Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuning Machines/3 Per Side 

Comments about Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuning Machines/3 Per Side:

The Planet Waves' knocked This One Out Of The Ball Park. Great Tuners!!

Comments about Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuning Machines/3 Per Side:

These tuners were a drop in replacement on my Yamaha FG730s. I installed these and had new strings on in the time it used to take just to change the strings. I then went the same night and played for about 6 hours at our weekly jam and they performed very well with no slippage or tuning problems.

The locking mechanism worked great as did the string trimmer. (follow the directions if you don't want to cut your string off!)

As for durability, I have no idea but they feel well made if a little tight at first. I use alternate tunings and bends...a lot. These seem to get me right back to standard in no time and hold tuning well on bends.

All in all I am quite pleased with these tuning machines and would buy again to replace sloppy or broken tuners.

Comments about Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuning Machines/3 Per Side:

I bought these as part of my custom guitar build; a Les Paul clone. The purpose of my project was to create a custom guitar with all the trimmings while expanding my understanding of the instrument. My guitar's head was pre drilled with 10mm holes. With the exception of filling the holes on the back of the head to relocate the locking screws (the ones that keep the tuning head from spinning and counter the tension of the strings), this was a 'drop in' upgrade that was well worth the investment.

I did have a little trouble with strings. I followed the instructions, but my "A" string snapped at the tuner head after very short use during my setup. I restrung but allowed for a full turn of extra string onto the tuner head. I have not had the same problem through the rest of my setup and on to enjoying my finished guitar. I did not remove a star as this could be attributed to a bad (old) string.

The auto-trim and locking features eliminated the need for a speed winder (even with an extra turn of excess string) and turned a regular maintenance chore into a quick and easy process that will get me back to playing and practicing (boy, do I need it).

The 18:1 gear ratio really makes fine tuning easy and precise, and the look of the gold tuners on my dark blue guitar really stand out.

Overall, I could not be happier with this investment. I can easily see adding a set of these to my Ibanez acoustic or any other guitar I own in the future.

Comments about Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuning Machines/3 Per Side:

Bought these to replace damaged OEM tuners on a used Epiphone SG that would not stay in tune.
These are a great product but you will need to be ready to drill out your existing peg holes to the 10mm (25/64) diameter required by these tuners. If your current tuners use a 10mm hole then you are good to go.
I however had to drill out my headstock. I initially tried using a variable speed hand-held drill but that was a near tragedy. Regardless of how slowly I tried to go the drill bit would dig into the existing hole and pull out some splinters. Fortunately the splintered hole is hidden by the tuner itself. I ended up using a drill press and taking it very slowly and the last five holes ended up being fine. I believe that I will purchase a good reamer before I attempt something like this again.
With the holes drilled out, installation went fine and everything is pretty straight-forward.
I put on a set of D'Addario 110s (.009 high-e) and I had no problems with the locking mechanism holding the string. Same for the remainder of the strings.
For the record, I initially installed the B and E strings with 1 1/2 wrap around the post but found that I was losing tune after semi-tone bends. I re-strung them following the included instructions (it takes faith to do that at first) and I am pleased to report that the guitar stays in tune almost regardless of how much I bend.
Also definite improvement in ease of tuning. Very pleased overall.

Comments about Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuning Machines/3 Per Side:

These are great pegs- easy to install, and easy to use. I just ordered 4 more sets, to install on several no name as well as high quality acoustics and electrics I own. I also have a few guitars with locking Sperzels, and I like them alot, too. The quality of both brands is excellent. The Sperzels have a slightly more comfortable finger locking nut, but I find the knobs to be a little small,(especially for a Les Paul), and I have only seen them in a satin finish. The PW tuners are gloss finish, but they have black shafts, and this might be a turn off for some. While both brands work smoothly, I find the PW's to be a little more comfortably shaped and sized, and the cut-off feature works very nicely. I used the Sperzels on two no name Pauls, mostly because they had the correct shape. But, as I said, the knobs are smaller, and both the gold and chrome finish only come in satin, as far as I know. I have not had to redrill anything so far, and both brands appear to have the same diameter shaft. Also, in spite of the finishes and shaft colors. both brands look very nice on every guitar I have used them on. The price of the PW tuners, plus the comfy feel, and cut off feature make me lean towards them as my first choice, but neither brand will dissapoint.

Comments about Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuning Machines/3 Per Side:

These are absolutely brilliant in my opinion. I put a set on my Les Paul Studio, because the original tuning machines on my LP would often cause me to go flat on a certain 2 strings. Installing these was simple since the screws lined up perfectly with the holes from the old tuners, so they just popped right in. Since installing them my string change time has dropped significantly, my strings stay in tune, and the excess string is trimmed perfectly.

Comments about Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuning Machines/3 Per Side:

I have over 23 guitar's and all of them have Auto-Trim's,Best tuning pegs ever !

Comments about Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuning Machines/3 Per Side:

I can't think of any reason why anyone would want anything less on their beloved instrument. The string clamps make re-stringing easy and swift, the built-in trimmer works flawlessly, and the 18:1 gear ratios make tuning effortless and accurate. What else could you possibly ask forr? Especially for the price, there's no reason not to switch these in for the stock tuners. You will not be disappointed.
Well-designed and functional, delivers on all of its claims, accurate tuning is a snap.
Installation is easy, but I've seen reviews where the original holes in the headstock were too small and had to be expanded. I would recommend a round file to expand the holes if necessary, don't drill them out. Work from both sides of the hole inwards to avoid chipping the wood or the finish on the headstock.

The good news is that if you are replacing Grovers, the holes should be large enough to do a somple swap. You will need the small screws from your old tuners to use with the new ones, and BE CAREFUL when tightening them as the heads may come off quite easily. I had no problem with this, but I've been doing this sort of thing for a long time. If you run into problems, don't be shy about taking it to an experienced tech.

Overall, the quality is excellent, and I expect years of flawless function. So far there is no issue with the finish (I got the gold ones), and as long as you avoid using pliers, there should be no future issues.
I have come to expect great things from Ned Steinberger, and I have never been disappointed. For less than the cost of other tuners, you can have something that is truly extraordinary in function. The tuners trim the ends of the string effortlessly, and accurate tuning is very easy due to 18:1 gear ratios. I replaced gold Grovers, and haven't looked back. Anyone want the Grovers?

Comments about Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuning Machines/3 Per Side:

Only an 8 just because I haven't really used them yet,but they definitely seem like an upgrade from many stock tuners that are on many axes now
Only a fivr because I haven't installed them yet
Overall these appear to be very sturdy in construction,very smooth key operation,the cutter works well (tried it with an old string or two),the finish is absolutely superb. At 18:1 tuning ratio they ought to hold tuning well.
At this price I'm thinking of six more sets for the other familu members!!

Comments about Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuning Machines/3 Per Side:

The problems I had with these were due to my own ignorance. If you read my review you will know why. Just to summerize breifly; After a period of trial and error and evetual great success, These are the ones you want. Qulity craftmanship at its finest, good solid product, well thought out.
I read a few bad reviews on these but decided to go for it anyway, and bought the "New Gold" ones. I was prompted to buy them in spite of the reviews because of the 18 to 1 gear ratio and the price. I have been playing for 40 years and have never had a good set of tuners on a guitar yet except for my Les Paul Custom. So the promise of an easier re-stringing and a quality tuner, seemed worth it to me at this price, to, "take a chance and buy them".

The day they arrived I was really surprised by the weight of them. The box they came in was heavy. The box was even engineered to hold everything in its proper place and not rattle around and cause damage. The tuners themselves are very sturdy feeling, solid. You can tell at a glance that these are a well thought out and engineered product. That engineering is not a put off, but, it caused me to be a little skeptical. Judging by my experiences with such things, a product can be ruined sometimes by OVER engineering and that can be a bad thing. So I was slightly effected by the first glance, and harbored a little anxiety in aticipation of the first re-string, and also by doing the guitar tech install myself.

I had previously bought the Takamine Jasmine S34C on sale. Because of the good reviews of it being a project guitar with a good sound. It was a cost effective way of owning a good sounding acoustic for a change. The tuners on the Jasmine were not of good quality though and the G tuner completely stripped its gears within a month of owning the guitar so this project quickly became necessary, and happened a little sooner than I anticipated.

I had to drill out the head stock to fit the tuner posts in. I had hoped to just pop them in and screwed them down but that was not the case. I found the advice about putting a 2x4 under the headstock while drilling it out to prevent damage to the guitar, VERY HELPFUL. Thank You, whoever you are, That was great advice! I only had 1 small splinter on the back of the headstock which was eventually covered by the body of the tuner and. I can imagine much more damage would have occured had I not followed this advice. So, I clamped the 2x4 onto the back of the head stock and I used a 12 volt black and decker drill gun to do the drilling starting from the top. I don't reacall what size bit I used but, I was VERY careful not to go to big, and eventuall did have to go up one size. This is NOT a hard project to do, and is well worth the effort.

The only confusing thing I found was to decide which side of the headstock does the washer go on, the top or on the back? I put mine on top and that is where they will stay. I did not like the look at first but, it has grown on me and after checking out other guitars with after market tuners installed, I discovered that is where they belong. So I guessed right, but guidance in advance on that matter would have been helpful. It brought the project to a abrupt halt until I got pissed, copped an attitude, and before taking time to check it out, I said, "screw it, this is what I am going to do". Luckily I guessed right. Looking back now that only makes sense. Because the nut has to tighten down onto something, preferably it should be the washer and not the wood of the headstock, and if you put them on the back the tuner body would potentially rock on the washer and cause problems, SOoo, just make note it, if you buy these and install them yourself, "washer on top". (I don't know why I let these things bother me, it was really stupid).

After these tuners were installed, it was time to re-string. Being short on money due to buying these tuners, I had bought a cheap new set of strings from Target a few days earlier anticipating the easy string install. Finally, after 40 years of re-stringing guitars the old way, I was getting excited about an easy string install. I did not realize the hole through the post is at an angle to facilitate the trimming of the strings when you start turning the tuner. One end of the hole going through the post is actually lower than the other and it pushes the string up against the cutter wall at the base of the post. I quickly discovered this when the low E string would, just not go through the hole. Because the hole is at an angle the lower end slips behind the cutter wall, you have to line up the lower end of the hole so it is not butted up against the trimming cutter. That whole discovery took two seconds but, it was kind of a heart stopping moment for me, because this was obviously an engineed product which I typically don't like and I envisioned the bad reviews and cursed my lack of paying attention to them, until I found out my mistake.

Back to the task at hand, After insuring a clear path for the string to go through, I put all the new strings straight into the holes of the tuners, all the way across, and tightend the tuner thumb screw down onto the strings. It was time to tune this baby up! So I set to task, I started gingerly coaxing each string in sucsession starting at the low E. Although intimidating at first, The trimmer really works well! It went very smoothly it just feels a little "tight" I was really liking the 18 to 1 gear ratio.
The A string, same story.
The D string, same story.
The G string? SNAP!
My new set of strings was ruined and there was not enough left to try again, Just like the reviewer talked about! Why did I not listen! Why is it always the the dam G string?!?!?
I had the old set of strings I had just taken off, and because I always used a twice wrapped method of one loop over and one loop under, pinching the string as goes towards the nut, to lock the string in place as you tune it up, again because of that method, my old G string had enough length to allow me to put the old one in place. I put it straight through, tightened the thumb screw much tighter this time and, held my breath, and,...SNAP!!
I am an unhappy camper at this point.
Having spent all my money on this project and buying new strings previously, this left me with very little money to buy another set of strings. BUT, that is what I did. I scrounged up a five bucks in change and bought a very cheap set from Target for less than four bucks. I replaced the G string and continued on.
This time the G string held up.
B string, no problem.
Top E string No problem.
I am feeling a little disappointed at this particular time. Having to run out an buy a new set of strings in the middle of a re-string, kind of bursts your bubble.

I played the guitar like this, with mismatched, cheap, strings, for about a month until, I had to play a gig for a party. Time to re-string. This time I bought a nice set of Martin extra lights.

Having learned something from this adventure, and not wanting to ruin my nice set of strings and because I had the gig to play, I now wound one or two loops going up the post insuring the string does not overlap itself or mistakenly getting pinched by the trimmer wall. It is quicker now to change strings even though I am using the loop. So the tuners do make life a little easier. Trial and error and success! The new strings sound great! Small price to pay having to loop the string as you tune up and for the first time since buying these tuners, I went straight across the neck E string to E string with out breaking a single string. I don't think the tuners will ever do that again with the 1 or 2 loop method, and if it does break you will have enough string left to, "try again"

I was a little disappointed. I wanted these to be the, end all, of my 40 years of re-stringing pain in the butt, and looping strings around the post, But, having said that, these tuners do allow me to re-string quite a bit quicker. Just make sure you are looping "up" the post and not down, I can imagine that mistake leading to an unwanted accidental cut string.

The Tuners real pay-off's here are the 18 to 1 gear ratio, they stay in tune, the quality and sturdiness of the engineered design, and they look nice. Because of these tuners this, "cheapest of my guitars" hangs on my wall next to, and outclasses, the others. There is just something about that gold look. I will say this, I was not sure about these tuners because of the black posts and thumb screws on the back. The black posts actually pop a little bit matching the fret board, pick gaurd, and saddle, and the thumb screws are on the back, so you never really see them. The black posts are that color because, this is the material that was chosen to be able to cut the string and cause no damage to the tuner. So the color, "is what it is" and its not a bad thing.

I would recommend these. I am now considering putting them on my Electric, and if they fit, I would buy two sets and put them on my 12 string.

Rarely does a well engineered Good looking product at a good price come around like this. Buy them.

Again this project was;
Trial and error and success! And because good things rarely come in an instant pay-off without a little effort, the downers of this review don't really have an impact on the outcome of my rating.
I had to work for it, but the pay off was worth the effort. Great Tuners!
Very well enigineered product don't be afraid of it, in a word, sturdy. Lots of thought went into the design and what materials to use. I am really liking them now.
Good Price for a quality product of this caliber. These deals don't come around much anymore, buy them.