Glad it found a good home with you Mike. It's really important to keep these guitars in the fold, and I was glad to play a small part in that.
NGD - DV72
- Thread starter HeyMikey
- Start date
It certainly would have. The seller had an avalanche of inquiries about the guitar (some for over asking price he told me), and I was lucky to be first. It was nice of him to sell it to me at that rate, given the circumstances.
HeyMikey
Enlightened Member
These are the Grovers on there now. Does anyone know the gear ratio? The square back Imperils I saw online look like 16:1 so I don’t know if that would be an improvement other than cosmetically.
Mikey, I'll be a little contrarian in that, yes, you could restore the original look with replacement tuners, but I, personally, would take this opportunity to upgrade the tuners and try to find some ebony buttons, or perhaps even some turquoise buttons. But, hey, that's just me. 
Enjoy. Such a beautiful guitar.
Enjoy. Such a beautiful guitar.
SFIV1967
Venerated Member
Just "virtually mark" the tuning post on the front (watch one side of a hole) and turn the button 14 or 15 times and see when the tuning post made one full 360 deg turn. Will take you one minute and you know the exact ratio if it is 14:1 or 15:1.
Ralf
Aristera
Senior Member
These are the Grovers on there now. Does anyone know the gear ratio? The square back Imperils I saw online look like 16:1 so I don’t know if that would be an improvement other than cosmetically.
One thing to make sure of is that the screw holes line up. Grover makes rotomatics in silver with 18:1 ratio. I installed them to match the color of the originals and replaced the buttons with pearloid ones, similar to what Chazmo said about using ebony/turquoise ones. I have some gold Imperial buttons if you want them (free) to just swap out the buttons. Check your "Conversations" for another goody.
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^ I once replace old ('60s, I think) Rotomatics with new ones and it was a piece of cake. The grommets (circular washers) were not the same between old and new. I can't remember which had wider diameter, but it was practically an invisible change.
HeyMikey
Enlightened Member
That might be the way I go. I’m going to wait a bit and do some research. The existing tuners work fine for now, so now immediate need. I still have to get around to replacing the crappy tuners on my F312. I have the Grover minis, just not the motivation with other summer projects in progress.
davismanLV
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My DV72 also came with non-original tuners. It had super nice Waverly tuners on it, but I loved the 18:1 original chrome Grover Super-Rotomatics with the Imperial Knobs. Since Sandy had been instrumental in finding this guitar on Las Vegas craigslist for me and kicking me in the butt to go see it, we stayed in close contact while the deal was going on. Took almost a month for me to get the guitar because the owner was out of town and the guitar was somewhere else and it was complicated. So when I finally got it and mentioned the tuners, we struck a trade deal for the swap. I sent him the Waverlys (once again, super nice tuners, but not original) and he sent me the chrome Rotomatics. I made the swap. So easy to do. So while this may not have been the guitar for Sandy, he has a history as a world-class enabler and seems to specialize in DV72's!!
Aristera
Senior Member
Don't overlook GardMan's posts on bracings used on the DV-XX series.
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Yes, and I found one for @bluesypicky as well! Those Waverlys you sent me are now very happily living on my Gibson WM45, and replaced some gold Grover Rotomatics that were on there, and I was looking to get rid of. I think I still have them if anyone needs a set.
One of these days, I might find a DVxx that I bond with!
Nokomite
Junior Member
Just seeing this now, Mike. What a beauty! I love the idea of using the turquoise buttons on the tuners. Looks like you've got quite the collection! This is another jewel added.
They're not for everyone, ya no, the bling and all.
That true Ralph, but it must be something else with DVxxs. I've now had four DV52s, and a DV72 pass through here, and while they were all nice guitars, they just weren't for me. Might just be bad luck, but it also could be that I'm just looking for something different in a rosewood dread. And that "well loved" '69 D28 that I got from Richard is pretty much it.
Just to be sure, I just bought a '96 Gibson J60 "Bonecrusher" from him, because it's a model that I've always been curious about.
West R Lee
Venerated Member
Just got through playing my DV72. I'll be 100% honest.........my Collings guitars are absolutely incredible. Having said that, the DV72 holds it's own with them. Just a joy to play..........not better or worse, just different. Tone is one aspect, and it's hard to beat a Collings sonically, but the DV is just so darned playable, and sounds so nice in it's own right. The DV72 is truly a great guitar.
West
West
wileypickett
Enlightened Member
I have a Collings OM, and of course it's great.
But I like my favorite Guilds more -- they have more distinctive personalities than the Collings IMO, or at least that particular Collings.
But I like my favorite Guilds more -- they have more distinctive personalities than the Collings IMO, or at least that particular Collings.
West R Lee
Venerated Member
I wouldn't say I love my Guilds more, but I love them all. The Collings D2HA I'd put up against any guitar. All subjective of course.
West
West