Replacement tuners for F412?

[F412]

What tuners did Guild use on a 1980 F412? They're heavy brass with the Guild name marked on them, flat tapered buttons. I'm looking to replace them with a lighter set, any suggestions? I'm hoping something that would drop into the existing screw holes. The originals are good, but make the neck top heavy on an already monster guitar. I just had a neck reset, bone nut and saddle, and installed K&K pu's. This was my goto before the work, now I can't put it down. Thanks
Jim

F412 1980
D40 1984
D28 1974

 

[F412]

Thanks for the reply.
I'm considering open back tuners for weight reduction. Waverly's would cost close to $300. I'm not sure if I want to go that route yet. I believe the tuners on there now are Schaller Mini's. If anyone can confirm that Mini's are on a F412, it would be helpful. I'm on a search for mini open backs that will fit.
Jim

 

[Victor Denance]

It's gonna be a tough one to find the right open back tuners.
Maybe it might be cost effective to change just the buttons (for ebony or pearloid ones). As there is 12 of them it might be a very significant change in weight.

 

[Mikeoso]

My '72 F212XL has open-back 6-on-a-plate in chrome or nickel or whatever it was. Small oval buttons. Probably about as lightweight as you'll find. If you could find a set of those in decent shape they might be your answer.

 

[hansmoust]

What tuners did Guild use on a 1980 F412? They're heavy brass with the Guild name marked on them, flat tapered buttons. I'm looking to replace them with a lighter set, any suggestions? I'm hoping something that would drop into the existing screw holes. The originals are good, but make the neck top heavy on an already monster guitar.

I'm considering open back tuners for weight reduction. Waverly's would cost close to $300. I'm not sure if I want to go that route yet. I believe the tuners on there now are Schaller Mini's. If anyone can confirm that Mini's are on a F412, it would be helpful. I'm on a search for mini open backs that will fit.
Jim

Hello Jim,

Yes, on your F-412 should be Schaller Mini tuners. However Guild was never very strict in the use of it's hardware, so every once in a while you will come across an F-412 that has Japanese copies of the Schaller machineheads.
Since you think they are Schaller Mini tuners, let's assume they are.

Just so you could make the right decision I took a couple of machineheads ( see photo) and weighed them.

[img:850:500]http://www.guitarchives.nl/fotos/F412tuners.jpg[/img]

The one on the right is the original one and it weighs 32 grams.
The one in the middle is the same one but I changed the original button with a pearloid one. The weight came down to 24 grams.
The one on the left is a modern Waverly open-back tuner. Now this tuner is not a flimsy one and it weighs (complete with bushing) 29 grams, so it is already heavier than the Schaller Mini with the pearloid button.






If we look at the total weight of 12 tuners, we would get:

384 grams for the original machineheads
288 grams when you replace the original button with a pearloid one
348 grams for a set of open-back Waverly tuners

So, when you replace the buttons on your original machineheads you will have almost 100 grams less weight on your headstock
If you put on open-back Waverly tuners you will have 36 grams less.

If you take into account that for those 36 grams less, you will have to spend a couple of hundred dollars and you will end up with a non-original guitar, I don't think that the choice is all that difficult.

Hope this is of some help!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[F412]

Hans
Thanks for taking the time to make the weight comparisons. The choice obviously is to replace the buttons. No drilling, original equipment still in
place. Did you use a Schaller replacement button? Looking at the StewMac catalog there are Schaller replacements for the mini's in pearloid and ebony. Thanks to all the contibuted to the thread. Jim

 

[hansmoust]

Did you use a Schaller replacement button? Jim

Yes, I used the mini replacement button from Schaller in pearloid.

Good luck!

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl