got that guitar when you were 4 :?: :shock:
The Ping tuners on a strip function really well, and I like that they added no more weight to the guitar. Steffan

 

[JerryR]

in the unlikely event I ever sell the F-212 (I've had it 45 years), I'd probably put them back on.

You got that guitar when you were 4 :?: :shock:

Steffan - Brad has his age on his profile :mrgreen:

Age: 61
Occupation: Teacher

 

[taabru45]

Jerry, that would make him fifty-eleven, an old girlfriend told me she was forty something....turns out she was forty-sixteen.. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Steffan

 

[Brad Little]

Jerry, that would make him fifty-eleven

I actually prefer forty-21, or maybe even twenty-41, can't decide. 61 just sounds older than I feel, oh well, blame it on the music.

Brad

 

[taabru45]

Hi Brad, you can be forty-twenty one, if I can be forty-twenty four........."You can be in my dream, if I can be in yours" Bob Dylan
"If you're not busy bein' born, you're busy dying" Bob Dylan
Age is only a measure of how long you've been around, not how long you're goin' to be around....... 8) Purpose has a lot to do with the quality and longevity of life....Take Tony T. If he can take the next 40 years to master that dang F chord, well.......he might outlive Mr. L. Paul :roll: :lol: Steffan

 

[JerryR]

....Take Tony T. If he can take the next 40 years to master that dang F chord, well.......he might outlive Mr. L. Paul :roll: :lol: Steffan

F, Bm and all the barre chords are not my friends :!: I keep trying - in Acoustic guitar this month they have 'When you go, to San Fransisco/Flowers in your hair' tabs - and I'm forcing myself to try and learn it just to get used to doing Bm and several far more obscure chords - that even if I slowly put my fingers on the strings one by one still don't sound right

 

[taabru45]

Jerry, you're on track to outlive us all Who says a 150 year old can't play, 'If you go.......S.F...." :wink: Steffan