Schertler Tuning Machines for Solid Peghead Guitar

Firstly, I love these tuners. Smooth, accurate, not heavy and look great, and I have been using them in all my guitars. However, one guitar bounced with two failed tuners. The Ebony knobs were twisting around on the shaft. Further investigation revealed the guitar had been in high humidity. It has already been pointed out that grain of the Ebony is in the wrong direction, but that is unlikely to be a structural problem because the tuners are so smooth. However, under high humidity the Ebony will take up moisture and expand across the grain. The hole will get bigger, the ribbed brass insert in the knob will come loose and the tuner will fail. It looks as if the insert is glued, but in this case the glue failed in all 6 tuners since all were loose, but only two failed. These tunes are great if you look after your guitar and avoid high humidity, but are not suitable for musicians who are likely to submit their guitar to high humidity. Professional musicians sometimes don't have any choice, they still need to do the gig if it is raining and hot. That was the case here, 4 days of constant rain and temperatures around 34deg C. Failure is likely in tropical climates. I also think the screws are too small. They are a pain for old blokes like me with eyesight not like it used to be, and with constant use do tend to come loose. I am now thinking about changing to different tuners which is a great pity.

I was searching for modern looking tuning machines for my new "Paloma" model hybrid acoustic guitar. I really wanted the quality that a Waverly machine has, but I did not want that "traditional" look. The Schertler machines gave me exactly what I was looking for with my newest guitar design. I am writing this review after well over two weeks and two sets of strings on the instrument and I have to say that I could not be happier with the Schertler machines. I found the quality only slightly less than I expect from Waverly machines, but the modern look has me sold. These are great machines and you should not hesitate to use them on any instruments. They will be standard on my Paloma model from here on out. Cheers! Denny Kopp

Very smooth and accurate. It is true that the Ebony grain seems to run parallel to the shaft, but they are so smooth that is not likely to be a problem in use. In practice have had no problems.

I purchased 3 sets. All arrived in great condition. I installed the first set 2 weeks ago. They are really smooth and they hold their tune great - exact, accurate tuning adjustments.

The ebony knobs are well machined and well attached - I expect no problems with them. They look GOOD. They are a wide knob, so be sure you have appropriate spacing between tuners. They did not fit my Scotty's hand winder - I had to use a different one.

Installation was a breeze. Be sure to drill practice hole in scrap wood to be sure you have the exact sized hole. Correct hole is a tight fit (more than just snug).

Satin finish is really nice looking. I accidentally scratched the finish when trying to remove a tuner from the test hole with a screw driver - a reminder always to use wood, etc for pressing tuners out of tight fits when servicing and fitting.

I am a fan of open back tuners. I think these look great with an acoustic guitar. They look (and are) solid tuners. I think they would not look as well with all electrics. I have tried most open back tuners, and these are definitely at the top of my list (I have not tried Waverly's, so I can't compare to them). I plan to make these a standard on my acoustic guitars.

I purchased these based on their unusual looks. They are really cool looking; unfortunately, the ebony on the knobs is oriented with the grain going in exactly the wrong direction. Four of the six tuners had cracked knobs before they even got out of the box. The mechanism looked good, but I returned them before trying them on an instrument. They need to re-engineer this product.

These seem to be models after Alessi tuners. They are VERY smooth, and precise. Look great (to me), and were a breeze to install. The grain on the buttons does run parallel to the shaft, but they turn soo easy I doubt it will be an issue. One of the smoothest tuners I've ever used. I wish they had a nickel plated version, or a gold plated for solid peghead, but for now I'm liking the "metallic" color.